Chapter 5
Still uneasy, Kaiden ignored Ben’s muttering and recalled Reina.
“Please forgive my earlier rudeness.”
“The rudeness was mine first. I visited without notice, and I’m grateful you didn’t turn me away.”
“Even so, it was my mistake to let my killing intent slip carelessly. It’s a sensitive matter, and I let my emotions get the better of me.”
“It’s really okay. I’ve heard northerners are quick-tempered and fiery. Perhaps it’s because they’ve evolved that way from fighting life-and-death battles so often. Sometimes, what the heart demands is the right answer, not what the head dictates.”
“I didn’t expect you to hit me with something like that. Are you mocking me?”
“What? No way! Who could dare lay a hand on you? Someone like me would probably be sent flying before even getting close.”
“…Take care on your way.”
“Pfft.”
Kaiden finished his recollection and chuckled.
He didn’t care that Ben was looking at him like he was crazy.
Princess Reina was like a rabbit willingly sticking its neck into a tiger’s den.
The reason he didn’t outright reject her proposal, which seemed insignificant at first glance, was precisely because he admired her courage.
Thinking of Reina, who had trembled yet said everything she needed to, made him laugh again.
She was a peculiar woman, bold in her words yet constantly gauging his reactions.
His intuition told him: Princess Reyna had spoken only the truth.
As Ben debated whether to call for a physician, Cayden spoke up.
“There might be a new duchess soon.”
“What? You’re joking, right?”
“Have you ever seen me lie?”
Cayden smirked, and Ben’s eyes widened like saucers.
For some reason, his lord seemed immensely amused.
Knowing how tenacious Kaiden could be when something piqued his interest, Ben let out a low groan.
It seemed Reina’s proposal had truly struck a chord with him.
Though he didn’t know the details, a subordinate’s duty was to follow his lord’s decisions.
Ben, wiping the smile from his face, said,
“At least make your decision after my report.”
“Find out by tomorrow.”
“….”
“What? Don’t want to?”
“If I say no, you’ll tell me to find out by tonight, won’t you?”
“You know me well.”
Kaiden grinned in affirmation.
At that, Ben shot his superior a glare and left the study.
* * *
‘I did it!’
On her way back to the imperial palace, Reina cheered inwardly.
She had been worried about Kaiden’s uncooperative attitude, but thankfully, it worked out.
In her previous life, she had studied everything about him under the emperor’s orders.
No one knew better than Reina what sparked his interest.
Kaiden held great affection for the North and its people.
He would protect them even at the cost of his own body.
So, she targeted that. In her past life, she had driven him to his doom, but now it was the opposite.
“I can see the future. Of course, I can see other things too. For instance, the hiding places of magical beasts during their spawning season. You can sense a peculiar energy there.”
“Is that true?”
“Soon, the North will be overrun with Class 1 restricted magical beasts. If you marry me, I’ll tell you where their eggs are. Dealing with them before they hatch would benefit the North, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s a tempting offer, but how can I trust it?”
“A messenger from the North will arrive tomorrow. They’ll report finding the shed skin of a Class 1 restricted beast, a Goreth.”
“…Are you saying you can really see the future?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow. Whether I’m trying to deceive you with lies or if I can truly see the future.”
“If everything you say is true, there’s no reason for me to refuse your proposal.”
“Then I’ll be waiting.”
Reina clasped her still-trembling hands to her chest.
Kaiden was more intimidating than she had anticipated.
His jet-black hair.
The sharp, glinting purple eyes beneath it were like those of a predator.
And, as a descendant of dragons, the aura he exuded was just as fierce.
He was so tall that looking up at him made her neck ache.
From inside the carriage, Reyna gazed at the retreating ducal castle, lost in thought.
Fortunately, he hadn’t dismissed her proposal.
Though he was prickly, she could tell he had listened to her seriously—a truth she couldn’t miss.
Feeling a sense of relief, Reina looked at the blue sky, which she hadn’t seen in a while, and murmured to herself,
“What a breathtakingly beautiful sky…”
Determined to take in as much of it as she could, Reyna couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sky for a long time.
* * *
Three days had passed since meeting Duke Crencia, but no word had come from him.
The unexpectedly long wait made Reina anxious.
‘What’s going on? Has the messenger not arrived? That can’t be.’
Around this time, the shed skin of a Goreth was definitely found in the North, and the duke had hurriedly returned there.
He was supposed to leave within the next five days.
She wasn’t sure if she could keep waiting like this.
As Reina paced back and forth anxiously, a voice called out.
“Your Highness.”
The head maid approached quietly after a knock, holding out a silver tray with a card.
A golden card bearing the scales of wisdom and the eternal sundial, symbols of the Mernier imperial family.
Recognizing it instantly, Reyna murmured softly,
“This is…”
“Congratulations, Your Highness. His Majesty the Emperor has invited you to tonight’s banquet.”
At that moment, Reina covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
The emperor often invited four promising royals to enjoy a banquet with him.
It was a gathering to identify the children he favored most.
The privileges enjoyed by royals who dined with the emperor were worlds apart from those who didn’t.
Thus, most royals longed to catch the emperor’s eye and be invited to his banquet.
Reina was no exception, but she had never once been invited to the emperor’s banquet.
She had been imprisoned right after her powers manifested.
The emperor was a greedy man. To achieve his grand dream of unifying the continent, he used even his own daughter as a tool.
If necessary, he was cruel enough to erase her name from history.
Naively, Reina had always craved even a sliver of his attention or affection.
The young Reina of that time hadn’t known that the price would be a decade of exploitation.
‘The duke must have gone to the emperor.’
Otherwise, there was no reason for the emperor to suddenly invite her to a banquet.
Back then, to the emperor, Reina was a daughter of little consequence—someone who could be there or not, it didn’t matter.
In the past, she would have been overjoyed at the invitation, but now her heart pounded for a different reason.
‘I can’t make a mistake.’
Fortunately, her powers hadn’t yet manifested.
Though she knew the emperor wouldn’t recklessly imprison her, she still felt nervous.
The head maid personally helped Reina prepare for the banquet.
This, too, was an unfamiliar experience.
After all, Reina was a princess in name only.
After her mother’s death in giving birth to her, her older brother, who was three years older, went missing three years ago during a subjugation mission.
The Eve County, her maternal family, had left for their estate after her brother, whom they had relied on, disappeared.
More accurately, they were closer to being driven out due to a lack of support.
Back then, Reina had tried to follow her uncle but failed.
No one could take a royal away without the emperor’s permission.
In the end, Reina was left isolated. Could a royal without a strong maternal family or siblings truly live like royalty?
As the time for the banquet approached, Reina hurriedly headed to the banquet hall.
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By Anna 💓
