“Ah.”

“Is it painful?”

When they spent the night, he sometimes asked in a raw, exposed voice. Forgetting the condescending tone he used while gently teasing, he urgently hugged her. Yet, the warmth in his eyes did not cool down. He was always passionate.

Ru shook her head. Hayden hurriedly embraced her.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Never…”

She exhaled quietly and faced him. They hugged each other tightly, as if there was no distance between them.

“Have you ever been in pain?”

“Even at the beginning?”

Ru nodded, breathless. Hayden, always cautious, ultimately became captivated by her. Even now, a restrained energy flickered in his intense gray eyes.

Ru tried hard to look into his eyes. Handling him was always challenging, but today, she wanted to engrave him into her eyes no matter what.

The amount of warmth in his hands, the strong force that almost took her breath away, the tenderness that hugged her immediately when she whimpered, and most of all, the warm body temperature that reached her – everything.

Maybe it was greedy.

“I love you, Ru.”

After hearing the confession that had been repeated all day, remembering it, how selfish and greedy she must be to want to imprint him completely in her eyes when she was the one leaving. Ru felt so sorry that she tried to look at him but eventually averted her gaze. As always, she had to act normally, without any difference.

But the words “I love you” didn’t come out easily. Responding would bring out all the restrained emotions. Instead of an answer, Ru kissed him. Then she smiled. When she smiled widely, he couldn’t be seen.

The wretched night was as pitch black as it could be. Ru couldn’t sleep despite receiving separate magical baths and being exhausted from falling into his arms without conscience. The weight of his arms wrapped around her body, the even breathing, kept her captive. Even though she knew when she had to get up, Ru wished the sun wouldn’t rise.

“Your Majesty.”

However, the time spent with her lover was not that long. Hayden, who had risen from the bed for some reason, quickly dressed and put on a robe before leaving the bedroom.

Ru perked up her ears. At times like this, it was helpful to be able to use magic to provide assistance.

“The situation is not normal, Your Majesty. Cabinet Noir’s leader and the commander of the Imperial Knights are waiting. After the subjugation of the southern part of Caleta, the Imperial Knights are returning to the front of the wall.”

Having heard only that much of the report, Ru eavesdropped on the rest. Hayden’s affairs were starting now. He wouldn’t come back. He would probably try to come and apologize during breakfast, but that would likely be impossible. After all, the Emperor is such a position.

After waiting for a while, Ru rose quietly. Without calling for a maid, she put on clothes and picked up the light and ordinary sword she used every time she trained.
It was clearly an early morning exercise routine. No matter how you looked at it, Hayden didn’t need to hold her in his heart. It wasn’t worth it.

“Have you awakened, miss?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I’ll run for a bit, so breakfast might be late.”

“Yes, understood. It’s cold, so wear your coat. The morning is chilly.”

“Oh, is that so?”

It was still dark all around. Ru received the plain gray coat handed to her by the maid. It conveniently had a hat to cover her face.

“Go and come back.”

The Emperor’s fiancée went out to the garden and disappeared.

The Perseta Empire is vast. Of course, those who handle high-level magic like philosophers could move easily, but since Carlos stole magic, there were hardly any who could perform such movements.

Nevertheless, there was vitality in the east, north, and west. The monsters that menacingly appeared in places where the balance had been disrupted due to the absence of magic users would also decrease.

Among them, Dragonlord, who was responsible for the most stable region, immediately moved the southern sage to Dragon Lair upon seeing his clever, rhythmic green power.

“Is it today?”

“There’s no time to delay. I aimed for His Majesty’s heart. He’s also injured. I swallowed His Majesty’s power.”

At Ru’s answer, delivered calmly without conveying any emotion, Melphius’s face froze frighteningly. Although he didn’t know much else, he took seriously the fact that Hayden’s power had been “swallowed.”

“Did you really swallow it?”

“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes. The bigger problem is that His Majesty said it’s okay even if he swallows more.”

“Swallowing is what Carlos or those who study separately do. The only one who can do that is that guy.”

“That’s why it’s a problem. A very big problem.”

“This is serious. What do you plan to do in the future?”

In the end, Carlos’s goal became very clear. And this poor young sage was trying to hide herself to ensure that Carlos did not reach that goal. Instead of answering, Ru lowered her head.

“Don’t forget that you’re a precious young sage to us.”