IBMLS

Chapter 19

A gift like this was enough to make me willing to forgive being accused of staging everything myself.
Not enough to forgive getting stabbed in the neck, though.

“Thank you.”

Perhaps he sensed that the hostility in my voice had softened a little, because the Emperor looked relieved.

“Right. I figured that rather than just saying I was sorry, I should at least give you something like this.”

Still feeling dazed, I stared at the bracelet and ring artifacts resting in my palms.

The Emperor’s classified artifacts.
I never expected them to end up in my hands like this. I’d never even imagined it.

Carefully, I fastened the bracelet artifact around my left wrist, then beckoned to Dayvin.

“Dayvin.”

Dayvin, who had been silently blinking beside me the whole time, walked over when I called him.

“From now on, always wear this ring.”

“Understood.”

Without even knowing what kind of ring it was, Dayvin obediently nodded and held out his right hand. Seeing that, I shook my head. Since he wielded his sword with his right hand, it would be better to wear it on the left. I gently pulled his injured left arm closer so I wouldn’t hurt him.

Which finger would be best?

While holding his hand and wondering which finger would be most comfortable for him, I slipped the ring onto his ring finger.

“…Anise?!”

The Emperor, who had been watching us from the side, called out to me in a choked voice. I looked at him as if asking what the problem was.

“You’re putting a ring on another man’s ring finger right in front of your fiancé…!”

Annoyed by how worked up he was over something so trivial, I frowned.

“Sir Joshua was wearing it on his ring finger earlier too, wasn’t he? What else am I supposed to do if that’s the ring size?”

Unable to argue with that, the Emperor trembled for a moment before sighing.

“Well, you did make me a promise… I’ll trust you.”

…What promise had I supposedly made?
I blinked in confusion, then decided to ignore it and explained things to Dayvin, whose ears had somehow turned red.

“If I pull on this bracelet, you’ll instantly be transported to me.”

Dayvin’s eyes widened in shock at my explanation. I gestured for him to step back.

“Let’s try it once.”

Dayvin took several steps away from me. Once he was far enough, I pulled the string attached to the bracelet, and in the next instant, Dayvin appeared right beside me.

Dayvin looked startled at suddenly being moved so close to me, and I grinned.

“This means that even if you’re far away, you can come to me immediately, right?”

After confirming the artifact worked, the Emperor warned us both.

“This artifact is a royal secret, so do not speak about it anywhere. There are only two pairs in existence—one for the Emperor and one for the Empress.”

“Yes, yes. But, Your Majesty, what’s the range on this thing? And how do you recharge it?”

The Emperor smirked at my excited questioning.

“The ring and bracelet were originally one object, so when the bracelet is stimulated, the ring simply returns to where it originally belongs. There’s no distance limit. It doesn’t need recharging either. It’s a permanently usable artifact.”

“Ooh…”

When I genuinely gasped in admiration, the Emperor smiled proudly for a moment before standing up.

“The defensive artifact that blocks attacks was used up yesterday, so once it’s recharged, I’ll send it through Sir Joshua. I should return to the Imperial Palace now, so rest well and recover quickly.”

“Yes, thank you!”

When I smiled brightly, the Emperor finally looked at ease and left the room. Soon after, imperial doctors and nurses flooded in to examine me.

After closely inspecting my wound, the imperial physician smiled and delivered the diagnosis.

“Only the skin was cut somewhat deeply. Everything underneath is perfectly fine, so there’s no need for major concern. You’re definitely much better than you were last night. If you eat well and rest properly, you should recover quickly. However, if you’re not careful, a scar may remain, so please avoid moving your neck excessively.”

Only the skin?
Remembering the sensation of the blade sinking deep into my neck, I felt something was odd, but since the doctor said so, I simply nodded.

The medical staff explained that all they needed to do now was apply ointment regularly and change the gauze, then everyone except one nurse left.

After that, several maids sent from the palace politely introduced themselves, saying they would attend to me from now on.

I immediately frowned.

“I already have Lana, so why?”

Worried they might be trying to replace Lana, I reacted sharply. Dayvin explained:

“They said Miss Lana shouldn’t touch water for the time being. So they’ll be attending to you instead.”

Ah, right.

Remembering Lana’s blotchy, reddened arms, I felt awkward. But then I remembered Dayvin telling Lana not to attend to me, and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him.

Was he using Lana’s injury as an excuse to replace my maids…?

“…That’s not it.”

Dayvin answered so accurately that I was startled. What was this, mind-reading?

“…Your face makes it very obvious what you’re thinking.”

Dayvin answered while looking at my expression, and I flushed in embarrassment.

“So for the time being, please let the palace maids attend to you. It would be better to call Miss Lana back after she recovers. Right now it would just be a patient taking care of another patient.”

“Okay.”

I had no intention of overworking Lana, so I obediently nodded.

The palace maids, who had been nervously watching my reaction, visibly relaxed after hearing my answer. Smiling with relief, they bowed politely and said I could pull the bell cord anytime I needed something before leaving the room.

“Phew…”

Once things had calmed down, Dayvin unconsciously let out a quiet sigh beside me, as though the tension had finally left him.

Seeing that reminded me of what he had told the Emperor earlier—that he’d been protecting me day and night this whole time.

“Dayvin, now that things are more settled, how about you go get some rest?”

“Hm? No, I’m fine.”

Dayvin looked at me as if he’d heard something completely unexpected. I glared at him deliberately as I spoke.

“You said it yourself in front of His Majesty. That you’ve been protecting me day and night without resting. Come to think of it, I’ve never even seen you go rest first.”

“…I never said I worked without resting. I rest while you’re asleep, Lady Anise. There’s no need to worry.”

“No, this is a human rights issue! Dayvin, you need to go rest now too. Assassins probably won’t attack for a while, and you said the imperial knights would guard this place, right?”

Dayvin looked flustered, as though he hadn’t expected me to react this way.

Still, making him work nonstop for three weeks without rest? I didn’t want to become a terrible employer to the male lead I cherished. I’d already unknowingly worked him to the bone, but now that I realized it, I couldn’t let it continue!

But Dayvin still looked reluctant. Sensing his unease, I pointed to the bracelet artifact on my left wrist and emphasized:

“Don’t worry. If something happens, I can just call you with this bracelet, right? So go rest with peace of mind.”

Dayvin stared silently at me.

Then, with a firm expression, he shook his head.

“No. I still cannot be certain that Lady Anise is safe. So I will stay here.”

“No, really, it’s fine! Trust me! If something happens, I’ll immediately pull the bracelet string and—”

Right as I was about to say “it’ll work, right?” I suddenly felt my body spin.

In an instant, strong hands tightly seized both my wrists. I blinked.

Before I knew it, Dayvin was gripping both my wrists firmly, holding my arms in place. Looking down at me, he sighed and asked:

“If an enemy restrains your arms like this, would you still be able to use the artifact?”

Uh… huh?

I flinched and tried moving my wrists, but Dayvin’s grip didn’t budge at all. Even his injured left arm remained perfectly steady.

Huh?!

Perhaps reading the panic in my eyes, Dayvin released my wrists and sat back down in his chair.

Then he calmly explained:

“For someone properly trained, subduing an untrained woman like you, Lady Anise, takes only a moment. Simply wearing that bracelet is not enough for me to feel at ease leaving your side.”

I blinked.

But in the original story, the Emperor used this to summon Dayvin…

Then I remembered the Emperor saying he’d send another artifact later through Sir Joshua.

Ah, so that’s why he said he’d give that artifact too?

The artifact that could block any attack.
The one Zenon possessed.