Chapter 93
The Emperor’s shadow has begun to move.
Reina did not welcome their arrival.
The imperial guard known as the Emperor’s shadow—called Wol-young—were his hounds. They obeyed imperial commands as if their lives depended on it, and in the past they had constantly tripped Kaiden up.
Of all days, it had to be today…
Her father had suffered an accident, the young Duke of Helio would never appear at the banquet hall now.
She had been waiting for this chance to meet him, so the news landed like cold water poured over her heart.
Kaiden, meanwhile, was quietly turning over the memory of the man he had glimpsed before the performance.
Hair so thick it hid his eyes, hat pulled low—nothing about him had looked ordinary.
There had been no presence at all, as though he had been slipping away in perfect secrecy.
Strangest of all, Kaiden could not recall the man’s face clearly. Concealment magic, almost certainly.
The fact that the Emperor’s shadow could now come and go from the Helio ducal stronghold was not good news.
The capital, unlike the north, was thick with variables—most of all the Emperor’s own influence.
Kaiden extended his hand.
“Reina, we should leave. Word will reach the banquet hall soon enough.”
“Already?” Mikael asked, regret plain in his voice, as though they had only just found each other again after far too long.
Reina smiled faintly. “We’ll see each other at the imperial banquet in a few days anyway, won’t we?”
Siegfried and Mikael were fixtures at the Emperor’s regular dinners. With Kaiden and Reina also invited, the remaining seats were hardly worth guessing.
“Ah—you hadn’t heard,” Mikael said. “I won’t be there this time. I have to greet guests arriving from outside the empire.”
“Outside guests?”
“The new cardinal of the Holy Kingdom has finished his ascetic training and chosen the Mernier Empire as his first mission field. They say his divine power is so great he is already spoken of as the next pope. I’m going personally to receive him.”
Holy Kingdom. New cardinal. Extraordinary divine power.
From those few words alone, Reina knew the man was Isadal.
“I see.”
“Isabel will probably attend in my place. Skal is at the border on His Majesty’s orders.”
Mikael let the names drop as casually as crumbs.
Thank goodness Skal won’t be there…
Skal made Reina’s skin crawl.
To him, a human life was lighter than an ant’s if the Emperor commanded it.
He loved blood and never hesitated to spill it within the limits His Majesty allowed.
It had been Skal who dragged her to the underground cells, hauling her like a dog while spitting every imaginable insult.
Some of them still burned behind her teeth.
“Whoever comes, it doesn’t matter much to me,” she said, keeping her voice level.
Mikael smoothly changed the subject.
“He’s not showing himself today either, I see. Did you tell the little divine beast to stay hidden again? I was hoping to see that adorable creature.”
Ritsy, hearing its name, let out a small, soft whine and circled Mikael’s legs. Of course, thanks to the holy relic, he could not see it at all.
Reina glanced at the invisible beast and murmured, “It’s right here beside you. Thanks to the advice you gave me last time, I found a way.”
“Oh? Then I was too late.” He smiled, a touch rueful. “I was planning to offer a trade over exactly that matter.”
“Trades are always welcome—if what you have is something I need, Lord Mikael.”
Reina intended to make full use of him. She now knew he, too, was fighting tooth and nail to survive in this palace. As long as their interests aligned, they could walk the same path for a while.
“Then perhaps this will interest you.”
He produced a key and held it out.
Reina tilted her head. Mikael explained, almost proudly, “A duplicate I had made especially for you, my lady. It cost me dearly.”
“Your divine beast can even duplicate keys?”
“One-time use only. That’s the beauty of it—no evidence left behind unless you’re caught red-handed.”
He slipped the key back into his pocket with a lazy smile, clearly not intending to hand it over yet.
“It would be quite useful at the coming banquet. Well? Tempted?”
“Actually, it makes me want to refuse. If it’s that valuable, you should use it yourself, my lord.”
He laughed softly, caught off guard.
“Pretending to be a fool all this time must have been exhausting, Lady Reina.”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
She kept her face blank. Mikael scribbled something on a slip of paper and passed it to her.
“Just know that I happen to like clever people.”
Reina glanced at the note. Before she could speak, Mikael leaned in and whispered, “Truth is, I don’t need that key at all.”
Meaning, you do.
His voice dropped even lower. “We should discuss the details somewhere else. Too many eyes here.”
He looked utterly bored by their surroundings—as if he had never cared about the performance in the first place, and had only come to find her.
“Must I come alone?” she asked.
Mikael flicked a glance at Kaiden. The answer was written on Kaiden’s face, he would not let her go alone.
Mikael shrugged. “Both of you may come, if that’s easier.”
“Very well.”
Mikael’s smile deepened, satisfied. “Then until next time.”
He turned and melted into the crowd as smoothly as smoke.
* * *
Back in their bedroom, Reina unfolded Mikael’s note in her mind.
The meeting place he had chosen was the underground arena.
He already knew she had acquired an invitation. That much was obvious.
What did he want to tell her?
What door did that key open?
Everything pointed to somewhere inside the Emperor’s palace—perhaps even something connected to Jeffrey.
Mikael had offered the key, but not the location. He always gave her pieces, never the whole. That was how he dealt with people he did not fully trust.
Choosing the arena—Julid’s secret fighting pit—as their meeting place was deliberate too.
And he is frighteningly good with divine authority.
Contracting a divine beast did not automatically grant full use of its power. The abilities were sealed in layers, one had to awaken them oneself.
Reina had been forced to burn through lifetimes of vitality under the Emperor’s hand to break her own seals.
Mikael, by contrast, was a natural genius. The only misfortune in his life was the father who saw that genius only as a tool to be exploited.
Reina gazed at the bracelet on her wrist. A jewel charm glimmered as she thought. Then the door opened and Kaiden stepped out, freshly changed.
“Where are you going?”
“I still have work. I’ll be in the study.”
He was wearing training clothes. Anyone could see that.
Reina stared at him until he fidgeted.
“You’re going to the training yard, aren’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t. Stay with me tonight.”
She moved to block the door. Kaiden looked genuinely flustered.
“I really do have things to—”
“I already know you’ve been sneaking off to the yard under the excuse of ‘work.’ And nobody wears those clothes to the study.”
Who told her—Ben? Rose? There were too many suspects.
Reina stepped closer and took his hand.
“Do you hate being with me?”
Kaiden’s ears turned red.
“How could I hate it?” he muttered, voice rough.
I’m going insane because I like it so much.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
