Chapter 75
“It seems like he’s preparing a surprise birthday gift for you, sister-in-law.”
“Oh my.”
“When I think about it, it feels a bit bittersweet that Dalia seems to like you more than me.”
Aiden drooped the corners of his eyes and playfully teased her.
In response, Reina offered a faint smile while secretly sighing in relief within her heart.
‘It looks like things are still okay for now.’
If something had happened to Dalia, he wouldn’t have been able to joke around like that.
In truth, Reina had another worry on her mind, but she couldn’t tell Aiden about it just yet.
Hiding her inner thoughts and forcing a smile, Reina gently urged him.
“If anything happens to Dalia, please make sure to tell me.”
“I’m grateful that you’re looking out for Dalia like this, sister-in-law.”
* * *
After leaving Aiden’s laboratory, the place Reina headed to was the sacred tree.
Overnight snow had fallen, blanketing the branches like a thick quilt covering the sacred tree.
An evergreen tree that stayed lush year-round.
The area around the sacred tree was particularly warm, so Reina often visited it.
Reina quietly placed her hand on the tree. At that moment, the hidden names were revealed.
[Kaiden Crencia, Reina Eve Mernie]
One year ago, on Reina’s birthday, the two had been bound by a vow.
A bond even stronger than the oaths made between the Mernie and Crencia families in the past.
Having gained the power of the dragon, Reina had become incomparably healthier than before.
She was immune to most poisons, and she could even wield aura to some extent.
Recalling the secret training she had undergone with Kaiden over the past year to hone this power filled her with a sense of pride.
Reina gently stroked the engraved names.
Seeing the names written side by side made her feel as though the sacred tree was watching over the two of them.
Because of that, before undertaking any important task, she would always come to the sacred tree and quietly gaze at the names.
‘It’s almost time now.’
Soon, the noble assembly would convene in the capital. All nobles from the territories were required to gather there, and one couldn’t be absent without a special reason.
On that day, Crencia was to represent the north and report on the status of the 100-year cycle.
Originally, they wouldn’t have been able to leave the north during the demonic 100-year cycle, but the situation had changed now.
The emperor, having noticed the peaceful conditions in the north, had issued an imperial decree for the couple to come in person and report.
On the surface, it was a cunning method disguised as a father’s desire to see his daughter.
Even after that, the emperor would occasionally send letters inquiring whether Reina was with child.
At first, she would open them each time and seethe with anger, but now she burned them without even unsealing them.
After all, it was obvious they contained words meant to rile her up.
Of course, she never forgot to send a polite reply to appease the emperor’s feelings.
‘All preparations are complete now.’
Just in case something happened while the two of them were away, she had asked Aiden to keep an eye on things.
It was only a short trip, but perhaps because she knew about the events from her regression, her mind couldn’t easily find peace.
At that moment, with the sound of approaching footsteps, Kaiden appeared.
“You’re here again.”
He naturally approached her side and draped a blanket over her.
The warmed blanket covered her shoulders, easing the chill.
“The weather’s cold. It’s only been a little while since you recovered from that cold, and here you are out like this again.”
“Thank you.”
Reina smiled brightly and fastened the blanket around herself.
“Were you looking at the names again?”
“Just because. It’s fascinating.”
The names on the sacred tree remained invisible unless she touched it. The same held true for Kaiden.
It felt like a secret shared only between the two of them.
Reina asked in a voice laced with curiosity.
“Is it possible to write something else besides the names?”
“Are you suggesting we graffiti the sacred tree right now? It may not look like much, but it’s a family heirloom.”
He burst into laughter, his expression one of utter disbelief.
He seemed to think she was joking with an overly serious face.
Embarrassed by her own whimsical thought, Reina rushed to explain.
“Just… I thought it might be nice to leave secret messages here if we ever have something to say to each other later. I didn’t think of it as graffiti.”
“Well, since it’s graffiti only we can see anyway, it doesn’t matter.”
With a face full of amusement, Kaiden placed his finger on the sacred tree.
“Shall we give it a try?”
“Huh?”
Before the startled Reina could stop him, it was too late.
He had already infused aura into his fingertip and begun writing something.
“Oh, it works?”
For the head of the family defacing an heirloom, his tone was remarkably lighthearted.
She stamped her feet in frustration and shook Kaiden’s arm.
“S-stop that!”
“What’s the harm? No one else can ever see it.”
The more she protested, the more mischievous his smile became as he held his ground firmly.
Even when Reina practically hung off his arm, it was no use.
A moment later, he pulled his hand away and said,
“Now, your turn.”
Reina stared at Kaiden with a dazed expression.
It had been nothing more than innocent curiosity.
But now that he had actually gone and done it, she was left utterly flustered.
Is this really okay?
She gazed at the sacred tree in bewilderment, hesitating.
“Hurry up.”
At that, he took her hand and placed it against the sacred tree.
Then, the graffiti Kaiden had just written appeared on its surface.
[How about we climb the tower together for this birthday?]
It was a place of deep significance to them both, so she understood immediately.
The tower referred to the one in Letter, where they had watched the sunset together.
The bracelet she had received there was one of her most cherished possessions. She wore it on her wrist every day, and even Lily and Rose had never touched it.
Kaiden tilted his chin slightly, as if waiting for her response.
Reina carefully gathered aura at her fingertip and wrote her reply.
[This time, I’ll walk up on my own two feet.]
Watching from the side, Kaiden murmured softly.
“That’ll be tough, though?”
In truth, the two of them had climbed the tower several times since that day.
Each time, Reina would become utterly exhausted before even reaching halfway up.
In the end, she could only make it to the top in time by riding on Kaiden’s back.
It had been quite humiliating, and Reina still harbored a grudge about it.
With a face full of determination and competitive spirit, she declared.
“This time, I mean it.”
She shot him a light glare, as if chiding him for not believing her.
Seeing this, Kaiden let out a pleased laugh.
Her pouty expression was utterly endearing.
She always seemed so mature, but in front of him, she reacted with such girlish charm.
Like a doll that squeaked when poked, Reina’s lively responses never failed to delight him.
“Fine. This time, I absolutely won’t help you.”
“…That’s a bit much.”
“Why? You said you could climb it on your own.”
“You never know… My condition might be off, or something else could happen…”
As Reina trailed off hesitantly, another burst of laughter escaped him.
She shot him a resentful look, then lightly punched him with her fist.
“Don’t tease me!”
With her voice rising, he figured it was time to stop the teasing.
Her cotton-soft punch didn’t hurt—it tickled him instead.
Being by her side always filled him with this itchy, restless feeling, making the sensation even more intense.
He caught both of her hands to restrain her. In the process, Reina’s back pressed against the sacred tree.
As their gazes met, it felt as if the very air around them had stilled.
Kaiden glanced at her slender wrists. They were so delicate that he could probably grasp both with one hand.
‘I need to make her eat more.’
If Reina had heard that thought, she would have been horrified. Drooping his eyebrows, Kaiden murmured.
“Ow.”
“Did it hurt?”
Reina asked in surprise, and Kaiden bit down on his lower lip.
“For real?”
Misinterpreting it as genuine pain, Reina pulled her hand free and gently stroked his arm.
The way she took his casual words so seriously and reacted with such concern was unbearably lovely.
By now, liking Reina had become as natural to him as breathing.
It didn’t matter if she still didn’t grasp even a tenth of his feelings.
After all, he would always be the one by her side.
Of course, he sometimes felt impatient. What if she saw the full extent of his heart and got scared, running away?
He endured it well enough most of the time, but when she was this unguarded, holding back became a torment.
‘Endure it, just endure.’
In his mind, he imagined pummeling monsters to calm himself, then said lightly.
“I think it’ll heal if you blow on it.”
