Chapter 68
The tainted divine power caused symptoms similar to a common cold in Alphas and Omegas. This was the reason for their rejection of her, a fact of which Lysei was unaware, leading to a growing misunderstanding between them.
“Don’t cry… I can’t wipe away your tears.”
Oh…
Is that it?
Does he dislike me now because I put him in danger?
Lysei bit the inside of her cheek to stop the sudden surge of tears.
“Is your body feeling better?”
“Your Majesty…”
“You’ll heal soon, don’t worry.”
“.…”
“And Nyxna?”
Edin asked, looking at Trey who was standing by the door.
“I brought her with me. Zerga is protecting her.”
At Trey’s words, Edin looked at Lysei.
“It would be best to return now. This place is dangerous for both you and Nyxna.”
His words caused the negative emotions that had been brewing inside Lysei to surge and engulf her like a tidal wave. These negative emotions twisted into an unforeseen misunderstanding, blinding her eyes and deafening her ears.
I see. This place is dangerous for Luigia, and because of me, she’s being put at risk. Because of my stubbornness, Luigia…
Of course, I understand why Edin is worried about Luigia. I don’t want her to be in danger either.
She’s the only one who can see dark magic. It’s only natural for Edin to worry about her…
And if their story had unfolded without me, like in the original, this dangerous situation wouldn’t have happened.
Oh… but this is a little miserable.
Lysei pressed her lips together against the renewed wave of sadness.
***
“She came and left immediately?”
Raz, already on edge after failing to kill Lysei at the hunting festival, was puzzled to hear that she and Luigia had visited the Imperial Palace only to leave right away.
“His Majesty said the Imperial Palace is still dangerous and ordered the former Nyxna to return with the current one.”
“…Is that so…?”
“The former Nyxna told His Majesty not to worry, assuring him that she would protect the current Nyxna.”
“.…”
After the maid finished her report, Raz dismissed her with a flick of her hand, lost in thought.
Once the maid was gone, Seiren spoke.
“With a bit of luck, Your Majesty, we might be able to easily separate the three of them.”
Raz turned her head to look at Seiren.
“What do you mean?”
“Lady Lysei must be uncomfortable with His Majesty’s overprotective behavior towards Lady Luigia.”
“…Uncomfortable?”
“Lysei and His Majesty are in love. While the weight of that love may differ between them, Lysei won’t be entirely pleased to see His Majesty caring for and protecting a different Nyxna.”
“.…”
“I heard that His Majesty hasn’t embraced this Nyxna. The fact that His Majesty, despite his insomnia, hasn’t embraced her, suggests that Lysei might have pleaded with him not to embrace another woman.”
“.…”
“We can subtly exploit this to separate Lady Lysei from His Majesty.”
“…Subtly exploit?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I have a plan.”
At Seiren’s words, a cold glint sparked in Raz’s crimson eyes.
***
Back at the Rose Palace, Lysei continued to wallow in a complicated mix of emotions.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t believe that Edin would treat her so coldly simply because she had disobeyed him and left his sight. It seemed the coldness stemmed from her bringing Luigia to the Imperial Palace, despite the potential danger.
He saved me, but he’s clearly incredibly concerned about Luigia’s safety. Well, it’s only natural. A bittersweet feeling washed over Lysei, and she managed a faint smile. Completely unaware of the misunderstanding, she slowly began to close herself off.
Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Edin only wished for the tainted divine power to return to normal. As he waited, Theo arrived, having just returned from investigating a report of the Beneretti family colluding with heretics in a foreign land.
However, instead of reporting his findings, he immediately demanded his Nyxna.
“I’m back, so I’ll be taking Lysei to my estate.”
“Your estate?” Edin asked, puzzled, and Theo boldly declared that Lysei would continue to be in danger, like this time, if she remained by Edin’s side.
“This incident happened while I was away. Just hand Lysei over to me. She’ll be much safer with me.”
“What nonsense is this?”
“It’s not nonsense. I’m suggesting the safest course of action for her.”
“The Rose Palace is perfectly safe.”
“Are you sure? No matter how safe a place is, there are always vulnerabilities. Besides, the Empire’s most skilled shadows are protecting you. Are you truly confident that the Rose Palace will be completely safe while you’re not there?”
“.…”
“Leave her to me. If she’s with me, something like this will never happen again.”
“She’s my woman.”
“You say she’s your woman, but you can’t make Lysei your Empress, can you? Surely you don’t intend to make her a mere concubine?”
“…!”
“Ah, of course, you already have an Empress, so she can only be a concubine.”
As Edin glared at Theor with frightening intensity, Theor met his gaze without flinching.
Upon arriving in the Empire, he’d learned that Lysei had nearly died at the hunting festival, and his blood ran cold.
She had almost been killed by Seiren once before, so he had repeatedly stressed to Zerga the importance of her safety before leaving for his trip abroad.
The fact that Lysei had nearly died while he was away made him acutely aware of how much he truly cared for her.
“Haa… I came straight here after hearing that Sei almost died at the hunting festival, so my words were a bit sharp.”
“….”
“You’ll be busy protecting that Nyxna who can see dark magic, so leave Lysei to me.”
Realizing the sincerity in Theo’s words, Edin’s face hardened.
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