“You said you had no brains! If this isn’t my story, then who else could it be?”
Melanie said with a clear voice.
Palto stared down at Melanie’s excited head. He knew Melanie wasn’t usually an intelligent concubine.
So it was easy for her to misunderstand what he had just reported to Hetor.
Melanie felt a pang of pity as she understood.
Palto turned his gaze to Hetor.
He, too, looked quite flustered, but his lord’s eyes softened for some reason.
If someone had caused such a commotion on Tanya Island, he would have immediately drawn his sword and beheaded them.
Ironically, Hetor’s face now resembled the tantrum of a lovable child.
“No. Our great King has never actually looked at children with such loving eyes.”
How could this be happening?
Palto calmed his startled heart and spoke to the sulking Melanie.
“Your Highness, we never spoke ill of you...”
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Melanie cut him off with a rather stern expression.
“I guess I’m an idiot?”
Hetor thought, still sitting in his chair, looking up at her.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. We didn’t mention Your Highness.”
Palto glanced at Hetor, trailing off.
He couldn’t bring himself to mention Galaco.
So even without Melanie interrupting, he had no choice but to shut his mouth this time.
“Your Majesty, why are you staying quiet? Say something!”
Palto looked at Hetor with pleading eyes, but Hetor calmly crossed his arms and stared at Melanie.
“You said I had no brain. You said you had no head! How could I be more certain than that?”
Melanie placed both hands on her slender waist and lifted her chin.
Hetor apologized with a slight smile on his face.
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Your Majesty?!”
Are you in your right mind?
Palto fidgeted at Hetor’s calm lie.
Melanie’s fresh-faced gaze turned to Palto at Hetor’s false confession.
“How did you know I was stupid?”
“...Huh?”
“You told Hetor that. That I don’t have a brain.”
Melanie asked, imitating the same gesture Palto had made earlier, tapping the side of her head with his fingertips.
“I, I...”
Palto looked at Hetor again with an embarrassed expression, unable to come up with a good excuse.
“Falto, apologize to Her Highness sincerely.”
Hetor ordered seriously.
Since he couldn’t talk about Galaco carelessly, he seemed to want to just wrap it up by insulting Her Highness Melanie.
Palto bowed deeply to Melanie and apologized, thinking, “If you’re going to criticize me, I have no power over you.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness Melanie. I wasn’t paying close attention to my words and actions because I was trying to portray your usually cheerful self a bit more dramatically.”
Melanie’s expression softened slightly at Palto’s apology.
Hetor, who had been watching, added a word.
“On Tanya Island, we use the word ‘brainless’ to describe someone bright and innocent. While it carries a negative connotation on the continent, on Tanya Island, it also means ‘pure,’ so I hope you’ll be generous and understand.”
Melanie’s eyes, which had been glaring at Palto, gradually relaxed at Hetor’s explanation.
“Is it true?”
“Yes, it is true!”
“Fine. I accept your apology. I’m indeed cheerful, but it’s also true that I’m brainless.”
Hetor and Palto’s pupils dilated at Melanie’s calm yet honest answer.
They didn’t have to acknowledge that, but it was a moment when Melanie’s innocence was clearly revealed.
“Palto, you should leave now.”
“...You want me to leave like this? Are you okay with that?”
Hetor glanced at Melanie and whispered to Palto.
“Report back in the evening. Get out.”
Reporting later on something other than Galaco?
Palto looked at Hetor curiously, but Melanie’s gaze was so stinging that he couldn’t stay in the room any longer.
As Palto left, Hetor said to Melanie,
“Sit down.”
“Yeah.”
“...What are you doing?”
“In fact, wasn’t it I who made the obedience potion that day?”
Logan’s words were true.
It was the day during the Continental Hunting Competition when the Magic Tower Master used teleportation to come to the Magic Tower to make a cure for Zelda, who had been infected with the demon’s energy.
Roxana also happened to be there to see Logan and met Bellos.
That day, Roxana proposed a deal to Bellos.
After giving Linel a magical potion that would induce amnesia, Roxana planned to expose Zelda as the proxy Empress through Prince Tesla’s confession and become the Empress of the Lapion Empire. And it was about Bellos releasing Zelda so that she could take her as her companion.
Moreover, that day, in addition to the magic potion for Linel, Roxana also requested and received a separate obedience potion to feed Hetor.
“I was the one who gave permission to make the obedience potion.”
“Yes, but even if the Lord of the Magic Tower hadn’t shown up that day, Roxana would have threatened me with Bonis’s life. In the end, I would have made those two potions and given them to Roxana.”
“Even so, this is not it.”
Bellos muttered, pressing his temple.
“Otherwise, you must also tell them that you joined hands with Roxana.”
“I intend to tell them. I will gladly accept my sins.”
“No, it is not yet the time. It will not be too late to reveal that after Roxana is dealt with.”
“Logan...”
“Please. Please do as I wish until Roxana is defeated.”
Logan held Bellos’s hand and pleaded.
Empress Elan was trapped inside the villa, unable to move.
She couldn't even leave her room, let alone go outside.
Under Emperor Adrian's watch, she had to eat in her room.
'I need to let Emperor Adrian know that he's starting to get suspicious... What should I do?'
Guards stood guard not only outside the door but also throughout the floor where the Tebello Empire's distinguished guests stayed.
She peeked open her room and met the eyes of the guard standing guard in front of it.
"Go in,"
The man watching her on Emperor Adrian's orders warned coldly.
"I heard a noise outside, so I opened it for a moment."
"There's nothing wrong, so don't worry."
True to the guard's words, the hallway was eerily quiet.
"Really? I must have misheard."
Empress Elan smiled awkwardly and closed the door.
The moment she turned around, the terrace door opened on its own, causing her to flinch.
She was so nervous, thinking it might be Emperor Adrian, but only the terrace door opened, and his eerie figure was nowhere to be seen.
“Did the wind and rain blow and open it on its own?”
Her shoulders, which had been tense, sank with a sigh of relief.
She walked to the terrace door and was about to close it again, but something felt like a rustle beneath her feet, so she lowered her head.
“You, you guys...!”
“We were just passing by, Moni~.”
Melanie said with a clear voice.
Palto stared down at Melanie’s excited head. He knew Melanie wasn’t usually an intelligent concubine.
So it was easy for her to misunderstand what he had just reported to Hetor.
Melanie felt a pang of pity as she understood.
Palto turned his gaze to Hetor.
He, too, looked quite flustered, but his lord’s eyes softened for some reason.
If someone had caused such a commotion on Tanya Island, he would have immediately drawn his sword and beheaded them.
Ironically, Hetor’s face now resembled the tantrum of a lovable child.
“No. Our great King has never actually looked at children with such loving eyes.”
How could this be happening?
Palto calmed his startled heart and spoke to the sulking Melanie.
“Your Highness, we never spoke ill of you...”
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Melanie cut him off with a rather stern expression.
“I guess I’m an idiot?”
Hetor thought, still sitting in his chair, looking up at her.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. We didn’t mention Your Highness.”
Palto glanced at Hetor, trailing off.
He couldn’t bring himself to mention Galaco.
So even without Melanie interrupting, he had no choice but to shut his mouth this time.
“Your Majesty, why are you staying quiet? Say something!”
Palto looked at Hetor with pleading eyes, but Hetor calmly crossed his arms and stared at Melanie.
“You said I had no brain. You said you had no head! How could I be more certain than that?”
Melanie placed both hands on her slender waist and lifted her chin.
Hetor apologized with a slight smile on his face.
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Your Majesty?!”
Are you in your right mind?
Palto fidgeted at Hetor’s calm lie.
Melanie’s fresh-faced gaze turned to Palto at Hetor’s false confession.
“How did you know I was stupid?”
“...Huh?”
“You told Hetor that. That I don’t have a brain.”
Melanie asked, imitating the same gesture Palto had made earlier, tapping the side of her head with his fingertips.
“I, I...”
Palto looked at Hetor again with an embarrassed expression, unable to come up with a good excuse.
“Falto, apologize to Her Highness sincerely.”
Hetor ordered seriously.
Since he couldn’t talk about Galaco carelessly, he seemed to want to just wrap it up by insulting Her Highness Melanie.
Palto bowed deeply to Melanie and apologized, thinking, “If you’re going to criticize me, I have no power over you.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness Melanie. I wasn’t paying close attention to my words and actions because I was trying to portray your usually cheerful self a bit more dramatically.”
Melanie’s expression softened slightly at Palto’s apology.
Hetor, who had been watching, added a word.
“On Tanya Island, we use the word ‘brainless’ to describe someone bright and innocent. While it carries a negative connotation on the continent, on Tanya Island, it also means ‘pure,’ so I hope you’ll be generous and understand.”
Melanie’s eyes, which had been glaring at Palto, gradually relaxed at Hetor’s explanation.
“Is it true?”
“Yes, it is true!”
“Fine. I accept your apology. I’m indeed cheerful, but it’s also true that I’m brainless.”
Hetor and Palto’s pupils dilated at Melanie’s calm yet honest answer.
They didn’t have to acknowledge that, but it was a moment when Melanie’s innocence was clearly revealed.
“Palto, you should leave now.”
“...You want me to leave like this? Are you okay with that?”
Hetor glanced at Melanie and whispered to Palto.
“Report back in the evening. Get out.”
Reporting later on something other than Galaco?
Palto looked at Hetor curiously, but Melanie’s gaze was so stinging that he couldn’t stay in the room any longer.
As Palto left, Hetor said to Melanie,
“Sit down.”
“Yeah.”
“...What are you doing?”
“You told me to sit down.”
“I told you to sit in the chair. Who told you to sit on my lap?”
His words were quite abrupt, but he didn’t push Melanie away.
Melanie thought Hetor might slam her to the floor.
It was a risky move.
But contrary to his harsh tone, Hetor's hand wasn't pushing her back, but rather gently gripping her waist.
"You should know how to be a chair for your master."
Melanie, thrilled, swung her legs in the air, as if splashing water.
"If the people of Tanya Island saw this, they'd catch you, hang you from a tree, and beat your butt mercilessly."
"For what crime?"
“I told you to sit in the chair. Who told you to sit on my lap?”
His words were quite abrupt, but he didn’t push Melanie away.
Melanie thought Hetor might slam her to the floor.
It was a risky move.
But contrary to his harsh tone, Hetor's hand wasn't pushing her back, but rather gently gripping her waist.
"You should know how to be a chair for your master."
Melanie, thrilled, swung her legs in the air, as if splashing water.
"If the people of Tanya Island saw this, they'd catch you, hang you from a tree, and beat your butt mercilessly."
"For what crime?"
"For trampling and crushing the King's thigh without permission. I've never placed anything on my thigh except a sword or an arrow. Do you understand?"
"I don't know."
The answer was clear.
Melanie wiggled her legs a few more times before dropping them down with a discontented tone.
"Do you want to go sit on the chair?"
Hetor, feeling a pang of regret as she finally left his thigh, asked subtly,
"Why?"
"My butt hurts. Did you put a rock in your pants? How are they so hard? My butt hurts."
Melanie plopped down on the chair opposite him and replied.
Hetor placed the cushion next to him on his thigh and considered asking her to come back, but decided against it.
He put the cushion back down, thinking it was better now that he could face Melanie.
“What brings you down today?”
“Oh, my mind. I got a call from the main palace. They said I’ve been selected for the congratulatory delegation!”
Melanie said with a grin.
“If His Majesty had left me out, I was going to come with you today, sword in hand.”
“Please leave me out. I don’t want to be at odds with someone as creepy as Emperor Linel.”
Hetor raised both hands and turned serious.
“I’m not going to threaten His Majesty, am I?”
“Of course.”
“To show off the swordsmanship I’ve been practicing. The only reason His Majesty is leaving me out is because he thinks I’m weak.”
“Well, anyway, since you're a congratulatory delegation, I guess you won’t have to show off your skills.”
“There’ll be a chance later. I’ll show them I’m good at something. I really need to see the concubines amazed and envious of my skills.”
“...”
“It’s not that I’m good at it. I can barely lift a sword.”
Hetor buoyed Melanie’s spirits by keeping the truth silent.
Suddenly, rain began to fall. They both looked out the window.
“Just a passing shower, I guess?”
“Let’s hope so. That way, we can leave tomorrow.”
But the rain was pouring down fiercely.
“But what do people do on Tanya Island on their birthdays?”
Melanie asked after staring out the window for a moment.
“They throw the birthday person into the sea.”
“Oh, why?”
“It’s just tradition.”
“If you can’t swim, you just die.”
“No one on Tanya Island can’t swim. Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“My birthday is tomorrow.”
“What?”
“It’s my birthday. I guess having a birthday party in the forest wouldn’t be bad. But if it rains like this tomorrow, it’ll be a bit difficult to have a party...”
Melanie spoke worriedly, watching the rain fall again.
"I don't know."
The answer was clear.
Melanie wiggled her legs a few more times before dropping them down with a discontented tone.
"Do you want to go sit on the chair?"
Hetor, feeling a pang of regret as she finally left his thigh, asked subtly,
"Why?"
"My butt hurts. Did you put a rock in your pants? How are they so hard? My butt hurts."
Melanie plopped down on the chair opposite him and replied.
Hetor placed the cushion next to him on his thigh and considered asking her to come back, but decided against it.
He put the cushion back down, thinking it was better now that he could face Melanie.
“What brings you down today?”
“Oh, my mind. I got a call from the main palace. They said I’ve been selected for the congratulatory delegation!”
Melanie said with a grin.
“If His Majesty had left me out, I was going to come with you today, sword in hand.”
“Please leave me out. I don’t want to be at odds with someone as creepy as Emperor Linel.”
Hetor raised both hands and turned serious.
“I’m not going to threaten His Majesty, am I?”
“Of course.”
“To show off the swordsmanship I’ve been practicing. The only reason His Majesty is leaving me out is because he thinks I’m weak.”
“Well, anyway, since you're a congratulatory delegation, I guess you won’t have to show off your skills.”
“There’ll be a chance later. I’ll show them I’m good at something. I really need to see the concubines amazed and envious of my skills.”
“...”
“It’s not that I’m good at it. I can barely lift a sword.”
Hetor buoyed Melanie’s spirits by keeping the truth silent.
Suddenly, rain began to fall. They both looked out the window.
“Just a passing shower, I guess?”
“Let’s hope so. That way, we can leave tomorrow.”
But the rain was pouring down fiercely.
“But what do people do on Tanya Island on their birthdays?”
Melanie asked after staring out the window for a moment.
“They throw the birthday person into the sea.”
“Oh, why?”
“It’s just tradition.”
“If you can’t swim, you just die.”
“No one on Tanya Island can’t swim. Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“My birthday is tomorrow.”
“What?”
“It’s my birthday. I guess having a birthday party in the forest wouldn’t be bad. But if it rains like this tomorrow, it’ll be a bit difficult to have a party...”
Melanie spoke worriedly, watching the rain fall again.
***
Logan asked, dumbfounded, at Bellos's statement that Hetor had begun to awaken after drinking the obedience potion.
"No, how?"
While there were exceptions to all magical potions, awakening without an antidote was extremely rare.
For obedience potions used between men and women, their effects were only effective for those who were in a relationship.
Awakening only occurred when someone other than the person being subdued was in their thoughts, and this usually occurred through unexpected contact.
Hetor and Melanie's case was this.
Their lips had clashed during a scuffle in the carriage, sparking a connection. Melanie's subsequent actions had reawakened Hetor's emotions, which had been suppressed by the obedience potion.
"Did Hetor get an antidote somewhere?"
Logan questioned, but Bellos shook his head.
"No. He fell in love with someone else. At first, it was probably an accident."
"This... is an unusual case. If the existence of the obedience potion becomes known, even the Lord of the Magic Tower..."
"It will be difficult."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I've already committed too many sins. I'll be honest."
Bellos smiled bitterly.
Logan hesitated for a moment before cautiously opening his mouth.
"I have a favor to ask, Lord of the Magic Tower."
"What?"
“Please make that obedience potion mine.”
“What?”
“Please do so.”
“What are you... saying?”
Logan’s request was unexpected.
“I made it because I couldn’t resist Roxana’s threats. If Hetor finds out, he’ll focus his wrath on Roxana.”
“Is that what you were aiming for? But...”
"No, how?"
While there were exceptions to all magical potions, awakening without an antidote was extremely rare.
For obedience potions used between men and women, their effects were only effective for those who were in a relationship.
Awakening only occurred when someone other than the person being subdued was in their thoughts, and this usually occurred through unexpected contact.
Hetor and Melanie's case was this.
Their lips had clashed during a scuffle in the carriage, sparking a connection. Melanie's subsequent actions had reawakened Hetor's emotions, which had been suppressed by the obedience potion.
"Did Hetor get an antidote somewhere?"
Logan questioned, but Bellos shook his head.
"No. He fell in love with someone else. At first, it was probably an accident."
"This... is an unusual case. If the existence of the obedience potion becomes known, even the Lord of the Magic Tower..."
"It will be difficult."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I've already committed too many sins. I'll be honest."
Bellos smiled bitterly.
Logan hesitated for a moment before cautiously opening his mouth.
"I have a favor to ask, Lord of the Magic Tower."
"What?"
“Please make that obedience potion mine.”
“What?”
“Please do so.”
“What are you... saying?”
Logan’s request was unexpected.
“I made it because I couldn’t resist Roxana’s threats. If Hetor finds out, he’ll focus his wrath on Roxana.”
“Is that what you were aiming for? But...”
“In fact, wasn’t it I who made the obedience potion that day?”
Logan’s words were true.
It was the day during the Continental Hunting Competition when the Magic Tower Master used teleportation to come to the Magic Tower to make a cure for Zelda, who had been infected with the demon’s energy.
Roxana also happened to be there to see Logan and met Bellos.
That day, Roxana proposed a deal to Bellos.
After giving Linel a magical potion that would induce amnesia, Roxana planned to expose Zelda as the proxy Empress through Prince Tesla’s confession and become the Empress of the Lapion Empire. And it was about Bellos releasing Zelda so that she could take her as her companion.
Moreover, that day, in addition to the magic potion for Linel, Roxana also requested and received a separate obedience potion to feed Hetor.
“I was the one who gave permission to make the obedience potion.”
“Yes, but even if the Lord of the Magic Tower hadn’t shown up that day, Roxana would have threatened me with Bonis’s life. In the end, I would have made those two potions and given them to Roxana.”
“Even so, this is not it.”
Bellos muttered, pressing his temple.
“Otherwise, you must also tell them that you joined hands with Roxana.”
“I intend to tell them. I will gladly accept my sins.”
“No, it is not yet the time. It will not be too late to reveal that after Roxana is dealt with.”
“Logan...”
“Please. Please do as I wish until Roxana is defeated.”
Logan held Bellos’s hand and pleaded.
***
Empress Elan was trapped inside the villa, unable to move.
She couldn't even leave her room, let alone go outside.
Under Emperor Adrian's watch, she had to eat in her room.
'I need to let Emperor Adrian know that he's starting to get suspicious... What should I do?'
Guards stood guard not only outside the door but also throughout the floor where the Tebello Empire's distinguished guests stayed.
She peeked open her room and met the eyes of the guard standing guard in front of it.
"Go in,"
The man watching her on Emperor Adrian's orders warned coldly.
"I heard a noise outside, so I opened it for a moment."
"There's nothing wrong, so don't worry."
True to the guard's words, the hallway was eerily quiet.
"Really? I must have misheard."
Empress Elan smiled awkwardly and closed the door.
The moment she turned around, the terrace door opened on its own, causing her to flinch.
She was so nervous, thinking it might be Emperor Adrian, but only the terrace door opened, and his eerie figure was nowhere to be seen.
“Did the wind and rain blow and open it on its own?”
Her shoulders, which had been tense, sank with a sigh of relief.
She walked to the terrace door and was about to close it again, but something felt like a rustle beneath her feet, so she lowered her head.
“You, you guys...!”
“We were just passing by, Moni~.”
“I stopped by to get out of the rain, Moiya~.”
Moiya and Moni looked up at Empress Elan, their small heads pressed against the terrace door, drenched in rain.
“It’s cold, can I have a towel~?”
Moni flapped her wet wings, shaking off the rainwater.
“Huh? Uh, wait a minute.”
Empress Elan ran to the bathroom and retrieved two towels.
“Shall I lay them out on the floor?”
Empress Elan, who was about to dry the wet wyverns herself, laid two towels out on the floor as Moiya requested.
Then, the two guys started rolling around on the towels and wiping off the rainwater.
“Is it okay to just wander around like this?”
Empress Elan asked worriedly.
“Ugh, when it rains a lot, humans just think we’re crows.”
“They can’t see us well because of the rain, Moni~.”
Moiya and Moni, who had roughly wiped off the rainwater, simultaneously stared at Empress Elan.
“Your face has lost its color since we didn’t see you, right, Moiya~?”
“Ugh! What’s wrong with your neck? Who did you fight with?”
Empress Elan thought Moiya and Moni were quite sharp and smiled weakly.
“Yeah, I'm hurt...”
Empress Elan wanted to tell the truth, but she couldn't speak properly because she was under a secret-keeping spell.
If she couldn't speak, she wanted to write something down and tell Zelda about this through Moiya and Moni, but she couldn't write anything.
Moiya approached Empress Elan and blurted out,
"Oh? So it was the silver cutlassfish that did that?"
He sniffed and then blurted out.
Empress Elan's eyes widened, and she looked at Moiya.
"Don't you smell the silver cutlassfish, Moiya~? From here."
Moiya pointed precisely at the wound on Empress Elan's neck with his finger.
“It’s cold, can I have a towel~?”
Moni flapped her wet wings, shaking off the rainwater.
“Huh? Uh, wait a minute.”
Empress Elan ran to the bathroom and retrieved two towels.
“Shall I lay them out on the floor?”
Empress Elan, who was about to dry the wet wyverns herself, laid two towels out on the floor as Moiya requested.
Then, the two guys started rolling around on the towels and wiping off the rainwater.
“Is it okay to just wander around like this?”
Empress Elan asked worriedly.
“Ugh, when it rains a lot, humans just think we’re crows.”
“They can’t see us well because of the rain, Moni~.”
Moiya and Moni, who had roughly wiped off the rainwater, simultaneously stared at Empress Elan.
“Your face has lost its color since we didn’t see you, right, Moiya~?”
“Ugh! What’s wrong with your neck? Who did you fight with?”
Empress Elan thought Moiya and Moni were quite sharp and smiled weakly.
“Yeah, I'm hurt...”
Empress Elan wanted to tell the truth, but she couldn't speak properly because she was under a secret-keeping spell.
If she couldn't speak, she wanted to write something down and tell Zelda about this through Moiya and Moni, but she couldn't write anything.
Moiya approached Empress Elan and blurted out,
"Oh? So it was the silver cutlassfish that did that?"
He sniffed and then blurted out.
Empress Elan's eyes widened, and she looked at Moiya.
"Don't you smell the silver cutlassfish, Moiya~? From here."
Moiya pointed precisely at the wound on Empress Elan's neck with his finger.
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