Chapter 74
“The North is expected to suffer significant damage in this 100-year cycle. No matter how hard he tries, it won’t be enough to protect the entire region.”
As he delivered these reassuring words with confidence, the emperor’s expression softened considerably.
Following the report that the North might be in danger, the emperor feigned concern.
“That’s truly unfortunate. The North is like the empire’s shield, so I hope there won’t be too much damage.”
“As long as the duke is there, the damage shouldn’t reach the capital, so you can rest easy, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. That’s how it should be.”
At Mikael’s words, the emperor let out a faint chuckle. He tapped the armrest lightly and asked,
“By the way, how is that child doing? Has she put on any weight?”
“Do you mean Lady Reina? Well, she’s still quite slender, but she looked healthy.”
“Do I look like I’m just asking about her health?”
Once again sensing the emperor’s discomfort, Mikael showed his reluctance.
As he continued to fumble without grasping the emperor’s intent, the emperor clicked his tongue and revealed his dark motives.
“I’m asking because if she were pregnant, there would be changes in her body.”
“Ah.”
Only then did he realize that the emperor was curious about whether Reina was pregnant.
‘So that’s what it was.’
Recalling the secret letter the emperor had sent separately to Reina, he bowed deeply.
“She hasn’t conceived yet, but the two of them seemed quite close.”
“Really?”
“The duke seems to cherish Reina a great deal. It’s only a matter of time before a child comes along.”
Having obtained the answer he wanted, a smile spread across the emperor’s face.
Like a sated predator, he leaned back lazily against the chair and muttered to himself,
“How admirable. For a child who’s become useless to act in such a commendable way… Come to think of it, the ones who grow up on their own seem better than those pampered ones.”
He then added a meaningful remark.
“Come to think of it, the children of the Eve family are quite special to me. Following Jeffrey, Reina is behaving so endearingly as well.”
This was the first time the emperor had mentioned the missing Prince Jeffrey.
If he hadn’t referred to the ‘Eve family,’ Mikael might not have immediately realized that Jeffrey was Reina’s older brother.
Mikael lifted his head, trying to understand what he was saying.
At that moment, their eyes met.
A primal fear overwhelmed Mikael.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine, as if his instincts were warning him of danger.
“Yes. She’s an unexpected blessing. Of course, not quite like Jeffrey, but still, this is impressive enough.”
Mikael hid his trembling hands and replied calmly.
“It’s tragic that it happened at such a young age.”
“Ha.”
The emperor burst into laughter at Mikael’s perfunctory addition.
His silent attempt to stifle the laugh, as if he’d heard something absurd, was eerie.
“Your Majesty…?”
“Yes. It’s tragic. He was still so young.”
“…….”
“But I have a feeling Jeffrey will appear before me again soon. He’s a dutiful son, after all.”
The emperor uttered these inscrutable words and dismissed Mikael.
As Mikael exited the audience chamber, he rubbed his arms.
The cold air of the corridor felt warm in comparison to the chilling encounter.
‘It seems I need to confirm something.’
Having sensed something amiss in his conversation with the emperor, Mikael hurried toward the study.
Chapter 8. 1 Year Later
Time had flown by, and it had already been a full year since Reina arrived in the North.
Recently, Crencia Castle was abuzz with activity in celebration of the duke and duchess’s first wedding anniversary.
With the anniversary and Reina’s birthday falling almost back-to-back, they prepared a banquet timed to coincide with her birthday.
The North was so peaceful that it was hard to believe it was enduring the demonic 100-year cycle.
More vicious demons than usual were swarming, but each time, Crencia dispatched them early.
To the outside world, this was attributed to Aiden’s magical tools, but he had a secretive assistant.
Aiden muttered awkwardly.
“It feels embarrassing, like you’re performing all the feats, sister-in-law, and I’m taking all the credit.”
Seeing this, Reina replied calmly.
“Anyway, without your magical tools, Aiden, we couldn’t have accomplished this much. They’re truly reliable.”
“Can’t we just announce now that it was all under your direction, sister-in-law? I only made them.”
“After all, we’re all part of Crencia, aren’t we? Your achievements are mine, and mine are yours.”
When Reina firmly refused, Aiden wore a regretful expression.
“If you put it that way, what does that make me?”
Aiden still knew Reina only as the proxy of the divine maiden.
Over the past year, she had pretended to be the divine maiden’s proxy, feeding information to Aiden and providing the clues needed for crafting magical tools.
Fortunately, the demons followed patterns similar to those before her regression, allowing them to handle the creatures on time without her having to use her powers.
Having witnessed countless results with his own eyes, Aiden had progressed beyond blind faith in the divine maiden and begun to revere Reina as well.
“Seeing it again, it’s truly miraculous. I’m curious how you can locate the demons’ origins so quickly. If I go to the capital, can I meet the divine maiden?”
Reina brushed it off with a smile. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she was the divine maiden herself.
Recently, after dealing with the golems, Aiden was in a state of half-excitement.
For some time, golems had been a major thorn in the North’s side. With their sturdy bodies, they smashed every wall in sight, and the damage to villages only grew.
But thanks to Reina discovering a method to make the golems’ tough bodies as soft as tofu, they were sliced up like radishes.
And that wasn’t all—the golem corpses proved perfect for repairing the collapsed walls.
The upgraded fortifications were so robust that most demons couldn’t even scratch them.
With successive victories, the North was flourishing day by day, rendering the demonic 100-year cycle meaningless.
Aiden suddenly grasped Reina’s hand and said.
“Of course, all of this is thanks to you coming to the North, sister-in-law. I wonder if my brother saved the nation in a past life—how else did he manage to bring you here?”
Reina awkwardly averted her eyes from the fervent gaze directed at her.
“I only offered words, nothing more.”
Of course, that alone couldn’t halt Aiden’s adoration. He declared firmly.
“No. Without your advice, sister-in-law, I wouldn’t have had the conviction to develop those magical tools. Not everyone can come up with such creative ideas.”
“I-is that so?”
“Yes! Honestly, you should be holding a professorship at the academy, not staying by my brother’s side. The academy lost a precious talent to Crencia.”
As Aiden raised his voice repeatedly, Reina’s cheeks flushed pink.
It felt embarrassing to receive praise exceeding her actual abilities, yet it was gratifying all the same.
Seeing Reina turn red as a tomato, Aiden tempered his excitement.
If he pressed further, she might flee.
“By the way, the magical tool you commissioned this time is a bit unusual, so it piques my interest. I’ve never considered applying a demon’s core in that manner.”
“You probably would have thought of it soon enough yourself, Aiden.”
“Sometimes it seems like you view me as a genius, sister-in-law, which is embarrassing.”
As Aiden laughed it off, Reina shrugged her shoulders.
In truth, all these ideas were ones Aiden had conceived first in the past.
Back then, missing the timing had led to hardships, but now she was helping ensure they were implemented just in time.
“Anyway, I’ll have the item you requested ready on schedule this time as well.”
“Thank you. By the way, has anything unusual happened with Dalia lately?”
As Reina casually broached the subject, Aiden replied without suspicion.
“Come to think of it, she does seem to be scheming something on her own these days.”
“Dalia?”
“I caught a glimpse, you see.”
Aiden glanced around, then leaned his upper body forward.
In turn, Reina grew serious and leaned her ear closer.
