Chapter 86
Kaiden felt suffocated by Reina’s thought process.
She was so sharp when it came to the empire’s politics or the situation in the north, yet she always missed the mark when it came to anything involving him.
He wasn’t the only one clueless about romance. Reina was in an even worse position, since she didn’t even recognize it at all.
“No, I—”
Kaiden tried to explain step by step, but Reina’s words came faster.
“I’ve already instructed Ben to move all your luggage and mine. So let’s sleep together.”
Good heavens. She was quick about it, too.
Kaiden let out a low sigh at Reina’s thoroughness.
He couldn’t very well tell them to move everything back now.
If he did, rumors might spread that the Duke and Duchess of Crencia were on bad terms.
Unlike the north, the mansion here in the capital was rife with spies.
Spies he had deliberately allowed. No matter how hard he tried to block them, it was impossible to catch them all, so it was easier to keep them under surveillance.
‘Hah, this is properly tangled.’
He had no confidence in sharing a bed with her and doing nothing at all.
Even now, just looking at her face made his body react.
How was he supposed to lie in the same bed and just sleep soundly?
If he said he didn’t want to share the bed like this, Reina would surely be hurt.
Her logic was flawless from beginning to end.
So that oblivious princess would obviously misunderstand it as him disliking her.
That was something he hated more than death itself, so Kaiden’s mouth went dry.
“Are you trying to drive someone mad…”
At his quiet murmur, Reina drew closer.
“Hm? What did you say? I didn’t hear.”
Her light blue eyes sparkled prettily today as well.
Beneath them, her pert nose and dainty lips looked like the most luscious fruit.
His gaze grew hazy. He barely held back the instinct to crash his lips against hers right then and there, pushing her back gently.
“…Nothing. Fine. Let’s do that, Reina.”
Kaiden rubbed his face dryly, foreseeing the ordeal to come.
* * *
Upon returning to the Crencia mansion, Rose immediately sought out Reina.
“Madam, I’m back.”
Rose handed over a note and a jewelry box. Reina tilted her head as she looked at the box.
“What’s this?”
“It was sent from the Holy Kingdom.”
“Ah.”
At the mention of the Holy Kingdom, Reina nodded in understanding right away.
A few days ago, when she had informed Isadal that she was heading to the capital, he had said he would send her necessary items.
‘I didn’t expect it to be jewelry, though.’
Reina set the jewelry box aside for now and checked the note first.
[Information obtained: A person matching J’s description and appearance is participating as a fighter in the arena.
A special match for VIPs is scheduled soon at said arena.
Plan to make contact at a small banquet following the match.
The routes to obtain the invitation are as follows.
Please destroy after confirmation.]
“!”
It was news about Jeffrey after a long time.
Over the past year, Reina had narrowed down a few places where he might be imprisoned.
With Kaiden’s help, she had launched searches, but they failed every time.
Now, the only places left were within the imperial palace.
Given the emperor’s extreme paranoia, it was likely he had hidden him somewhere within arm’s reach.
Especially the underground space where she had been imprisoned in her previous life—that seemed the most probable.
If she hadn’t lost her sight, she could have known the location.
That was what Reina regretted the most.
The fear of having to walk into the place where she had been confined for ten years loomed large, but if it meant finding her brother, she could do anything.
And now, this welcome news of spotting someone resembling Jeffrey.
‘I thought he was imprisoned.’
This existence, which had yielded no clues until now, had suddenly appeared.
Right after she arrived in the capital, no less.
The note detailed the arena’s location and operator, information on the representative, and codes for obtaining the invitation.
It was a cipher based on the ancient language of the Holy Kingdom, to prevent leaks if it fell into the wrong hands.
After decoding it, Reina blinked in surprise.
‘This person is from the Julid family?’
Of all things, the arena’s representative was from the Julid family.
Simon Zick.
He was a notorious usurer in Lunin, skilled in illegal money laundering.
He also managed the Julid family’s slush funds, and later he was caught embezzling and executed.
For such a man to be running an arena. And being connected to the Julids lent even more credibility to the information.
After all, the Julids were Prince Siegfried’s maternal relatives.
The emperor had called Siegfried his masterpiece, the one who resembled him the most.
It wasn’t impossible that the two were in cahoots.
Even if it was a trap set by the Julids, she couldn’t let the first clue about her brother slip by with her eyes open.
‘The Julid family… Then, the way to get the invitation is…’
Reina quickly pulled something from the invitation basket.
“Isabelle comes in handy after all.”
Fortunately, the invitation from the Lavender gathering hadn’t been discarded yet.
Of course, if she didn’t feel like it, she could use another method, but there was no reason to take the long way when an easy path was available.
Reina took out some letter paper and began writing a reply accepting participation in the Lavender gathering.
Adding elegant phrasing in a formal style to suit Isabelle’s tastes.
Unaware that upon receiving it, Isabelle would fall ill with rage.
When she subsequently checked the jewelry box, Reina doubted her eyes.
“This is…”
The item inside the jewelry box was a gem charm that could be added to a bracelet.
A gem that strongly emanated Isadal’s divine power.
This was undoubtedly a holy relic.
As she puzzled over the gift whose usage was unclear, a card inside the box caught her eye.
[Have you arrived safely in the imperial capital?
I’m sending you an item essential for your beginning.
As long as you possess this, no one will know that the divine beast has manifested.
Even if you use foresight. Unless they have dragon-like senses, only your eyes will see the divine beast’s true form.
It will also serve as an indicator of how much toll is needed when you use your power.
You’ll naturally learn how to use it once you wear it.
May the gods’ blessings be with you until we meet again.
– Isadal]
An indicator?
Was that even possible?
‘I was just worrying about what to do with Ritsi…’
Unlike in the past, Ritsi was always manifested now.
Mikael had warned that this wasn’t normal.
She had been wondering how to hide it, and it seemed he had remembered and sent the gift accordingly.
‘I thought he’d forgotten. But he remembered everything.’
Despite his cold expression and stiff speech, he had a rather delicate side.
From the moment she resolved to become empress, he had tried to support her in every way, both materially and spiritually.
Sometimes, it was suspicious how much he knew about her, as if he had lived her previous life alongside her.
She was grateful that he wasn’t just focused on hiding her power but helping her wield it effectively.
Unlike before, being able to use Ritsi’s power at her own will brought her joy.
Reina fiddled with the charm in the jewelry box.
Considering she was a noble lady, it seemed he had refashioned the holy relic into a bracelet charm.
Reina attached the gem charm to the bracelet she had received as a birthday gift from Kaiden.
At that moment, the charm glowed, and something flashed through her mind.
Simultaneously, she saw Isadal’s divine power forming a veil over Ritsi’s body.
“Wow…”
Reina let out a soft exclamation of admiration.
As Isadal had said, it was exactly what she needed.
* * *
In the Holy Kingdom, the land blessed by the gods.
Isadal, who had been praying in the main hall of the Grand Temple, gazed out the window.
The full moon cast a dim light, and the sky, tinged with a clear hue, seemed to foretell the calm before an approaching storm.
He looked down at the bracelet on his own wrist. The golden gem sparkled.
It was a signal that its pair had safely reached its owner.
