Chapter 81
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 81
Magic saturates this world, yet here I was, lost for such a mundane, physical reason. It was almost absurd.
Crackle, pop. The campfire roared to life.
At least the weather was warm, and the cave wasn't as bitterly cold as it could have been. There were a few silver linings to count.
"The Aide and the knights are searching for us diligently, so we'll definitely be able to escape. The situation has become difficult, but please don't worry too much."
I offered The Emperor words of comfort.
My reasoning had some basis to it.
Since both the original heroine and hero of this novel were here with me, we'd find a way out somehow.
The problem was...
"Shhhhiieee!"
The beast lurking outside could find us too.
I had no idea which would reach us first—the rescue team or the monster.
Fortunately, the cave's entrance was only a small hole that the beast's massive body couldn't squeeze through. We'd entered through that very passage ourselves.
The opposite end of the small cave opened toward the cliff, and the view was quite beautiful.
"Your Majesty has traveled many battlefields, so you must know how to handle situations like this?"
"..."
"Or... not?"
The Emperor stared silently at the campfire.
I couldn't tell if he was taciturn or simply uninformed.
"We..."
After waiting a long while, The Emperor finally spoke.
"The beast we killed appears to have been a mother. The creature from moments ago was her offspring, and the beast is currently in its breeding season."
"...So if there's a mother, there must be a father too? In other words, a mate."
"It would be best not to move rashly."
Exactly.
So the bereaved father beast and its offspring would be hunting us with singular focus.
'I need to stay quiet.'
The cave had a few dry branches scattered about, enough to kindle a fire.
We had enough to survive today and tomorrow.
Beyond that was impossible—either we'd have to leap from the cliff or be devoured by the beasts.
The Emperor, who had been sitting silently, rose and removed his cloak. The formal attire must have felt stifling.
"Where are you going, Your Majesty? You can't go outside."
Wait, he wasn't going out—he was coming toward me. But why was he approaching me?
Whoosh.
The Emperor draped his cloak over my shoulders. Once he removed the ornamental clasps and spread it fully, the fabric became large enough to serve as a blanket, enveloping me generously.
"You're giving this to me?"
But Your Majesty, aren't you cold?
...I skipped asking the same question. The Emperor was far healthier and more robust than I was.
What bothered me was that the "Love Blooming in Crisis♡" event kept seeming to aim in my direction.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Anyway... I watched The Emperor sitting upright without his cloak.
Then I stood up and approached him.
"Your Majesty, could I borrow your sword for a moment?"
I added a clarification to avoid misunderstanding.
"My abilities couldn't threaten Your Majesty. I just need it for something, so please lend it to me for five minutes."
The Emperor, who had been listening quietly to my words, let out a soft laugh.
"I understand."
He readily handed me the sword.
Just holding the sheathed blade made my body sway. I couldn't believe he carried this so effortlessly against his body.
I took The Emperor's sword to the side and tore his cloak in half.
Then I returned it to him along with the sword.
"I learned that in times of crisis, even a single bean is shared."
"..."
"Half for Your Majesty, half for me. We'll share it this way. Thanks to Your Majesty's height, this cloak is far too generous for me to manage alone."
I draped half of The Emperor's cloak over his shoulders. He seemed to flinch, and as he gazed at me intently, I could surprisingly read his expression.
Despite the mask covering his face, I could sense his surprise.
"Your Majesty's blade is so sharp that even a brush tears fabric. That's impressive, isn't it? Where did you get it?"
"I didn't purchase it. I received it."
"Wow! Really?"
I decided that while we were here together, I would grow closer to The Emperor.
Just enough friendship to overcome this stranded situation together.
There wasn't yet enough bond between us to cooperate and overcome hardship. And what was needed to build this was probably.
"Your sword is incredibly heavy, yet you handle it so easily. Now I understand why Father—I mean, my father praised Your Majesty so much."
Flattery and playing the delay card.
Between The Emperor and me, there was a connection: Duke Lockhart, our father.
I resolved to praise him with the eloquence of a serpent, leaving no room for doubt.
So that if any dangerous situation arose, he wouldn't abandon me and leave, but would take me with him.
"Father truly adores Your Majesty. Every day he returned from the Imperial Palace, he would speak of how kind and wonderful Your Majesty is."
To be precise, Father did like The Emperor.
But he was such a man of few words that he never spoke of what happened at the Imperial Palace or praised The Emperor.
"That's a lie."
The Emperor spoke with a laugh.
I clearly heard the faint laughter woven into his words.
The masked Emperor's face turned gently toward me. With eyes hidden behind the mask, he looked at me as if he knew everything.
"Just as the lady knows her father, I too know Marcus Lockhart."
His voice, still tinged with laughter, reached me.
"Duke Lockhart is not the sort of man to divulge matters concerning himself or me to the outside world. He would never discuss official matters with his family."
"...You're quite precise."
I had no choice but to acknowledge The Emperor's answer, which had even captured my reasoning perfectly.
The Emperor knew my father well.
"I apologize, Your Majesty."
At my apology, The Emperor laughed again. He seemed to be a man who smiled more often than appearances would suggest.
"But it is true that my father holds you in high regard, Your Majesty."
"That is fortunate indeed. That Duke Lockhart stands with me."
The Emperor, resting his chin in his hand, accepted my words.
"I also know that what you just said was not a lie. Do you know why I believe those words?"
"Perhaps because my father has demonstrated unwavering loyalty these past several years?"
"I cannot speak to what you might believe."
The Emperor lowered his voice and whispered as though sharing a secret.
"Because Duke Lockhart did not support me from the beginning."
"!"
This was something I had never heard before.
Even I, the daughter of Duke Lockhart, had not known this, yet The Emperor spoke of it without hesitation.
"Is this something I'm permitted to hear?"
I felt oddly cautious.
The Emperor nodded slightly, then straightened his folded knees while seated on the rock, leaning his back against the stone wall.
He appeared more at ease than before.
"What Duke Lockhart treasured most was not his house or his convictions—it was you."
"...Me?"
I tilted my head in confusion. Why had the conversation suddenly shifted to me when we were discussing Father?
"It was not I who moved the Duke. It was you."
"Me?"
I found myself repeating the same question over and over.
"Is there some close connection between me and Your Majesty's support that...existed?"
The Emperor fell silent at that point, closing his lips. A silence so complete that even his breathing became inaudible, as though he would reveal nothing more.
"I'm not entirely certain, but it seems he thought it would be difficult to raise a child under the Previous Emperor's reign. So he changed his mind and chose to support me instead."
He finished with a soft laugh.
I could not fully comprehend what he was saying, yet I sensed he had shared something important.
But I could not grasp precisely what he meant.
'I thought my father had always favored The Emperor from the start...but that wasn't the case?'
I would have to ask my brother about this later.
He was easier to question than Father or The Emperor.
The sun was beginning to set, and the air grew cold. I adjusted The Emperor's cloak to fit me snugly.
This was my first time having such a prolonged private conversation with The Emperor alone.
Yet something felt strange. Speaking with The Emperor was not as uncomfortable as I had imagined.
Rather, for reasons I could not explain, it felt oddly comforting.
"Your Majesty, do you remember what you told me when we briefly met at the Old Castle in the Imperial Palace last time?"
The Emperor, who had continued to gaze at me even after our conversation ended, shook his head.
"The reason you proposed to me."
I tilted my head slightly to one side.
"You said that the next time we met, you would tell me why you waited four years for me."
"...."
"Can you tell me today?"
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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