Chapter 57
Chapter 8 – Lysei’s Jealousy (1)
“I think I’ll only know for sure when the situation arises.”
This meant that for Edin to also see the phenomenon that Luigia sensed might be dark magic, contact between the two was unavoidable. Lysei nodded as if it were natural and said to Luigia, “Right. Confirming it directly is the best way.”
“Yes, that’s why I’m asking you first. After all, His Majesty is yours right now, so I was worried you might be upset by any contact between him and me.”
“…What are you talking about? I’m fine. And yours? Why would His Majesty be mine?”
“He only seems to have eyes for you.”
Luigia murmured as if to herself, picking up a chocolate cookie from the table.
“Strictly speaking, he’s a married man. Of course, even in the original story, the Emperor and Empress were more like sworn enemies than a married couple.”
Lysei’s face momentarily hardened at the sudden realization of the words “married man.”
It was true. No matter how many nights the Emperor spent with the Nyxnas instead of the Empress, he was still legally her husband. Even though she was fully aware of the Empress’s existence, she had briefly overlooked that fact.
Lysei, feeling a little gloomy, brought her teacup to her lips. Seeing her expression, Luigia seemed to realize her misstep and said with a forced smile, “Well, as you know from reading it, the relationship between the Emperor and Empress in this world is more like colleagues than a married couple, right?”
“….”
“Besides, they remain estranged until the end of the original story. So, your and His Majesty’s relationship… Oh, wait. That’s not what I meant to say.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“…Ha, you have such a good personality. You know I love you, right?”
A sudden burst of laughter escaped Lysei at the unexpected confession, and Luigia laughed along.
“Anyway, I’ll do my best to make sure the Empress’s side doesn’t ruin the Founding Festival! …But Sir Zerga is late. He’s long past our meeting time.”
“Sir Zerga is supposed to come?”
“Yes. We were going to look at the parade route to see if there are any buildings where dark magic could be used to disrupt the parade.”
“Oh.”
“I put a lot of effort into my makeup since it’s been a while since I’ve seen him.”
“Ah, so that’s why today….”
It made sense; she seemed to have put extra effort into her clothes and makeup.
“You know I’ve been trying to appeal to Sir Zerga lately, right? If I have to get the pheromones of a dominant alpha, I prefer Sir Zerga. Although, it’s a bit more difficult to capture Sir Zerga’s attention compared to the v1rgin Sir Trey.”
“Haha.”
“So, will you help me after the Founding Festival?”
Luigia asked Lysei, her mystical, jewel-like purple eyes sparkling.
***
The highlight of the Founding Festival, the Emperor’s street parade, began.
Across from the Emperor, who rode in an open-top carriage without the Empress, sat Luigia and Trey, as the Emperor’s Nyxna and his personal knight, respectively, prepared for any contingency.
Lysei walked a little behind, among the other knights with Zerga. It was because it would be dangerous for her to be alone in the Rose Palace without Theor.
Walking while only looking at Edin’s back, Lysei was struck by the feeling that he was a very distant person. The thought that she would probably never be able to sit beside him for the rest of her life made her wonder if she could overcome such issues without getting hurt.
Of course, wanting to be by his side was an enormous ambition. Even if the current Empress were to disappear, the possibility of her becoming Empress was close to zero.
Even if, by some miracle, Luigia, who becomes the Empress in the original story, were to become Zerga’s wife in this reality, a b*stard child from the Baron family with nothing to her name could never claim the Empress’s position.
Ultimately, the Empress’s position would be filled by someone else, even if it wasn’t Luigia, and then she would have to live her life looking at Edin’s back like this. As she walked with these thoughts, she was reminded of her own situation, destined to leave his side someday, realizing the ephemeral nature of their love.
Lysei wondered if she should start saving money now to carry out her future plan of going to Davine, just as she had resolved when she first arrived in this world.
After walking for some time, Luigia informed Trey that she sensed something strange ahead, and Trey quietly relayed this to the Emperor.
The Emperor nodded once and extended his hand to Luigia. As Luigia took his hand and stared in the direction of the strange presence, something transparently shimmering came into the Emperor’s view as well.
“I see it.”
The Emperor drew his sword.
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