Bang!

“Empress!”

Serben had arrived.

Swish!

Without hesitation, the sword moved.

“Empress! Please step back! I’ll take care of this quickly!”

Clang!

The intruder, frozen in shock, effortlessly dodged Serben’s charge, then parried his sword.

“……What?”

Serben, looking dumbfounded, opened his mouth in disbelief.

“This easily…?”

The intruder, holding off Serben’s sword, turned to Lyselia.

“Please! Answer me! Are you Lyselia? If you are, why are you here?”

He hadn’t misheard.

The intruder, who seemed unknown, knew who she was. Serben, too, realized it. It was due to Rescal’s order to find the body of the prophet named Lyselia.

“Sigres Kyeung.”

Lyselia gestured to Serben, meaning to stop the fight.

“But, Empress. We can’t delay caution before knowing the identity of this person.”

Serben hesitated. Meanwhile, the intruder was surprised once again.

“Empress…? Then if you’re not Lyselia…,”

Clang!

Distracted, there was an opening, and Serben swiftly drew out their entangled blades. The intruder, now alert, raised the sword again.

“Stop.”

Lyselia stepped forward.

Both of the tense figures immediately sheathed their swords. It seemed they were concerned Lyselia might get hurt.

“It’s dangerous, Empress.”

While saying that, Serben glanced at the intruder. It seemed Serben was more concerned about Lyselia getting hurt than about the intruder being a threat.

Thud!

The intruder turned the sword upside down and offered it to Lyselia.

“Even though you may not be the Lyselia of our kingdom called the Empress… I cannot deny what my heart is telling me. If you are truly Lyselia, please sheathe my sword. Handing you my life along with the sword.”

“…….,”

As she stared at the intruder, a strange feeling crossed her mind. The eyes seemed oddly familiar.

Large, clear, and blue eyes.

She knew someone with eyes similar to those. He had been quite a good king until his health deteriorated due to illness. Even the gods seemed to regret his death and had warned her in advance.

Although she couldn’t prevent his death.

Those blue eyes belonged to the Delarta royal family.

“In that case.”

Lyselia extended her hand.

“Ah…!”

Upon that, the intruder hastily knelt on one knee and presented the sword to Lyselia with both hands.

“I, Esellion Brun Verhoet, representative of the god, greet the Empress of Delarta.”

The deceased king of Delarta, Verhoet, had three sons, and one survived the rebellion.

Lyselia lowered her body, placing her hand on Esellion’s shoulder.

With regret and comfort.

“Ah, um…,”
Esellion Prince saw Serben’s awkward expression when he kissed Lyselia’s hand and pressed his lips onto her palm.

He knew that Delarta had different customs from the Empire. And, even though he didn’t know what kind of person the author who wielded the sword like a ghost was, he understood that there was a story behind it. He had also noticed that the author’s name had significance to Lyselia, who had lived a life other than being an empress until recently.

However, Leskal couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the narrowness of the situation regarding the empress.

‘Even if Leskal becomes aware of this fact belatedly, he might not feel pleased… But I can’t stop it.’

Perhaps, she should prepare for rudeness and try to intervene.

“I have many questions, Lyselia.”

Serben didn’t like the author’s voice that seemed needlessly moist.

Why did it seem like each word he uttered carried an untouchable, verbose story?

“How on earth did you come to the Empire? There were rumors in Delarta that you left the temple and that there were rumors of your death at the hands of rebels. I didn’t want to believe any of those.”

“The answer to that question will be very long. When there is time, I will gradually explain……. Ah, right. Since you are a royal from another country, it would be inappropriate for me to remain seated. Please stand up, Your Highness. You don’t need to kneel before me.”

Using the term ‘Your Highness,’ Serben guessed the intruder’s identity.

‘Oh, a royal. In that case, I really can’t stop him.’

When Lyselia changed her tone, Esellion Prince raised his head abruptly.

“What do you mean? A royal from another country?”

Then, his sharp eyes turned towards Serben.

“Did you entrust yourself to the Empire? If not, if there is a problem with the author’s ears…,”

Esellion Prince seemed to be making a horrifying assumption. The ability of a prophet was rare, and it was something the Empire might covet.

Sudden tension filled Serben’s eyes as they met Esellion’s gaze.

“What are you saying now! I am not monitoring the Empress but guarding her. I am just sincerely standing here as if guarding the Emperor of this Empire!”

Serben deliberately emphasized the word ‘Emperor.’

He hoped that this overly refined sword-wielding prince wouldn’t be a fool who didn’t understand the meaning of the word ‘Empress.’

‘Our Empress. It means the body she married. …Oh, but even if they officially got married, would that be okay…? Ah, I don’t know. Still, it’s Empress.’