“Does Empress even know that bastard Wyvern?”

Joseph heard about the engagement of his brother through Marcom Commander, Rafael Secretary, and Stian Chamberlain, who came to check his condition. They told him about Empress in passing.

However, none of them mentioned that the Empress, originally from the Shathoneil Kingdom, had any connection to Wyvern.

Joseph wanted to meet Empress more than anyone else, but he couldn’t. Three years had passed since all growth in Joseph’s body had stopped in the ice.

The ice that first enveloped Joseph’s body wasn’t as huge as it is now. However, according to the sorcerer’s prophecy that cursed Joseph, as time passed, the volume of the ice gradually increased.

Fortunately, they succeeded in casting a barrier in this secret place to prevent the ice from growing further. However, there was no way to eliminate or reduce it.

Only those who knew about Joseph’s condition were his brother Lionel, Marcom Commander, Secretary Rafael, Chamberlain Stian, and a few knights.

After the Abyss of Death, Lionel couldn’t meet Joseph. The ice surrounding Joseph became harder and larger when Lionel, who received the same curse, approached him.

This was also a curse by a sorcerer from the Southern Continent to inflict pain on the two brothers.

In their place, the three closest people to Joseph often came to see him, but they couldn’t endure the cold emanating from the cursed ice for long.

When they entered here, they wrapped themselves tightly in thick coats, exchanged a brief conversation with Joseph, blinking their eyes, and then left.

When Joseph heard the news of Lionel’s engagement, he wanted to ask how Empress looked.

However, the three people didn’t say anything about the appearance of Empress.

They often praised the Empress’s golden thread, and as time went on, the talk about that aspect increased.

Did his brother really open his heart to Empress?

Joseph recalled a serious conversation that Lionel once had with him.

“Joseph, listen carefully. You must not give your heart to anyone else. And you must always be careful of betrayal.”

“Then, can I trust the lady I marry later?”

“There are no exceptions. It’s the fate of the royal family. We must always maintain composure.”

He clearly said so, but…

However, the latest news from Lionel’s three closest associates was unexpected.

“Lately, Her Highness often leaves her heart at the Empress’s palace.”

“If Her Highness says it’s a crow, you might believe it, right?”

“It’s hard to believe, but recently, Her Highness seems to be swayed by a word from the Empress. Moreover, she started laughing alone for no reason.”
Joseph’s curiosity about Empress, who made his usually composed brother change so much, was growing day by day.

However, the sudden appearance of the young Wyvern brought up the topic of Empress.

Referring to him as ‘Master.’

“Why is the wife of Her Majesty, the Empress of the Raphion Empire, Wyvern’s Master?”

The war stopped on the day he received his curse in the Abyss of Death. No continent had yet occupied the habitat of the Wyverns.

Therefore, there was no possibility that the Empress possessed a Wyvern egg.

Even though Joseph wanted to ask the young Wyvern, introduced as Moyaya, directly, his mouth couldn’t move, so he felt only frustration.

Anyway, he was hoping that Moyaya, who loudly claimed to break the cursed ice, would do so, but that too seemed to be just boasting.

Perhaps because he was still a young Wyvern, the firepower he currently emitted was insufficient to break the ice. Moreover, this was not ordinary ice but magical ice placed by a sorcerer, making it challenging to melt.

Before this, Commander Marcom and Secretary Rafael had made numerous efforts to break the cursed ice, but all ended in failure.

Perhaps because of this track record, Joseph wasn’t greatly disappointed. Still, given the nature of Wyvern’s words, he couldn’t help but have some expectations.

“I’ll really come often to melt it. Just endure a bit more!”

Moyaya shouted louder, feeling sorry for Joseph.

“Miyaaong? (But is it okay to come here often? It seems a bit dangerous.)”

“You’re like a scaredy-cat! Am I more dangerous, or are you? Even if you’re caught, people will just pet you, right?”

“Miyao. (Well, that’s true.)”

“Cold kid, I’ll stop here today. I overdid it, and my throat hurts too much.”

Moyaya, smoothing his throat, spoke to Joseph.

“Oh, by the way, about us coming here… especially about seeing this great Wyvern, don’t tell anyone! Got it? If you understood, blink your eyes.”

Following Moyaya’s command, Joseph blinked his eyes obediently.

“Miyao. (He’s making all sorts of noise to a kid who can’t even move his mouth.)”

Aoosi looked at Joseph with a pitiful gaze and lightly stepped on Moyaya’s foot.

Before revealing all the truth, I hugged him tightly again.

“Zelda, you’re too intense.”

He complained, exaggerating that his ribs felt like they were dislocated, but he didn’t push my arms away.

So, when I hugged him even tighter, there was a definite sound of something breaking.