“Erina.”

Sandes approached slowly with a bright smile as he looked at Erina.

Erina felt strange as she saw herself shimmering in his dizzily curved eyes.

Somehow, she felt happy yet anxious.

It was as if when she closed her eyes and opened them again, this moment would all be a dream and she would return to her dying self before the regression.

Erina rose from her seat and embraced him to hide this feeling.

Perhaps sensing her mood plummeting, Sandes comforted her without saying anything.

“Are you still having frightening dreams?”

Erina couldn’t utter a word in response to his question.

She didn’t want to say that even now, vivid images would appear when she closed her eyes.

She didn’t want to be a burden to him with unnecessary complaints.

Sandes carefully brushed Erina’s hair back and cupped her cheek in one hand.

As he gently pulled, Erina lifted her head to look up at him.

Sandes, who had been quietly gazing at her trembling eyes, softly kissed her eyes.

Erina’s eyelashes fluttered at his kiss, light as a butterfly landing.

“Tomorrow, someone else is scheduled to be by your side…”

Sandes kissed the tip of her quivering nose and whispered.

“So for tonight, may I have you all to myself?”

Erina cupped his cheeks with both hands and pulled him close, his eyes filled with such intense passion it made her whole body tingle.

“As much as you want.”

At Erina’s words, the space between the two disappeared.

There was no distance between them until their minds went blank from lack of breath as their lips met.

It was a hot and dizzying night.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next day, dawn broke and the grand coronation ceremony began.

Erina wore a deep blue dress lavishly embroidered with silver thread, adorned with ornate accessories and the brooch Barun had gifted her along with his partner request.

After Heila finished arranging her hair, Barun, who was to be her partner, appeared.

“My lady.”

Barun, dressed in a deep blue suit they had coordinated in advance, looked different from his usual self in just a uniform.

With his usually messy dark green hair neatly styled and dressed up, his gentle eyes stood out, drawing people’s attention.

“Oh.”

Heila let out an exclamation, seemingly surprised at Barun, who kept rubbing the back of his neck as if embarrassed.

“Sir Barun, you look quite different today.”

Even Erina playfully clapped her hands as she spoke, causing Barun’s face to turn red in an instant.

“I shall escort you.”

Amidst all this, Barun, not forgetting his duties as both a guard knight and partner, extended his hand to Erina.

As Erina placed her hand on his arm and stepped forward, Heila’s expression behind them turned mischievous.

“Hmm.”

Heila giggled, her eyes twinkling as she thought of someone who would be interested in seeing the unexpectedly well-matched pair.

Erina asked as she moved towards the hall where the coronation was to be held with Barun.

“Where are the others?”

Barun, having apparently checked on the others earlier, answered.

“Duke Papia is meeting with the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Kingdom of Smalle for some prior coordination, and Duke Kerenik is also in a private audience with the King of Smalle.”

“Then, shall we proceed to the hall first?”

“Yes.”

Erina moved to the main hall of the Smalle royal palace, escorted by Barun.

As Erina entered the hall, the gazes of the Smalle kingdom’s nobles instantly converged on her.

Since the delegation was usually introduced separately when the coronation began, no attendant announced her entry at the hall entrance.

Erina thought she had entered quietly, but the sudden focus of attention was disconcerting.

Despite her flustered feelings, she moved across the hall with a calm face.

“My lady, this way.”

Barun naturally guided her, seemingly aware of the seats they had been assigned by the kingdom.

After taking their places right next to the dais at the innermost part of the hall, Barun immediately began surveying the surroundings with bright eyes.

Erina also took in the hall, beautifully decorated in a style different from the Asilium Empire.

At that moment, someone made a flamboyant entrance and approached Erina in an instant.

“Countess Medelia!”

It was Yupirto, who had greeted the delegation yesterday.

His youthful face was flushed with an expression of unmistakable anticipation.

“Duke Nephin.”

As Erina called out to him gently, Yupirto smiled brightly and stood before her, extending his hand.

The manner in which a gentleman requested a greeting from a lady was similar across the continent, so Erina extended her hand that wasn’t holding Barun’s arm.

Yupirto then carefully grasped Erina’s hand with a moved expression and kissed the back of it.

“I’m delighted to meet you again today, Countess.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

As Erina took a slight step back at his excessive show of favor, Yupirto finally noticed Barun.

“Oh my, Sir Barun Emkil!”

“It’s been a long time, Your Grace.”

As soon as he saw Barun, Yupirto grabbed his hand with a childlike expression and shook it vigorously.

“It’s truly been a while, Sir. Has it been two years?”

“Has it already been that long?”

Barun and Yupirto greeted each other happily, like old friends meeting after a long time.

The two, related by marriage, were close due to their similar ages.

Before the discovery of the mana stone mine, Yupirto had always participated in the delegations that visited Smalle Kingdom once in a while as a prince, so he had interacted with Barun quite often.

The two asked about each other’s well-being before coming to their senses and apologizing to Erina.

“I’m sorry, Countess. I’ve been rude, getting carried away meeting an old acquaintance.”

“It’s alright, Your Grace.”

Yupirto smiled awkwardly at Erina’s gentle response, then noticed the two standing together.

“Ah, are you two here as partners?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Yupirto paused at Erina’s answer, then nodded while rubbing his chin with one hand.

“Hmm, I see.”

Then, with a solemn face, he said he understood and gave Barun a meaningful smile.

“It’s always a joyous occasion when good people meet. Yes, I’ll be rooting for you!”

Yupirto looked back and forth between the two with a refreshed expression, as if he had just lifted a light burden.

Erina and Barun watched Yupirto, who was going back and forth on his own, drawing question marks in their minds.

Just as Barun was about to speak to Yupirto out of concern, Duke Papia and Sandes entered together at the entrance.

Before Duke Papia and Sandes could join and engage in conversation, he who was still Crown Prince entered.

“His Royal Highness Crown Prince Derick Morka Smalle and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Adela Will Smalle have arrived!”

Two splendidly dressed figures entered at the hall entrance.

The nobles in the hall cheered at their entrance.

Many nobles seemed to genuinely welcome Derick’s ascension.

As Derick and Adela ascended the dais, the coronation ceremony began immediately.

Traditionally, if the previous king was alive, he would personally pass the crown from his own head to his successor.

However, as the previous king had been deposed in disgrace, the Chancellor of the Smalle Kingdom came forward with the crown.

As the Chancellor presented the crown, Derick took it himself and placed it on his head.

“Congratulations on your ascension, Your Majesty!”

Starting with the Chancellor’s greeting, the nobles in the hall bowed in salutation.

After the necessary rituals were performed, the greetings from the delegations began.

Naturally, the Asilium Empire was the first to greet among the delegations.

“The delegation from the Asilium Empire!”

As the attendant announced the name of the delegation’s country, the hall buzzed with murmurs.

Amidst the murmurs, Sandes led the way, followed by Duke Papia, Erina, and Barun, moving to stand before Derick.

Derick, who had been looking down from above, suddenly descended from the dais to stand in front of Sandes.

“Your Majesty!”

The Chancellor, startled because no king had ever come down during a coronation until it ended, called out to Derick.

But Derick stood before them at eye level, openly expressing his gratitude with a bright face.

“Thank you for taking the time to come such a long way.”

Sandes, having already spoken with Derick beforehand, nodded slightly with a gentle smile.

“Might I greet Countess Medelia directly?”

At Derick’s words, Sandes and Duke Papia stepped aside.

Suddenly finding herself face to face with Derick, Erina’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I wanted to personally convey my gratitude on behalf of the Kingdom of Smalle.”

Derick’s eyes wavered.

Though it hadn’t been a long time, it seemed the moments of great events that had nearly toppled the kingdom came to mind.

Erina, without saying a word, simply smiled gently at Derick and showed the courtesy befitting a king of a nation.

Knowing it was a sentiment from a king, a husband, and soon-to-be father, Erina refrained from adding any words.

Derick understood that her action was to maintain his dignity in front of the nobles.

It was excessively formal for a greeting to a mere noble of the Empire, given in one breath.

This was because the Kingdom of Smalle had decided to remain an allied country, not a vassal state of the Empire.

Derick, appreciating her consideration, returned to the dais to continue the coronation ceremony.

The nobles in the hall remembered this impressive moment.

“Erina is loved wherever she goes.”

Sandes, watching Derick receive greetings from delegations of neighboring countries, said as he stood beside Erina.

At those words, Erina looked up at Sandes.

His playful expression made it clear he was teasing.

“Still, I’m a bit jealous.”

“Pardon?”

“In the Empire, it was fine when you received love from ladies and young ladies, but why is it that in the Smalle Kingdom, you only receive love from men?”

“Sandes!”

At Sandes’s words, both Barun and Duke Papia, who were standing with Erina, burst into laughter.