Chapter 87
“It seems it was received safely.”
Isadal murmured to himself as he rose from his seat.
At that moment, his long hair cascaded over his shoulder.
The golden locks shimmered under the moonlight, radiating an ethereal glow.
His appearance bordered on the divine, yet his gaze was too stern for an apostle.
It made sense. Despite his youthful face, he carried memories of having lived for quite a long time.
Isadal had recalled his previous life about a year ago.
During a prayer much like this one, his past life flashed before him like a panorama.
At the time, Isadal had received the duty to install the apostle chosen by the gods as the new emperor.
The current emperor was a warmonger, a dangerous element who threatened to plunge the entire continent into a whirlwind of war, so perhaps it was a natural revelation.
Convinced that the king spoken of by the gods was the dragon, Isadal laid out a plan to crown him.
But a problem arose. The current emperor was excessively cunning and quick-witted.
He obstructed the dragon’s path at every turn, as if he knew the future in advance.
As a result, the dragon grew weaker and weaker, and Isadal realized too late that someone was behind the emperor.
And on the day the emperor died. When Kaiden Crencia rescued Reina from her underground imprisonment, Isadal understood.
The king spoken of by the gods was not the dragon, but that woman.
But by then, it was too late to intervene. Both Reina and Kaiden were on the brink of death.
It was a failed world. Isadal had not fulfilled his mission.
Yet, he was given another chance.
From the moment he recalled his previous life, he pinpointed the whereabouts of Reina Eve Mernie.
And when he heard she was heading north.
He intuited that she was the one who had turned back time.
After that, Isadal set up a scheme to draw her to him. For the time being, he couldn’t leave the Holy Kingdom.
Fortunately, she took the bait.
Now was the time to win her favor by granting her what she desired most.
“Now it’s time to help with the family reunion.”
Isadal headed toward the papal office with quiet steps.
In his hand was an application listing ‘Mernie Empire’ as his first assignment.
* * *
Late at night, upon returning to the mansion, Kaiden checked the clock.
It was already well past midnight.
After arriving in the capital, he had personally visited the places where Jeffrey was suspected to be.
In case there were any overlooked clues, but as expected, nothing turned up.
‘It has to be the imperial palace after all.’
It was the most likely spot, since it wasn’t a place one could enter and exit easily.
He wanted to return her brother to Reina as soon as possible. But things weren’t progressing as smoothly as he’d hoped, leaving him frustrated.
‘She must be asleep by now.’
Given her disciplined lifestyle, she was probably already in dreamland.
Moreover, with an important social gathering tomorrow, she would have gone to bed early.
Kaiden muffled his footsteps as he headed to the bedroom. After finishing his shower and entering the room, he spotted Reina dozing on the reception room sofa.
As if waiting for him, a book lay open on her lap.
“I told you to sleep in the bed.”
It seemed to have become a habit for her to wait up for him and end up sleeping on the narrow sofa every time.
Of course, the sofa was the right size for Reina to lie on, but to him, it just looked uncomfortable.
Kaiden carefully set the book aside and lifted Reina into his arms.
As he laid her on the bed, moonlight filtered through the half-drawn curtains.
Kaiden held his breath as he watched Reina’s sleeping form. With her soft, even breathing, she looked as innocent as a child.
‘It seems she didn’t have a nightmare tonight.’
Reina often tossed and turned from nightmares. And he now knew well that they were because of the emperor.
“You can do it.”
Reina had acted fine about the emperor’s banquet invitation, but Kaiden knew.
How much she feared facing the emperor.
No matter how thoroughly prepared, she couldn’t do anything about her innermost terror.
He had already received reports that since arriving in the capital, Reina hadn’t been able to stay still for a moment.
He wasn’t unaware that her unusual fixation on reading was to stop her thoughts.
As he watched her in deep sleep, he whispered softly.
“What if you had been an oblivious, spoiled imperial princess?”
Then he probably wouldn’t have proposed, and they wouldn’t have met.
Indulging in such futile hypotheticals showed how urgent his feelings were.
His desire to protect her like a flower in a greenhouse was his own selfishness.
He wished for her to see only good things and be purely happy, but Reina was no ignorant child.
In that case, he would clear the path so she could roam freely.
“I must have become quite the coward.”
“……”
“I’m just not confident when it comes to you.”
Kaiden stroked her pale cheek and pulled up the blanket.
Then, he lightly kissed her forehead.
“I hope you find peace.”
In contrast to his tender voice, his eyes gleamed with a dark, fervent intensity.
Did Reina know? How dangerous her husband truly was.
Thinking that she had suggested sharing a bed because she didn’t know made him exasperated.
After gazing at his innocently sleeping wife for a while, he turned and headed back to the study.
* * *
The Lavender gathering was held at a townhouse in downtown Lunin.
The townhouse operated on a strict membership basis, so it was no exaggeration to call it a hub of aristocratic social circles.
After checking the invitation, the staff escorted Reina to the sixth floor.
The townhouse consisted of eight floors; floors one through three could be used by anyone with money, even non-nobles.
From the fourth floor up, ranks applied, and the sixth floor was accessible only to families of count rank or higher.
“Duchess Reina Crencia Mernie is entering.”
As the doorman announced her arrival, the voices inside abruptly ceased.
Entering with Lily and Rose, Reina spotted familiar faces.
While Wendy wore an openly dismayed expression, Isabelle greeted Reina with a feigned smile.
“You came, Reina. I was so surprised when you said you’d attend. Thank you for coming despite being busy.”
“It’s only natural to accept a sister’s invitation.”
It was an unexpectedly warm welcome. If she intended to make a fool of her like before, Reina had no plans to just take it.
With Isabelle’s changed attitude, Reina keenly felt how different her status was now.
Having a solid backing gave her the strength not to shrink anywhere.
“Oh my, so the two of you were quite close after all?”
The vice leader of the gathering, Alisa, made a fuss nearby. Isabelle naturally picked up the conversation.
“Of course, since we lived in the same palace. I was so disappointed when I heard about the marriage.”
Her gaze brimmed with longing, as if looking at an old friend.
It seemed she wanted to flaunt their supposed closeness, but Reina wasn’t pleased.
“You say you were disappointed, yet not a single letter.”
“Hm?”
“Just saying. I missed you too.”
As Reina smiled broadly, Isabelle let out an awkward laugh.
‘Surely she won’t say it, right?’
Unlike the palace, this was the social scene.
With many eyes watching, and Reina now an influential figure unlike before.
If her past bullying of Reina became known, it would be extremely disadvantageous for Isabelle.
Fortunately, Alisa, oblivious to the awkward tension between them, spoke up.
“Hoho, Your Highness, you said before that you weren’t close to the duchess. Now it seems you were just saying that to keep us from bothering you!”
“That’s…”
Before Isabelle could respond, Reina interjected.
“Of course. Isabelle and I have been close since childhood.”
What was she up to?
Isabelle was bewildered by Reina’s inconsistent behavior.
Fortunately, Reina didn’t say anything more that would disadvantage Isabelle.
Isabelle caught on quickly. Reina held her weaknesses.
Her leisurely smile as she chatted with the young ladies was utterly different from the past.
