“Ah, haha! If Her Majesty the Empress wishes, by all means…”

Rosie said with a forced smile, looking like she might cry.

I’m not sure what it is, but is it a cherished egg?

I just said it as a joke.

I thought to myself as I watched the flustered Rosie.

But suddenly she exclaimed energetically.

“If Her Majesty the Empress wants to eat it, of course we should crack it!”

“Really? But isn’t this something you cherish? Like for decoration.”

“There’s nothing to cherish about that egg… No, I absolutely don’t cherish it. It’s not even good for decoration. It just rolls around too much.”

Rosie said as she rolled up her sleeves.

“Oh? Then shall we really eat it as a snack?”

I said playfully as I handed the egg to Rosie.

“Sh-should I crack it right now?”

Rosie asked, looking ready to smash the egg on the marble floor.

Her reaction made me laugh.

“I’m joking. But, is it really an ostrich egg?”

“…I’m not entirely sure, but th-that’s what I was told.”

“By whom?”

“By the person who entrusted it to me.”

“Hmm, in my opinion… it looks a bit different from an ostrich egg? Surely it’s not about to hatch?”

I asked as I tapped the egg with the back of my hand.

“Absolutely not. If it was going to hatch, it should have done so 300 years ago… Ah, no, even before that. I just want to throw it away, but I’ve grown a bit attached to it.”

She knelt down and pulled out a basket from under the bed, then placed the egg inside.

“Huh? Rosie, didn’t the egg just move?”

I bent down and looked at the egg, tilting my head.

“…Pardon? I don’t see it moving at all, absolutely not!”

Rosie replied, pressing down on the egg with one hand.

“I thought I saw the egg move from side to side just now.”

Did I see it wrong?

“Could it be… is it really about to hatch?”

I straightened up and said with a smile.

“Ah, haha, what a surprising thing! I’ll have to keep a close watch on it tonight.”

Rosie kicked the basket lightly with her toe, sending it back under the bed, and changed the subject.

“Oh yes, Your Majesty! How about some refreshing pomegranate juice with lemon cake? The lemon cake made by the maid I brought from home is surprisingly delicious!”

“Really? I was feeling a bit peckish, so why not?”

“Yes! Please set aside that useless egg you can’t even eat, and I’ll escort you to the terrace.”

Rosie went out to the terrace with me and ordered her maid to bring the lemon cake.

We sat facing each other at the table outside the terrace.

“Your Majesty, the weather seems quite nice.”

“Yes, the view from the terrace is splendid.”

I replied, looking up at the sky.

[This is the timeline separator]

As Zelda and Rosie began to chat outside on the terrace, the wyvern egg inside the bedroom started to show changes.

A red light flickered on and off inside the egg.

Then, cracks began to form on the wyvern egg that had remained intact for 300 years,

Crack-!

The small black head of a baby wyvern broke through the eggshell with a ‘pop!’

“Ah, how easy! I’ve been trapped for 300 years, haven’t I?”

The baby wyvern, with only its head poking out of the egg, looked around the bedroom and then jumped out of the egg.

“Hm? But where has my master gone? Oh, there she is.”

The baby wyvern grabbed one of the bed posts.

Its small head peeked in and out from behind the bed post, secretly peering out at the terrace.

“Hello? Master…”

[This is the timeline separator]

Grand Duke Martins read and reread the letter brought by Lord Rolf several times.

The person who had delivered the letter to him was Norton, who had eloped with Princess Resilia and miraculously survived after falling off a cliff.

The 3rd Prince of the Partsha Empire, Norton Asalman.

To think that the person he thought was just a wandering mercenary was actually a prince of the most powerful country in the Southern Continent.

Not only that, but the Grand Duke had unknowingly become a benefactor who had saved such a figure.

Moreover, he had suddenly become a savior who had rescued his son as well.

Grand Duke Martins had been secretly watching to see what moves Prince Norton would make after recovering.

“Did Prince Norton say anything else?”

He asked Lord Rolf while folding Prince Norton’s letter.

“Other than the letter, he didn’t say anything special. He did ask various things about Her Majesty the Empress, though.”

“That fellow asked about Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Yes, Grand Duke.”

“What was he curious about?”

“He asked how her relationship with Emperor Rinel was, if she was adapting well to life in the Raphion Imperial Palace, and how close she was with Prince Tessler.”

“Is that so? Strange. I thought he would be curious about Princess Resilia…”

“He didn’t ask a single word about the princess. Rather, when I tried to bring up the princess, he glared at me as if he wanted to kill me. Ah, I think he actually tried to kill me a couple of times.”

Lord Rolf said with an indignant expression.

“Hmm, is that so? It seems we’re in for quite an interesting spectacle.”

Grand Duke Martins folded Prince Norton’s letter in half again with an intrigued expression.

The letter roughly contained the following:

Norton would arrive at the Raphion Imperial Palace before his elder brother, the 2nd Prince Calbain, and he would be entrusted with full authority to represent the Partsha Empire until Prince Calbain arrived.

“Lord Rolf, is it certain that Prince Tessler is bringing Princess Resilia?”

“It’s certain. It seems he plans to make Princess Resilia catch Emperor Rinel’s eye before the Continental Hunting Tournament.”

“I suppose so. But what shall we do about this? It seems we’ve encountered an unexpected major obstacle…”

A gentle smile spread across the Grand Duke’s face.

“Anyway, we have one more country visiting the Raphion Empire before the hunting tournament.”

“But will there be any chance for Prince Norton and Princess Resilia to clash here?”

“If there isn’t, we’ll have to create one.”

Grand Duke Martins muttered with a meaningful look.

“Won’t it lead to bloodshed?”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if it didn’t?”

“Then all plans for remarriage and everything else will fall apart, won’t they?”

Lord Rolf asked in a hushed voice.

“You just keep a close eye on Prince Tessler. The prince will surely meet with the spy he planted at least once.”

“Yes, then we’ll be able to find out who the carrier pigeon reporting the imperial news is.”

“That’s right. So keep a good watch on the prince’s surroundings.”

Grand Duke Martins said, patting Lord Rolf’s shoulder.

“Yes, Grand Duke. Don’t worry.”

“Oh right, when did Prince Norton say he would arrive?”

[This is the timeline separator]

I headed towards the training grounds with a relaxed mind.

Today, I deliberately moved after receiving news that Rinel had just attended a meeting with ministers and even priests present.

Therefore, there was no chance of him barging in unexpectedly like last time.

Even if he came looking for my bedroom, it would be very late, so I had plenty of time to spend at the training grounds.

Like last time, I slipped out through the back door connected to the laundry room and ran across the field.

There were hardly any people walking around the rear garden of the Empress’s Palace at this hour, but it was safer to run non-stop until entering the cypress forest path leading to the training grounds.

Once I entered the forest path, I walked slowly, enjoying the fresh air.

The training grounds were empty as expected.

I cautiously entered and looked around for a moment before walking straight to the weapon rack.

My eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness as I walked.

I pulled out a sword from the weapon rack, just like last time.

“This wasn’t here before?”

As I turned back, I noticed several bows displayed on one side.

It seemed they had been brought for the knights to practice, probably in consideration of the upcoming hunting tournament.

I put the sword down on the display stand and picked up a bow instead.

I pulled the bowstring in various directions.

Actually, I’m more familiar with slingshots than bows, but the feeling of shooting a bow wasn’t bad either.

The thrill of hitting a target while riding a horse at full speed is similar to the exhilaration of piercing an opponent’s weak spot with a sword.

As I was pulling the bowstring, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

My life right now is like this tightly drawn bowstring.

A fate that doesn’t know when, where, or how it will fly.

I don’t even know how many arrows of opportunity I have left…

I put the bow back in its place and picked up the sword again.

Swoosh-.

The solemn sound of the blade being drawn from its scabbard excited every vertebra in my spine.

In fact, I was truly overjoyed to hear that the empresses and some concubines from the Southern Continent would participate in the hunting tournament.

Because I could briefly escape from the static life.

Because I could ride a horse and hold a sword and bow.

Still, I should restrain myself from hunting as much as possible, right?

I had to be careful because there would be many watching eyes here and there in the hunting grounds.

Suddenly, I became curious about how skilled the women from the Southern Continent were in martial arts.

Since I had no information about them, I had no choice but to experience it firsthand.

Just as I was about to raise the sword,

“I see you again.”

“Captain Markrom?”

“Yes.”

Captain Markrom walked in from the entrance of the training grounds.

I confirmed it was the captain and lit one of the lamps on the wall.

Unlike when I saw him before, he was sweating.

He looked like he had just finished sparring with someone.

“Hello, Captain. Did you come here after practicing swordsmanship outside the training grounds?”

“That’s right. I just worked up a sweat in the forest after a while.”

Captain Markrom looked tired, but he seemed to be in quite a good mood.

“Bonisse, did you get permission from Her Majesty the Empress to wander around?”

He asked, as if joking.

“…Of course.”

I was momentarily taken aback when Captain Markrom uttered the name Bonisse.

It felt strange that he remembered Bonisse’s name and called me that.

“You must be tense with the hunting tournament coming up. You’ll have to protect Her Majesty the Empress among the rough women from the Southern Continent. Especially the Empress of Cartria, who has a very rough temperament, keep that in mind.”

“Is there a female emperor among the countries of the Southern Continent?”

“Didn’t you know?”

“No, it’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Well, until recently they had a puppet emperor, so you might not know since she’s only recently come to the forefront.”

“A puppet emperor?”

“Yes, they outwardly presented an emperor. But the real power was held by the emperor’s younger sister, who had all the military authority. She played a big role in the last war at the Valley of Death. Eventually, after the war ended, she assassinated her brother, the emperor, and became the female emperor herself.”

“That empire is…”

“The Delroi Empire. It can be considered the second power in the Southern Continent. Although weaker than the most powerful Partsha Empire, the imperial knights of the Delroi Empire are famous for their bravery.”

“Is Empress Cartria… married?”

After asking him the question, I wondered why I had asked such a thing myself.

It was simple curiosity, but somehow I felt more concerned because she was a female emperor.

“I believe she’s not married yet. But she has consorts. They might participate in the hunting tournament together, I think?”

“Ah, I see.”

“Her beauty matches her cruel nature.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, I saw her at the Valley of Death. Just before I lost my sight.”

Captain Markrom murmured with a wistful expression, as if recalling memories.

“It’s quite fortunate…”

“What is?”

“That I lost my sight after seeing Empress Cartria’s beauty.”

Markrom chuckled as he replied.

“…Ah, yes.”

A female emperor who excels not only in swordsmanship but also in beauty.

I wondered what it would feel like to actually meet her.

“What about the other empire in the Southern Continent?”

“The Tevelo Empire? They were originally the closest to the Northern Continent. They also had the most active trade. Emperor Adrian Meltin of the Tevelo Empire was also the person who opposed the war the most throughout the continent.”

“I see. I heard that in the Partsha Empire, which recently had a princes’ rebellion, the 2nd Prince Calbain will soon ascend to the throne.”

“That’s right. Among the seven princes, the 1st Prince, born of the empress, was eliminated, and the 2nd Prince Calbain, born of a concubine, is now trying to gain recognition from the ministers before ascending to the throne.”

Captain Markrom lowered his voice significantly when the topic of the Partsha Empire came up.

Moreover, he came close to me and even covered his mouth with his hand as he spoke.

“Captain, why are you whispering about the Partsha Empire as if it’s a secret?”

“Well, you see…”

“It’s because of me.”

A man suddenly appeared at the entrance of the training grounds without any warning.

Captain Markrom quickly turned his head towards the source of the voice and said, scratching his head:

“Ahaha, Prince Norton. You haven’t left yet?”

Who did he say?

I stared intently at the man walking towards me.