It was not the way to the reception room.

Reneb checked the attendant’s face once again.

‘This was the attendant who had come to deliver Icar’s words before.’

Because of Esika’s untimely appearance, Reneb had recently been tense. The anxious lady looked around.

There were many people coming and going in the bright daylight palace. Besides, Kieran had seen the attendant’s face, so if something happened…….

Reneb was thinking that far when the sunroom began to appear.

The pyramidshaped sunroom was full of blooming flowers.

And in the middle stood the back of a man.

Reneb’s tension eased for a moment.

She didn’t know why she felt relieved just by knowing that the person who called her was Icar.

“Your Majesty, she’s here.”

The attendant reported to Icar, and only then did he turn his body.

His eyes were lazily relaxed, and the atmosphere was gentle.

“You came quickly.”

Icar gave a wink, and the attendant bowed his waist and retreated.

“I didn’t know there was such a place in the palace.”

“I had forgotten it myself, but it seems to be wellmaintained.”

Taking a step into the sunroom, a sweet, faint, and soft fragrance seeped into the nostrils.

Reneb took a slow breath.

Her anxiety, which had been tormenting her until a moment ago, seemed to have flown far away, feeling refreshing.

A smile naturally settled on Reneb’s face.

“Looking at your expression, it seems you like this place.”

“Yes, it’s really beautiful.”

Although not dull, the Basker Palace gave a somewhat dry feeling.

It felt like it was just equipped with what was needed, reflecting Icar’s nature of valuing utility.

Reneb thought that this was due to the absence of the Empress.

“This is where the previous Empress used to spend time.”

“The previous Empress, you mean…….”

Reneb left her words hanging, being careful because she had never heard about Icar’s family relationships.

“My mother.”

Icar frowned for a moment in silence. His expression seemed somewhat distant.

‘Is he thinking of his mother?’

Reneb hesitated a bit to ask about his mother.

As Reneb was just licking her lips, Icar, who quickly composed his expression, extended something he held.

It was a small velvet box.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

Inside the small velvet box was a translucent flowershaped gemstone. Looking at the gemstone shining in the sunlight, Reneb soon recognized what it was.

“Is this, by any chance, a magic stone?”

“Yes. It’s a magic stone mined from the Natheim region and crafted.”

“It’s pretty. But whose idea was it to craft it into a flower shape?”

Reneb asked, confident that the idea definitely did not come from Icar’s head.

“Your Highness, I’m really disappointed.”

Icar chuckled.

“You don’t mean to say that Your Majesty ordered it to be made into a flower shape……?”

“……Of course not.”
Icar drew a firm line.

Reneb momentarily recalled the day Lucius had beautifully crafted a magic stone as a gift to Esika, but soon shook her head.

Reneb believed that the decision to craft the magic stone into a flower shape reflected the opinion of Druhan, Bein, or someone else.

There would be no Icar without Riga.

It was common to keep the first mined magic stone for commemorative purposes.

Just that reason alone, the flower shape surely had no significant meaning.

So far, no rumors related to the Natrheim region had been circulating.

Reneb judged that Icar had no intention of announcing the newly discovered magic stone in Natrheim to the outside.

So it must have been why he secretly summoned her to an unknown carriage.

Gazing absentmindedly at the flowershaped magic stone, Reneb faintly smiled.

Being surrounded by freshly bloomed flowers, her tense and stiff shoulders seemed to relax considerably.

“I will cherish it. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Reneb was about to turn away, considering her task complete, when Icar grabbed her wrist.

“……?”

It was a gentle grip, not painful, but through the touching skin, Icar’s warmth was transmitted.

Reneb looked up from Icar’s large hand holding her wrist.

“Your Majesty, do you have anything else to say to me?”

“The construction of the guest room will be finished in a few days. You should prepare to move.”

“Has the construction ended already?”

“Why? Did you like the garden quite a bit? If Your Highness wishes, I’ll arrange for you to stay in the garden as you do now.”

Icar smirked mischievously.

In terms of distance, the garden was closer to the Emperor’s bedroom, and the newly built guest room was further away.

If Reneb said she wanted to continue staying in the garden, it could be misunderstood as her not wanting to be away from Icar.

“I am eagerly looking forward to the guest room being completed as soon as possible.”

Reneb looked down at her captured wrist as she drew a line, and only then did Icar release Reneb’s wrist.

“Do you like traveling, Your Highness?”

At his unexpected question, Reneb blinked momentarily.

“Traveling?”

“Yes.”

In order to have preferences or dislikes about something, experience with it is needed.

Reneb had never traveled before, neither before her regression nor after.

“Well, I don’t know since I’ve never traveled, but if you consider my journey to Bashuker, I don’t think I dislike it.”

She was about to ask why he was asking, but Icar’s eyes narrowed as if lost in thought.