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Chapter 59
He slipped his hands beneath her back and under her thighs, lifting her as she was, then sat back against the headboard of the bed.
Then, as if to keep Calliope warm, he drew the sheet over her, wrapping her gently.
“Nothing’s wrong, Calliope Verdi.”
Everything will be alright.
Leraje whispered again and again, hoping his words would reach the woman wandering through a terrible nightmare.
At last, Calliope drifted into sleep, and the heat from her body slowly began to dissipate.
“What are you thinking about?”
The voice brought Leraje out of his thoughts. He quietly watched Calliope.
The usually confident face he always saw was surprisingly softened.
Calliope tilted her head, wondering why he didn’t respond at all even after being thanked.
“Leraje?”
“…It’s nothing.”
His reply sounded somehow different from his usual voice.
It really was a strange feeling.
After finishing their meal, Leraje checked Calliope’s ankle.
“Being a mage has its advantages. Recovery is certainly faster than for ordinary people.”
“Really? That’s a relief. It does hurt less than yesterday.”
“That’s good.”
Leraje had hot water brought over.
“What are you going to do?”
“Just stay still.”
He placed a basin at her feet and held her ankle. Calliope flinched.
“What… all of a sudden—”
But as the warm water enveloped her feet pleasantly, she fell silent.
Seeing this, Leraje let out a small smile.
“How’s the water temperature?”
She answered, a little embarrassed.
“Uh… it’s perfect.”
Then his large hands grasped her injured foot, gently massaging it.
“Tell me if it hurts.”
Thanks to the warm water, the discomfort was bearable.
Even when he massaged the sprained area, there was some pain, but it was manageable.
The real problem wasn’t the pain—it was something else.
‘Why do I feel so strange?’
It was only a foot massage, yet Calliope couldn’t shake the oddly provocative feeling, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fists.
The creeping shiver wasn’t simply pain.
“Now—”
Just as Calliope tried to stop him, overwhelmed by a strange sensation separate from her reason,
“Calliope!”
The door swung open, and Archibald appeared.
“What’s going on here? You’re hurt…!”
He had come straight after hearing the news, still in his outdoor attire.
“I’m fine now. My fever’s gone, and I feel great again.”
“Even so, it takes time to recover from a body that’s been injured… Your Highness?”
Archibald, stepping toward Calliope, finally noticed Leraje hidden behind the sofa and was taken aback.
“Your Highness…?”
His gaze swept over Leraje’s hands, the foot being massaged, and the basin in turn.
“I was just finishing up.”
Leraje calmly removed Calliope’s foot from the basin, wrapped it in a white cloth, and dried it.
“I-I’ll do it…!”
Calliope panicked, trying to stop him, but Leraje finished and even helped her slip on her shoes.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
Archibald was once again astonished by their casual interaction.
“You two… so familiar with each other…”
His trembling voice echoed through the room, and Calliope realized, embarrassed:
‘Honorifics…!’
She had completely forgotten to act formal in the sudden situation.
Trying to hide her cold sweat, Calliope laughed awkwardly.
“Good to see you again after a few days, Viscount.”
Leraje greeted Archibald first.
Slightly dazed, Archibald quickly regained his composure.
“Yes, Your Highness. I heard you escorted Calliope to the mansion. Thank you very much.”
“I only did what I had to.”
With their conversation giving her a moment to breathe, Calliope’s worry remained:
‘What should I do?’
They had appeared to be formally acquainted before, but just now, that wasn’t the case at all.
‘I can’t just say you misunderstood.’
However, Calliope’s concern was solved easily and unexpectedly.
“I didn’t realize you two had become so close.”
“Thanks to the time spent in the Verdi territory. Sharing hardships and adversity naturally brings people closer.”
Leraje emphasized the words hardship and adversity.
“Oh, I heard that story too, Calliope. Your Highness was of great help, even protecting her from assassins… I should have expressed my thanks earlier, but it’s not too late now.”
Archibald bowed respectfully.
Leraje also bowed, showing respect.
Straightening up, Archibald spoke again.
“It’s time to make a decision.”
He smiled warmly at Calliope, then looked back at Leraje.
“Seeing the two of you just now made me reconsider if I had been biased.”
“Matters of the heart between a man and a woman are unpredictable.”
“Indeed.”
Leraje held Calliope’s hand firmly.
“Until recently, I never thought I could truly care for someone.”
‘Wow, listen to him talk,’ Calliope thought, amused.
‘Someone might think we’ve been in love for a millennium.’
But she wanted to make the most of this precious opportunity Leraje created, so she smiled brightly.
“Me too. These days, every day is joyful and happy.”
At her words, Archibald’s eyes grew wistful, tracing memories.
“Ah… you’ve reached that age already…”
He murmured to himself, then smiled warmly.
Meanwhile, Calliope and Leraje exchanged glances.
‘Is now the right moment?’
‘Probably.’
Timing is everything. Calliope recalled this truth as she addressed Archibald.
“Grandfather, I have something to tell you.”
To achieve her first goal: the engagement.
A young servant hurried across the hallway—the fastest route to the Emperor’s chambers.
Just as he entered the corridor leading to the Emperor’s office, someone approached from the opposite direction.
The servant immediately recognized her and quickly bowed respectfully.
The click-clack of polished shoes stopped right in front of him.
Startled, the servant bent deeply, bowing his head.
‘It’s not good if Empress Tanecia notices me.’
He recalled the secret instructions given to newcomers in the palace.
“Are you going to see His Majesty, the Emperor?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The servant’s voice trembled. Why would the Empress summon him?
“What are you holding in your hands?”
“Eh?”
The servant blinked, then, meeting the Empress’s gaze, swallowed hard and bowed his head.
“I asked what you were holding in your hands.”
In his hands was a letter of clearly high-quality material.
“Ah! Yes… It’s a letter addressed to His Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Who sent it?”
“Viscount Archibald Verdi.”
“…Viscount?”
Tanecia’s eyes narrowed.
Once, during a time when the Emperor faction and the noble faction clashed, Archibald Verdi was a representative neutral noble.
Though the Verdi family is respected now, back then they possessed even stronger forces and wealth. Both factions tried to sway him to their side.
Eventually, when the balance of power collapsed, even the neutral faction suffered, and Archibald Verdi withdrew from central politics entirely.
‘So why is someone who mostly stayed in his territory contacting the Emperor directly…?’
Her sharp mind considered the possibilities.
Recently, the heir Calliope Verdi publicly sought a husband, and she was now dating Leraje.
‘But if Archibald Verdi is contacting the Emperor personally…’
A bad premonition sparked in Tanecia’s eyes.
