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Chapter 61
:
I Didn’t Receive It Either
“Your Majesty, please calm down…!”
Count Ulysses, who had reached a decent level with the sword, barely managed to speak. Conrad didn’t hide his displeasure and withdrew his energy.
The nobles finally exhaled deeply, fidgeting as they watched the emperor.
“I’ll say it again: do not demand from the Empress something that even I have not received.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Let’s continue the meeting.”
The nobles, now composed, began suggesting ways to help the southern territories suffering from the drought. Many good ideas came up, but Conrad’s mind was focused on only one thing.
Even after the council meeting ended and the nobles left, Conrad stayed in the hall.
In the empty room, he called Mir.
“…What is the Empress doing now?”
“She hasn’t left her office yet.”
“Still going through documents?”
“I don’t think so.”
Mir reported honestly about the magical light and the results that had appeared in the Empress’s office today. The more he heard, the brighter Conrad’s face became.
“Could it be…!”
“It seems to be exactly what Your Majesty thinks.”
“No… maybe it’s not mine.”
Conrad tried to calm his excitement, knowing that too much expectation often leads to disappointment. Yet he couldn’t stop himself from feeling thrilled.
He had received countless gifts before, but never had one made him this excited.
“It must be a hair ribbon, right?”
Since it was the same gift given to the other noblewomen, it had to be a hair ribbon. Conrad couldn’t hide his anticipation.
When he first heard Regina was preparing gifts for the noblewomen, even before he knew they were magical tools, the first thought that came to him was: what about mine?
Regina was his Empress, his partner, the only person standing by his side. The only thing that could decorate his sword hilt was her hair ribbon.
He had decided to act as a devoted Emperor, so naturally, it should be given to him too.
But no matter how long he waited, there was no sign of it—and he couldn’t help but grow impatient.
It didn’t matter if the gift wasn’t a magical tool.
It just had to be a hair ribbon.
It symbolized a promise of life and death together.
In the Frederix Empire, when a woman’s ribbon was openly tied to a sword hilt, it had only one meaning:
The sword-bearer would love no one else.
For a knight, if the sword breaks, it means the end of life. So a ribbon on the hilt was essentially a vow to stay together until the end.
Though this old tradition had loosened over time—now even close friends and family exchanged ribbons—Conrad was different.
He had strictly preserved the hilt for his future partner. Even his late mother’s ribbon, left for him, was never tied to the sword. Only a gift from the one who stood by his side could go on his blade.
“Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience.”
At the steward’s words, Mir disappeared instantly.
Conrad smiled broadly and allowed her in.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Regina stepped inside.
Conrad carefully observed her hands. Sure enough, she held the item he had been waiting for, and his smile grew even wider.
“Welcome.”
Her voice, full of joy, made Regina hesitate. Unable to resist, Conrad stood and stared at her intently.
“What is it you need?”
The door was still open, so Regina spoke formally. Conrad raised an eyebrow out of habit.
“I thought we decided to speak casually.”
“…The steward is here,” she said.
Regina approached Conrad. The fragrance that reached him was pleasant, and he turned his gaze gently toward her.
The steward bowed to Conrad’s icy eyes and left the room. Left alone, a tense but excited silence fell between them.
Regina avoided Conrad’s unusually sparkling eyes, feeling awkward.
‘This feels strange.’
She swallowed hard, rolling her eyes. She was only delivering the item she had prepared, yet her heart raced.
As Conrad’s blue eyes didn’t leave her, Regina clenched her fists, then quickly relaxed them, remembering herself.
“Ah…”
“Why?”
“I was going to give you this…”
Before she could even explain it was wrinkled, Conrad took the hair ribbon from her.
“It’s mine.”
“…Yes.”
Even with Conrad taking it before she could give it and declaring it his own, Regina simply nodded.
‘I was going to give it anyway.’
She reassured herself. Conrad wasn’t taking it as a token of love—he was probably just worried that the magical tool had reached the nobles before him.
‘He wanted that magical tool so badly.’
He looked this thrilled. Regina stared at his bright face, surprised.
Conrad grabbed his sword beside the desk and tied Regina’s hair ribbon firmly around the hilt. The knot was tight, and his lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Regina couldn’t help but blush.
‘Does he like it too much?’
It was just a meaningless ribbon on a sword hilt, yet he looked so happy.
Curious about Conrad’s thoughts, Regina didn’t ask. Even if she did, she felt it would make her heart flutter too much.
“Ah, right.”
Regina approached the sword.
“I put a few spells on it.”
“One… a few?”
“Yes.”
She pointed with her long white fingers to the detailed embroidery on the ribbon.
“Hold this and wish strongly, and healing magic will appear.”
She added that combining it with aura would make it even stronger.
“Here is offensive magic.”
“And here is teleportation magic.”
It had been a lot of work to put three spells into a small ribbon, but Regina felt proud. She hadn’t used magic this precisely in a long time.
‘Even in the Ferman Empire, I did this often…’
But here, it was much harder. Without Conrad, she couldn’t have tried at all.
“You look quite pleased,” Conrad said softly.
Regina swallowed hard and nearly collided with his lips. He leaned in first.
A soft touch of lips made her eyes widen. Then Conrad’s low voice reached her:
“Beautiful.”
Just one word, but her face flushed bright red. His voice was gentle, tickling her ears, leaving her lips moving slightly.
‘W-Why…?’
She didn’t understand what was beautiful. She wasn’t dressed up, just explaining the ribbon. Why say that?
Conrad couldn’t take his eyes off Regina as she happily explained the magic.
She was already a great mage, but he had never imagined she could enjoy creating even a small magical tool so sincerely.
‘She even layered magic just for me…’
Conrad restrained himself, letting her pure joy shine. Thanks to that, he could enjoy Regina’s sparkle even more.
