“Oh God! Please take away half of His Majesty’s… that overflowing passion that he wields at every opportunity!”

“Is that bastard really crazy?”

Rinel approached Commander Makrom and mercilessly slapped his back.

“Ow!”

“The Empress prays for blessings, and why am I praying for such a thing?”

“It’s because Your Majesty’s strength overflows everywhere. Your Majesty, I will watch over you from now on!”

Commander Makrom bravely said, pointing to his eyes with two fingers.

“Yes, someday you’ll regain your sight and be able to watch over me. I hope both of us will be freed from our curses soon…”

Rinel cleverly twisted the commander’s words and patted the back of his hand.

“Your Majesty, could you please let go of my hand? I think I’m getting frostbite.”

Commander Makrom didn’t back down and brought up his curse.

At that, he let go of the commander’s hand as if throwing it away and instructed:

“Please take care of the cleanup. And keep our meeting here a secret from the other knights and the head servant. Understood?”

“I’ll pretend not to know just for today!”

Commander Makrom retorted and quickly glanced at where I was.

It was a warning look sent to the Empress’s guard knight who had played with the Emperor.

Rinel looked at the huffing Commander Makrom as if he couldn’t understand him and circled his index finger around his ear.

When I gestured for him to come out quickly, he nodded and came out of the warehouse door, took my hand, and headed for the entrance of the training ground.

The conversation between the two men that started with a misunderstanding ended with a misunderstanding without much suspicion.

Somehow the situation is turning out strangely.

[This is the timeline separator]

Grand Duke Martins, who had returned from meeting Prince Tessler, was waiting for someone in his bedroom.

When he heard movement outside the terrace, the Grand Duke peeked through the curtain to confirm something and quickly opened the door.

“Please come in. I apologize for having to receive you like this.”

Grand Duke Martins bowed his head and apologized to someone.

“It’s alright.”

The one who entered through the terrace door was Prince Norton.

“It’s better for me to move than someone without martial arts skills.”

Prince Norton lowered the mask covering half his face and patted the Grand Duke’s shoulder.

“Who… did you hear it from?”

“What do you mean?”

“That I have no talent for martial arts.”

Grand Duke Martins narrowed his eyes and asked accusingly.

“No talent? So you’ve learned it before?”

“Pardon?”

“I only heard that you’ve never learned it?”

The Grand Duke was greatly flustered by Prince Norton’s muttering.

“Ah… well, that is…”

“Oh my. So they were being considerate of the Grand Duke’s face and said it indirectly.”

The prince chuckled and said quietly.

“So who was it? Did Prince Tessler, no, Princess Resilia talk about me?”

Grand Duke Martins asked, suppressing his indignation.

“What does that matter? As long as I’ve safely arrived at the Grand Duke’s room.”

Prince Norton replied as if to soothe him.

In fact, he had heard about Grand Duke Martins through Empress Zelda.

While walking with the Empress on the cypress forest path after leaving the training ground last night.

Prince Norton brought up the topic of the continental hunting competition and asked about Grand Duke Martins’ participation.

‘The Grand Duke is too modest to participate in the hunting competition.’

The Empress had thrown out an unexpected remark.

When Prince Norton asked why, the Empress finally said that Grand Duke Martins was someone who had never learned martial arts.

How could that be?

The prince wondered if she was joking.

Because normally, if a man was from a noble family, it was standard to enter a knight academy for a certain period and complete training.

‘Wouldn’t that be the same in the Northern Continent?’

He continued to have doubts, but since the Empress said so, he just let it go.

But it turned out that Grand Duke Martins hadn’t never learned martial arts, he just had no talent for it.

Prince Norton, recalling his conversation with the Empress last night, met eyes with Grand Duke Martins who somehow looked dejected and changed the subject out of pity.

The irony was that it was a topic that made Prince Norton himself feel pitiful.

“You were right. Earlier, Princess Resilia came to see me.”

He said as he pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.

“I expected it, but I didn’t think she would move this quickly. What did the princess say?”

Grand Duke Martins also returned to a serious face and took a seat across from him.

“She asked about Rams.”

“Hmm, so what did you tell her?”

Prince Norton slowly nodded.

“I just said he’s not far from the imperial palace. She’ll probably ask for the location soon.”

“It’s fortunate that you moved him to a safe place.”

“It’s thanks to your tip-off in advance.”

Prince Norton sincerely conveyed his gratitude to the Grand Duke.

“It’s nothing.”

“And I will never forget the favor of saving Rams and me. I will surely repay it.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Grand Duke Martins gave a slight bow to the prince and spoke again.

“But you look tired?”

“A bit.”

Prince Norton frowned deeply and rubbed his face with one hand.

“How did it feel to meet the princess again?”

Grand Duke Martins asked probingly.

“She’s the same as ever. The problem is… I’m not sure if the princess knows about that day or not…”

“If the princess doesn’t know about that day, what difference does it make? As I mentioned in the letter, Princess Resilia is someone who wants to become the new Empress of the Lafion Empire.”

“Did Prince Tessler say that? Is that the princess’s thoughts as well?”

Grand Duke Martins’s thoughts became complicated at Prince Norton’s question.

‘Could he still have lingering feelings for Princess Resilia?’

“Of course.”

The Grand Duke put force in his voice as if it was obvious.

Prince Norton was silent.

The prince, who had been staring into space for a moment, looked at Grand Duke Martins’s face again. Noticing the scratch on the right side of his face, he changed the subject.

“By the way… Grand Duke, what’s that wound on your face? Did you get it when you went to meet Prince Tessler?”

“It’s Prince Tessler’s welcome greeting.”

Grand Duke Martins spoke lightly and smiled, but there was a bitter aftertaste to his smile.

“Hmm, what did you talk about with the prince? Of course, you talked about me?”

“Yes. He was more shocked by the fact that the mercenary he thought was dead was the prince of the Partsha Empire in the Southern Continent, rather than being surprised that the mercenary was alive.”

“Was there no mention of that day?”

“That day? Ah, you mean the day the princess betrayed you and left with the royal knights?”

Grand Duke Martins asked pointedly, as if emphasizing on purpose.

If Prince Norton’s heart had really started to waver after seeing Princess Resilia…

Then he would have to rearrange the board.

Unless Princess Resilia had directly pushed Prince Norton off the cliff herself, the prince’s desire for revenge couldn’t be 100% trusted.

Especially after seeing Prince Norton’s eyes filled with what seemed like a mix of love and hate when Princess Resilia was mentioned earlier.

“Did you ask the princess?”

“I did.”

Prince Norton had directly asked her about that day earlier in his bedroom.

‘Oh my, such a terrible thing happened?! I’ll tell my elder brother right away to push those knights off the cliff just the same! Thank you so much for surviving after going through such an ordeal, Norton. And for protecting our son too… I love you.’

Princess Resilia showed tears as she apologized.

Having received her apology, Prince Norton fell onto the bed with her.

The princess’s face he looked down at on the bed after a long time was still beautiful.

Recalling Princess Resilia who had embraced him and wouldn’t let go, the prince replied to the Grand Duke.

“The princess didn’t know.”

“Do you believe that?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Or is it that you just want to believe that?”

Grand Duke Martins changed his question and asked back.

“……”

Prince Norton remained silent instead of denying it.

As Grand Duke Martins poured wine for the prince, he picked up the wine glass and spoke again.

“I don’t think I’ve heard the reason why you turned your back on Prince Tessler yet?”

‘You think you’re the only one who doesn’t trust me? I’m just as suspicious.’

Prince Norton thought to himself as he looked at Grand Duke Martins’s face smiling slyly.

“I’m a merchant who does trade, so I’m quick to change my stance. But I value trust even more than that.”

“Does that mean the prince broke your trust first?”

“Sometimes the losses outweigh the profits in certain matters. Well, once or twice is fine. Losses are bound to happen when doing business. But when mutual trust is broken, further transactions become difficult. Even if it brings me immediate profits, it’s bound to cause problems someday.”

Though his words were gentle, Grand Duke Martins’s eyes were cold.

“You’re right.”

Prince Norton agreed with the Grand Duke’s opinion as he drank his wine.

“There are eyes and ears of the prince that even I didn’t know about… in this imperial court.”

Grand Duke Martins lowered his voice significantly as he spoke.

“Ah, so that’s it. The reason your trust in Prince Tessler was broken.”

“The trust was so thin that it had been cracked for a long time.”

Grand Duke Martins fiddled with the scratch on his face caused by Prince Tessler.

“So. Did you find out who the prince’s hidden hunting dog is?”

Prince Norton leaned his upper body forward and asked.

“Yes.”

“Who is it? That spy……”

[This is the timeline separator]

As I came out of the training ground with Rinel, the head servant had our horses ready and waiting.

“Stian, take the horse the Empress rode here. The Empress will go with me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Is that alright?”

He asked, extending his hand to me.

After already giving orders to the head servant, why is he asking for my opinion belatedly?

I smiled and took his hand.

“Yes, of course.”

He helped me mount the horse first, then settled behind me with a very light movement.

I felt a sense of stability from his hand holding the reins and his firm forearm.

Actually, I’m the type who likes to shoot arrows or muskets while riding a horse with the reins loose, but feeling playful, I pretended to lose my balance and swayed my body.

“Whoa, whoa, careful. You didn’t just stumble because of the wind just now, did you?”

Surely, he’s not really asking because he thinks that?

I burst into laughter at his absurd thought, but still played along.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I should have had you sit facing me from the start.”

He said, as if reproaching himself.

“Wouldn’t that be more dangerous?”

“You’d be less scared if you just closed your eyes in my arms.”

Does this man think I’m some kind of glass person?

I boldly turned my head and kissed his lips.

It was an action that a woman afraid of horses could never do.

“Zelda, don’t do this. It’s dangerous…”

Ignoring his warning, I kept turning my head and puckering my lips. Though he looked worried, he lowered his head and came to meet my lips.

The sound of horse hooves and our kisses strangely matched the rhythm on the cypress forest path.

The problem was that the speed of our kissing was getting faster and faster than the sound of the horse’s hooves.

If I don’t rein in my reason at this point, his instinct to rush will soon reveal itself.

It was time for self-control.

I should stop here.

As I turned my head to face forward again with that resolution, his hand that had been holding the reins was slowly creeping up my waist.

“Just hold the reins. Nothing else is allowed.”

I said, taking his hand and holding the reins together.

“…Okay.”

Rinel’s voice was unbelievably gloomy.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Absolutely, absolutely do not wander around outside. If someone sees you, then it’s really, screech! You know?”

Rosie said to the baby wyvern, pretending to cut her throat with the knife she was using to slice bread.

“Why? Because I’m not human?”

“That’s right, exactly! And I’ve been telling you this every day when you were in the egg. Remember? Until recently, the Northern Continent and the Southern Continent…”

“Were fighting because of me, no, because of our species.”

“That’s right! There are already going to be dignitaries from Southern Continent countries coming for the continental hunting competition, and what if a wyvern suddenly appears in the imperial palace! What do you think would happen?”

“They’d treat me preciously!”

The baby wyvern blinked its ruby-like eyes and exclaimed innocently.

“Well… you are precious, but a war could break out right here because of you, you little wyvern!”

“Yeah, I understand. You little human.”

The baby wyvern snatched the knife from her hand, stabbed a small cream puff, and put it in its mouth, chewing.

“Hey, I’m not little, okay? I’m an adult. And you know my name! Call me Lady Rosie.”

“I’ll call you whatever I feel like.”

Rosie spewed out curses at the baby wyvern’s defiance.

“Such a fist-sized thing with a terrible personality.”

“It’s the personality I learned from you since I was in the egg. You should understand.”

“……”

Rosie, at a loss for words, took a deep breath and swallowed her anger.

“But I wish I had a name too. Oh, I should ask the master to give me one!”

“Tch, I hope the Empress doesn’t faint when she sees you. Ugh, how am I going to explain you to her…”

Rosie sighed deeply, looking at the baby wyvern with a face full of concern.

The baby wyvern asked her very seriously, seeing her frowning deeply at it.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Could it be… am I… ugly like you?”

“…What did you say?”

“Is that why it’s hard to introduce me to the master? Is that it?!”

The baby wyvern, who had collapsed on the floor in frustration, made a tearful face and flew at once to where the mirror was to examine its appearance.

But no matter how much it looked, its appearance seemed much better than Rosie’s.

“That thing really… After being cooped up in an egg for 300 years, its aesthetic sense is completely trash?”

Rosie clenched her fists and shouted.

“Come on, are you saying I’m ugly? And what I meant was, how are we going to explain that you hatched from an egg after 300 years since Her Majesty the Empress visited! And as a wyvern, no less!”

“Phew, so that’s what you meant. I was so shocked I almost crawled back into the egg. Then I just need to not be a wyvern for a while.”

The baby wyvern, examining its reflection in the mirror, mumbled proudly at its appearance once again.

“What? What do you mean?”

Rosie asked with a doubtful face, but the baby wyvern just grinned.

That was the doppelganger ability.

It wasn’t sure if all wyverns had the same ability, but the baby wyvern that had been in an egg for 300 years could transform into humans, animals, and even insects if it wanted to.

It was an ability naturally acquired without anyone teaching it.

“Don’t cause any trouble while I’m taking a bath, and stay quietly under the bed.”

Rosie earnestly requested as she headed to the bathroom.

“Okay. The great wyvern listens well to even little human words, you know.”

The baby wyvern flew to Rosie’s bed and sat cross-legged.

“I said go under the bed. Ah, whatever, just don’t get seen by the other servants.”

“Eh, why worry about such things.”

This time, it lay down quietly under the covers at Rosie’s nagging.

When she entered the bathroom, the baby wyvern sat up again.

“Ah… Having to listen to an ugly human’s words, it really, really hurts my pride!”

And so, the baby wyvern embarked on its escape.