“How powerful is the Sage? Is it as strong as Dragonlord from earlier?”

“For now, how about we start by resolving the curse? You’re still a young Sage who needs protection, aren’t you?”

“Ah.”

Quickly, please. Ru gestured for him to continue, sitting quietly.

However, her fingers twitched with excitement. She had a greater power! The power to move the sea! With just this, she might be able to protect everyone. No, at least, it could be a support for Hayden.

Meanwhile, Hayden, as if finding Ru’s whole-body curse annoying, gazed at her for a moment.

“It would be nice to tear it all off, but that would be painful, and tearing more than this would be difficult for our Ru to endure.”

So, the implication was to leave it as is, but the way he addressed her was quite bewildering. Since when did it become ‘our’ Ru?

“What’s with that term?”

Her tone immediately hardened.

“I use the most decent, common, and ordinary term among various titles I want to use when addressing Ru. I’m being very careful now.”

Unbelievable.

“The most ‘decent’?”

“If we’re sharing a bed and calling you ‘Our Ru’ is too decent.”

Hayden muttered to himself, pressing his lips against Ru’s left arm.

Even if she wanted to tell him not to, the tingling pain she felt when his lips touched her helped her endure it. She didn’t understand why the treatment was done this way, but in a situation where her limbs were tingling and her head was throbbing, she had no choice but to accept it without conscience.

Besides, Ru honestly didn’t mind. She couldn’t be honest and was cowardly. Even while blaming herself, she kept having delusions, thinking, ‘It should be fine as long as I’m a Southern Sage, right?’

If she were a Southern Sage, wouldn’t it be fine to be by the Emperor’s side? Although she was just a useless Flache Viscountess, if she were a Southern Sage, wouldn’t it be okay? It wasn’t even breaking any taboos.

If she had more power, wouldn’t she qualify to be by his side?

“I want to describe how beautiful you are, where, and how when you’re sober, but I’m holding back because using this term is too decent, almost boring.”

As he murmured, he sighed deeply.

“You’re too beautiful, Ru. Strong and beautiful. I fell for you again today. What should I do?”

As kisses poured onto the treated area, Ru closed her eyes tightly. No, maybe it was because of the heated confession pouring into her ears.

Hayden was at a loss because he liked her too much.

“You even broke the curse to save me.”

In the end, that’s why he got excited!

He kissed Ru’s forehead just above the hand covering her face. This was just finishing the part that had been treated. Since the pain was subsiding, it was a form of treatment. Treatment, yes, a treatment with too many personal feelings involved.

“Your Majesty, please…!”

“When I ask you to call my name, you should. There’s no one else here. Right? It’s just the two of us.”
Chu-chu-chu, kisses were scattered on the forehead, back of the hand, and each joint of the fingers. He kissed her and then smiled, pressing his lips against her forehead. Her eyes crinkled, and her face was so bright that it seemed to radiate light. Hayden was genuinely delighted.

“Can you focus on the treatment a bit and get yourself together?”

“I don’t want to. You made me fall for you, and now you’re trying to withdraw so coldly.”

“I’m not trying to withdraw…”

Choosing his words carefully to avoid going crazy, he blinked his eyes slightly larger, anticipating her response.

“Then are you going to take responsibility? Well, our Ru has an enormous sense of responsibility. I knew that.”

Ru decided to give up talking altogether. Just leave it. Just let it be.

Hayden was much more honest and pure compared to her. Ru, who was already thinking about standing by the Emperor’s side after gaining new power and becoming a Sage, was so cowardly and inconsistent. She was hopeless, utterly hopeless. Ru blamed herself and continued to do so.

“Besides, you really like me a lot.”

He chuckled again. The cunning guy was surprisingly quick-witted. It hurt her conscience, so Ru avoided eye contact.

“I’m worried about you to the point where the curse is released and it hurts so much.”

He even mumbled to himself and acted shy. That fanatical gaze was directed only at her. Even though her mom’s firm words about never getting involved privately with the Emperor kept coming to mind, it was difficult to resist that gaze. What should she do now? Ru subtly changed the subject.

“…So, new Southern Sages keep appearing?”

“Oh, that’s how the rules of the Sage Conference work. A Sage who violates the taboo is no longer a Sage, and when the seat is vacant, the next Sage appears. Many have appeared over the past 430 years.”

Even though the Western Sage, Matapju, lost his power, he still maintained the position of a Sage for this reason. Until she completely died and disappeared or left the West to explore other regions, a new Western Sage would not appear.