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~Chapter 26~
I Don’t Like It
If Regina complained about the cheap furniture sent to the empress’s palace, Chloe’s side could easily claim it was because the imperial budget was tight.
Even if the Grand Empress’s staff were caught stealing, it could be blamed on a few bad apples.
It was the usual “cut off the tail” trick. Unless it was a huge scandal, the nobles would probably just let it go.
“I need something bigger than this.”
Regina was sure that if Chloe had stolen the empress’s palace funds, there must be worse crimes elsewhere. If she looked all over the palace, she’d probably find even bigger problems.
‘Let’s start here, fix this first, and handle the rest one by one.’
She planned to use the need for trustworthy people as an excuse to bring her own subordinates from the Madeline house.
Regina moved her hand in a circle.
Bright light poured into the air, and red magic followed her pale fingers.
All the windows and doors along the hallway flew open one by one. Regina sent a gentle breeze blowing through the palace, sweeping away the dust.
“Wow!”
When the dust flying high into the sky suddenly burst into flames, even the maids and the chief attendant were left speechless.
“Magic!”
“Her Majesty the Empress is a mage?”
Everyone who saw the strange power filled with awe.
Knights passing by, visiting nobles, and officials all witnessed the unusual scene above the empress’s palace.
After saving Conrad before, people had heard rumors about Regina’s abilities. But since she hadn’t used magic in public since then, many had thought it was just gossip.
Now, everyone in the palace was sure—Regina really was a mage.
Meanwhile, Conrad, just finishing a meeting, sensed the commotion at the empress’s palace.
He saw the fireworks in the clear sky and frowned.
“…Honestly, she never listens when I tell her not to push herself.”
He changed direction and started walking quickly toward the empress’s palace.
“Your Majesty, where are you going?”
“To see my empress. You take care of the rest of the schedule.”
As soon as he pushed off the ground, the scenery blurred by in a flash.
He passed columns, gardens, and halls, heading straight for the magical energy.
Jumping over the palace wall, he saw Regina through the wide-open window on the first floor, her hand raised.
“Ah.”
She was wrapped in a mysterious wind, her red hair flying like flower petals, catching Conrad’s eye.
Suddenly—
“Ah, ugh!”
Regina, pouring out magic without hesitation, grabbed her chest in pain.
The crescent moon seal flashed and blocked her magic. The resistance was even stronger than before, and she felt sick. She tried to swallow the rising feeling but couldn’t stop blood from running down her lips.
Conrad jumped through the window and rushed to her side.
“My empress is so stubborn.”
He muttered that she said “simple contact” was enough, but look at her now, and handed her a handkerchief.
Regina, face pale, wiped the blood from her mouth. When Conrad held her other hand, his aura flowed into her, and her body felt a little better.
“I don’t like it.”
Conrad picked Regina up in his arms. Surprised, she clung to his neck as her legs dangled in the air.
Holding her securely, Conrad went back out the window and strode through the palace, ignoring all the stares.
Maids, attendants, and passing nobles all bowed respectfully, but he walked past without a word.
His hard jaw made it clear he was upset. No one dared speak to the emperor when he looked like that.
“Lena.”
Regina, still pale, hid her face against Conrad’s chest.
Her forehead touched his bare skin, exposed between the open buttons of his shirt. She could feel their aura and magic flowing together.
Conrad had been waiting for Regina to ask for help. But even after days passed, she never came to him.
She only stabilized her magic by holding his hand or giving him a light kiss. It annoyed him, but he put up with it.
‘And yet, even when she ended up like this, she never came to me.’
Conrad’s mood grew darker as he realized Regina would never come to him first, even if she collapsed.
‘Isn’t this breaking our agreement?’
Regina had promised to help break the magic barrier, and to do that, she needed to recharge her magic. Not coming to him was basically breaking the deal.
‘That’s why I’m upset.’
He tried to tell himself that, but he felt there was something more.
He liked her proud attitude, but it also made him wonder if she really trusted him at all.
Was touching him worse for her than letting her magic fade? The thought made him angrier for a moment.
He wasn’t sure if he was mad about her ignoring the contract, or something else.
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The knights guarding the emperor’s bedroom saluted Conrad.
“Open it.”
Once inside, the knights closed the heavy door behind them with a loud thud.
The sound snapped Regina out of her daze.
‘I made a mistake.’
After their first night, Regina thought that a little contact would be enough. But her magic didn’t stay stable for long—it started to fade as time passed.
Usually, she checked her magic often, but with Chloe’s people always watching, she couldn’t risk using her power in front of them.
‘How could I be such a careless mage?’
She felt like she’d failed as a mage. In a real war, she could have died from this mistake.
“…Maybe I should be thankful anyway.”
“Thankful?”
As her back touched the soft bed, Regina finally met Conrad’s eyes.
Looking into his fierce, stormy eyes, Regina swallowed nervously.
“C-Conrad.”
“You think you’re lucky to end up like this?”
“I thought I had enough magic…”
Her excuse only made Conrad more upset.
“Do you realize if I hadn’t arrived in time, you could have died from magic exhaustion?”
Conrad hadn’t just done nothing, either. After finding out about Regina’s magic seal, he had searched the emperor’s secret library for every case like hers, comparing them all to her condition.
“Conrad.”
“A mage with someone nearby to help, but still fainting from lack of magic—this could go in the history books.”
His cold voice left Regina unable to argue. He was right.
‘But…it’s embarrassing.’
Even though they’d spent the first night together, it was still hard for her to approach Conrad first.
It wasn’t that he was an emperor from an enemy country—it was because he was the person she’d spent her first night with.
She’d tried to get closer, but Conrad was busy, and she had her own work to do.
Regina used that as an excuse to keep her distance.
‘Now that I think about it, it was all me… I avoided him.’
Conrad had done his best to help, but she hadn’t done her part as his partner.
Realizing this, Regina whispered to him,
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
At her soft words, Conrad’s fierce gaze softened a little.
Feeling braver, Regina spoke again.
“I won’t avoid you anymore.”
She didn’t even notice she’d spoken so casually.
