“My request is… Ah, why are you doing this again!”

He touched near my knee and laid me back down on the bed.

“I want to bury myself in my body too. Why are you doing this again.”

He replied shyly with a troubled expression.

“Your Majesty…”

“I’m just going through the motions, so don’t make such a bothered face. What’s your request?”

As I glanced slightly at his approaching face, he said in a disappointed tone.

I wanted to laugh at that sight, but I composed myself again and lowered my voice.

“Are you talking in this position?”

“Should we sit up and talk again?”

He raised his body and very naturally lifted my body to sit on his thighs.

“…What are you doing?”

“We should look into each other’s eyes when talking. Now, tell me.”

Sitting on his thighs, it was hard to speak what he might find disappointing.

“Zelda, do you know who I am?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m the Emperor. I’ll listen to everything. What’s your request?”

He seemed quite lovable as he spoke boastfully.

I wish my request had been something material instead.

I was worried about how he would react to my words.

But if not tonight, I might not have another chance to speak.

Even if Rinel felt hurt, it couldn’t be helped.

It was something I had to say for his sake too.

“Is it a difficult request?”

He asked, seeing me hesitate to speak.

“No, it’s not like that.”

I opened my mouth with difficulty.

“When others are watching, I’d like you not to show excessive affection.”

It was hard for both him listening and me speaking to comprehend.

“Is that… the request?”

He asked in a tone of disbelief.

“Yes.”

“When have I ever done that?”

“You did it today too, you know?”

Rinel tilted his head and feigned innocence with a ‘I don’t know what you mean’ expression.

“Zelda, why are you making such a request?”

“We’re not an ordinary couple. Right?”

“Yes, we’re special. So…”

I quickly put my hand on his plump, sexy lips and continued what I was saying.

“So, our married life comes with various things to be mindful of. Right?”

“Go on.”

“For example, the ministers are wary of the child I’ll bear ascending to the throne of the Raphion Empire in the future, that’s why they put forward concubines.”

I was calmly continuing the conversation when I became uncomfortable in my sitting position, so I moved up a bit more on his thighs.

Rinel also looked very uncomfortable.

When our eyes met, his Adam’s apple moved greatly.

Ah, I must be quite heavy.

I asked while placing my hands on his two shoulders and regaining my balance.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“Yeah…”

“Should I get off if I’m heavy?”

“No!”

I was startled as he suddenly raised his voice.

“Just… stay like this.”

Rinel’s arms wrapped securely around my waist.

“Alright.”

I nodded and continued the conversation.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say this with my own mouth, but…”

“Zelda, this position is already embarrassing. So just speak comfortably, okay?”

Rinel said while patting my back with his hand.

“Yes, so what I mean is. I hope you won’t treat me too well in front of other concubines or ministers. It will only heighten their wariness towards me unnecessarily.”

His blue eyes darkened.

“They’re already wary of me as a foreign-born empress, and I don’t want to increase that further.”

“That’s true.”

Fortunately, he nodded at the excuse I gave.

“The more Your Majesty’s attention is focused on me, the more their hatred and jealousy will inevitably be directed at me too.”

“Are you afraid of that?”

I shook my head strongly at his question.

“I’m not afraid of such things. What I’m afraid of is Your Majesty not giving me attention… only that.”

And your safety too.

“Your answer is so pleasing to hear… Hmm, this is why I keep acting like a madman… Don’t you think?”

Rinel clenched his molars, slightly leaned back his upper body, and took a deep breath.

Ah, I must be really heavy.

“Are your legs numb?”

I asked as I quickly got off his thighs.

Then Rinel quickly grabbed both my arms tightly and laid me back down on the bed.

I ignored that and looked up at him, continuing what I was saying.

“I really don’t mind others envying and being jealous of me, but we need to be careful of the wariness and animosity that arises from it.”

Because you could be in danger too.

“I know what you’re worried about. But is there a need to go so far as to hide my feelings?”

Rinel’s hand reached out towards my chest.

I grabbed his hand firmly and shook it like a handshake, then said in a soothing tone.

“We’re not done talking yet.”

“My conversation isn’t over either.”

“Pardon?”

“The body’s conversation.”

“…I’m not joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

He glanced down at his own body and asked as if protesting.

“Please don’t interrupt me.”

“Alright, continue.”

He nodded, trying to put on a serious expression.

“Just do as I say for a while. It’s not a difficult request, is it?”

“What are you talking about? It’s an extremely difficult request.”

“You should be able to hide that much emotion.”

“Zelda, you do realize the request you just made to me is a bit unreasonable, right?”

Rinel said seriously after wrapping his arm around my shoulder to sit me up, and sitting face to face close to me.

“I know.”

“And that the reason for making such a request to me is too weak?”

“Of course…”

“Even so, did you know in advance that I would do as you wish?”

Rinel asked with a slight smile.

“I didn’t know that, but I hope you will.”

“Right, requests can be like that sometimes. Even when there’s no clear reason to grant them, there are times when you want to…”

“Will you do it?”

I whispered, caressing his jawline with both hands.

“Only for a while.”

He said after pondering deeply for a moment, then soon smiled.

I quickly nodded and smiled.

“But you’ll have to give me a supplementary explanation for this request someday.”

“I will.”

“But let me ask one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“Who is this request for?”

“It’s for both of us.”

“Alright then. I’ll try to restrain myself when people are around from now on.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t come complaining to me later that you feel neglected.”

Rinel laughed as he gently bumped his forehead against mine.

I showered his lips with endless kisses.

I was grateful that he granted my request without questioning this and that.

The smacking sounds of kisses and his laughter mixed together.

“Shall we have the conversation Rinel wanted to have now?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

He asked, slightly flustered.

“The body’s conversation, you said it wasn’t over yet.”

“That’s right. I still have a lot to say to you.”

“Hahaha, wait, that’s too ticklish!”

My body twisted severely at his fingertips tickling my waist like a feather.

“This is how it should be done, with laughter. Whether it’s just talking or the body’s conversation…”

Rinel’s lips also busily roamed around my face and collarbone, tickling me at the same time.

We spent the night like that, laughing and having the body’s conversation.

[This is the timeline separator]

Rosie was once again engrossed in reading late into the night, sitting on the bedroom floor.

She occasionally glanced under the bed and scolded someone in between her reading.

“No matter how much you whine, there’s nothing I can do. I don’t know when Her Majesty the Empress will come either, I told you!”

When something kept moving under the bed, Rosie finally exploded.

“Oh for heaven’s sake! If you’re that frustrated, why don’t you just break out of the egg yourself! You’re really being a nuisance, seriously?”

Rosie put down the book she was reading upside down on the marble floor, then reached her hand under the bed and pulled out a basket.

There was a large egg inside the basket.

“The story about being in an egg for 300 years is all lies, right? Are you even really a wyvern?”

When she shouted angrily, the egg in the basket moved around as if bristling at her words.

“What kind of wyvern egg is this fidgety?”

Rosie glared at the wyvern egg and tapped it with the back of her hand while sneering.

“To be honest, I’m not sure if you’re really a wyvern. I just believe it because I heard from my mother about a wyvern trapped in an egg for 300 years.”

At Rosie’s suspicious voice, this time the wyvern egg started bouncing in place as if angry.

Bouncing like a ball was an expression of feeling wronged.

“We’ll know when you come out of the egg. What if when you actually come out, you’re not a wyvern but some strange monster…? Then we might both be killed by the imperial knights. Do you understand?”

This time the wyvern egg rolled back and forth alternately.

That meant it was feeling frustrated.

“Anyway, it’s strange. It jumps and rolls around like that but doesn’t break. Well, it didn’t break even when I hit it with a hammer.”

Rosie muttered, crossing her arms and nudging the basket with her toe.

“But will Her Majesty the Empress really be able to get you out of the egg?”

Rosie turned to look at the bedroom door and lowered her body to whisper to the wyvern egg.

“Maybe I saw wrong at the clinic.”

She picked up an ancient book placed beside her.

The book contained information about wyverns.

However, it was written in the ancient language of the Parthia Empire, the oldest country in the Southern Continent, so there was no way to know what was written in it.

Rosie opened to the page she had folded at once.

On that page was drawn a shape very similar to the burn scar Zelda had on her face that Rosie had accidentally seen in the manufacturing room of the ‘Proud Night’ clinic.

“How did this mark end up on Her Majesty the Empress’s cheek… like a burn scar?”

The wyvern egg started rolling frantically around the ancient book Rosie was looking at.

That was the behavior that came out when urging something.

“Ah, this is really driving me crazy. If you have something to say, why don’t you just break the egg and come out! The book is written in the ancient language of the Southern Continent, so I don’t know the content either, I don’t know!”

She glared at the wyvern egg and closed the ancient book.

“I’ll definitely bring Her Majesty the Empress here soon. Just be patient until then.”

When Rosie spoke soothingly, the wyvern egg finally rolled obediently into the basket.

[This is the timeline separator]

Shatronille Royal Family.

Before departing for the Raphion Empire, Prince Tessler was enjoying a cup of his favorite milk tea in his office.

However, the relaxed atmosphere didn’t last long.

“Brother, I’m going too!”

Princess Resilia burst into his office.

She had been pestering Prince Tessler for days, insisting on accompanying him to visit the Raphion Empire.

“You’re helping by staying here. How many times do I have to tell you? We’re not going on a trip. We’re going to assess the atmosphere of the Raphion Imperial Court before the hunting competition begins.”

“That’s exactly why I should go even more!”

“What?”

“I’m going to end up remarrying the Raphion Emperor anyway, right? I want to see the faces of the concubines beforehand, and hear all sorts of information about the Emperor from Zelda.”

“You can learn about that gradually.”

“It’s better to know early.”

“Sigh, there’s a high possibility that the continental hunting competition will be held this time. And if it is held, the starting country will be the Raphion Empire. So you’ll have a chance to stay there anyway, why rush now?”

“I need to go to raise the status of Shatronille women in advance.”

“What are you going to raise?”

“Think about it. What if the concubines look down on our kingdom after seeing Zelda? My beauty is needed to properly suppress the concubines’ spirit.”

“Huh? What can you do now by going to the Raphion Imperial Court? Are you planning to go around proclaiming ‘I’m the one who will soon remarry the Raphion Empire’s Emperor’?”

Prince Tessler lowered his head and pressed his temples with both hands.

He had a headache because of his immature sister.

“Do you think I’m a fool? As if I’d go around saying that openly.”

“Then why are you insisting on coming along?”

“I’m going for pre-investigation purposes too.”

Princess Resilia answered with a smug expression.

“What?”

“And it wouldn’t hurt to show my face to Emperor Rinel before the hunting competition, right?”

Prince Tessler raised his head and looked at her again.

The princess was cupping her face with both hands and blinking her long eyelashes lovingly.

No man could help but be swayed by the sight of his flower-like sister’s face.

‘Well, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea.’

“Men seeing my face once and twice is different, you know? Right, brother?”

Hearing her words, it didn’t seem like a completely unreasonable thought.

“Alright. Resil, let’s go together.”

“Really? Kyaa!”

Watching his sister cheer, Prince Tessler spoke seriously.

“But there’s a condition…”