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chapter 72
Florencia felt as though she were suffocating under those calm, piercing blue eyes that seemed to look right through her.
“Me? Angry with you? That’s impossible.”
“…”
“Did you do something wrong, perhaps?”
“It’s not that… I just thought maybe I’d made some kind of mistake.”
“You didn’t.”
Elion shook his head lightly, but the fear that had already spread through Florencia’s body refused to fade.
“I mean it. I’ve just been busy lately, that’s all.”
“I see…”
She couldn’t quite believe his words, yet Florencia nodded anyway.
An awkward silence lingered between them.
After a while, she spoke again.
“How have you been feeling lately? Your health, I mean.”
“My health? Why?”
Elion’s eyes narrowed slightly, but Florencia didn’t notice.
“You had trouble for a while because of your unstable mana, remember?”
“Oh, that.”
Elion soon regained his easy composure and shrugged.
“I’m taking a mana stabilizer that our court physician developed. So far, it seems to be working fine—no side effects.”
“The court physician… developed a mana stabilizer?”
“Mm. A brilliant man. I’m deeply grateful to him.”
In truth, the new stabilizer had been a joint effort between Hailey and Omar. But since Omar was a healer who worked in the shadows, Elion couldn’t very well mention his name.
“That’s… really good to hear. I’m glad, Elion.”
Florencia managed a faint, awkward smile. Elion chuckled softly in response.
“It’s only a temporary fix, though. Unless we find the root cause and treat it, I’ll have to keep depending on the medicine.”
“I hope the Grand Duke’s skilled physician can figure out how to cure it completely.”
“I hope so too.”
Florencia gazed up at his easy smile, her eyes misting slightly.
“When you leave for the North, when do you think you’ll come back to the capital?”
“Who knows? Maybe next year… maybe never.”
“…”
He had no intention of ever returning, but Elion decided to keep that to himself—for now. After all, he had made a promise to the Emperor only an hour ago.
“Take care of yourself, all right? I hope we’ll meet again soon.”
“And you—be careful on your journey south. I’ll pray that your sacred power brings peace to the suffering souls.”
As Elion turned and walked away, Florencia remained standing where she was, watching his retreating figure until it vanished.
The breeze that brushed her chest was chilling.
It felt as though she were about to lose him forever.
No—perhaps she already had.
The meaning of her life seemed to vanish completely.
Elion…
Even whispering his name felt like something she no longer had the right to do.
Two weeks later, the Chancellor stood before the Emperor and Empress.
“Your Majesty, reports have arrived from the South. Since the Crown Prince’s delegation arrived, the spread of the plague has slowed dramatically.”
“Is that so? Excellent news.”
Both the Emperor and the Empress’ eyes brightened at the words.
“Yes, Your Majesties. The large-scale mobilization of resources is producing clear results. The number of deaths is falling, and recovery rates are increasing.”
“How is the Crown Prince himself faring?”
Miranda’s tone carried a trace of unease.
The Chancellor’s report continued smoothly.
“From dawn until late at night, His Highness personally oversees almost every detail.”
“Duke Miren must be doing a fine job assisting him.”
Christopher chuckled, clearly pleased.
Miranda’s lips curved upward at her husband’s satisfied smile.
“Thanks to His Highness appearing frequently before the people, the citizens feel reassured and are cooperating with the healers and following quarantine guidelines.”
“The Crown Prince is working very hard,” the Emperor said. “It’s admirable—but I do worry he might be overexerting himself.”
Miranda nodded in agreement.
“Please don’t worry too much, Your Majesties. The Crown Prince’s health is being monitored twice daily by the Imperial Palace’s chief physician.”
The Emperor and Empress both nodded, though the faint furrows between their brows did not disappear.
“Your Highness!”
Fred burst into the office, out of breath.
Elion lifted his gaze from the papers he had been reading, his expression cool.
“A letter just arrived from Baron Noment. They’ve captured the man who poisoned the assassins imprisoned in the dungeon and fled. He’s being escorted to the capital as we speak.”
“When is he expected to arrive?”
“In about three days, Your Highness.”
The witness they thought they had lost was now back within reach.
Elion’s blue eyes gleamed.
“Good. We can’t afford to lose this one.”
“Shall I personally go to receive him?”
“That’s a good idea. Yes, I’ll leave it to you.”
“As you command, Your Highness.”
Fred departed as swiftly as he had entered.
Left alone, Elion set aside the papers and leaned back in his chair.
The moment he closed his eyes, the memory of that day flashed before him—the day Rubiana was attacked.
She had thrown herself forward, thinking he was the target.
Completely unguarded, she had rushed to protect him.
Fortunately, Stephan and Chad had also been there, and together they had subdued the three assassins without much trouble.
But the thought that, if he’d been alone, he might not have been able to protect Rubiana chilled him to the bone.
If the assassins’ blades had wounded her—even slightly—Elion would never have forgiven himself.
He could still see her trembling shoulders, her wide, frightened eyes like a startled rabbit.
The ones who had dared harm her would face punishment.
Of course, that punishment could never reach the true mastermind—the Empress herself.
But at least… I can send her a warning.
The muscle along his jaw tightened.
“Congratulations on your first training session, junior!”
Chad beamed at Rubiana.
His bright smile was infectious, and Rubiana found herself smiling too.
“Thank you, Senior Chad!”
At last, her attunement with Carsea had reached a stable level, allowing Carsea’s spirit form to fully manifest.
Now, Rubiana could actually touch him.
Which meant she could finally begin training at the Imperial Knight Order.
“First, we’ll practice moving freely with your spirit partner. You’re wearing your training uniform and protective gear properly, right?”
Chad gave her a quick once-over, checking her attire.
The uniform and gear were finely crafted magic tools—strong enough to protect a spiritist’s body from unexpected accidents.
“Yes! I double-checked everything.”
“Good.”
As a senior by one year, Chad had been assigned as Rubiana’s training supervisor.
The two of them headed into the forest training grounds.
Combat drills were conducted inside magically reinforced chambers, but basic training often took place outdoors.
“The training’s simple,” Chad said, grinning. “All you have to do is catch up to me and my spirit.”
“Got it.”
When Rubiana nodded, Chad smirked and summoned his spirit.
“Lionel!”
In a flash, a radiant golden lion materialized.
Rubiana could only see him as a shimmering blur of light, but even that was dazzling.
Chad climbed onto Lionel’s back and called out,
“Rubiana! Catch me if you can!”
With an easy laugh, Chad and Lionel shot forward through the air.
Rubiana immediately summoned her own spirit.
“Carsea!”
「Hey there, Rubiana!」
Smiling, she ran her hand along Carsea’s sleek, shimmering body.
“Take me up! We’ve got to catch those two—can you do that?”
「Of course.」
Using one of his fins as a foothold, Rubiana hopped onto his back.
At first, she wobbled precariously, struggling to keep her balance.
「You’ll need to work on your core strength, my contractor.」
“Yeah, I know…” she muttered, cheeks reddening.
「Try bracing your hands on my back and leaning forward a bit.」
“Like this?”
She did as he said, gripping his smooth surface.
「Perfect. Ready?」
“Ready!”
「Then let’s fly.」
Carsea began to move—slowly at first.
“Wow…”
A gasp escaped Rubiana’s lips.
The feeling of soaring through the air on Carsea’s back was indescribably exhilarating.
I’m flying… I’m really flying!
A radiant smile spread across her face.
But then, from ahead, came a teasing shout.
“Hey! This isn’t sightseeing! You’re supposed to be training—remember, the goal is to catch me!”
The annoying taunt made Carsea react first.
「Shall we pick up the pace, then?」
“Yeah! Go for it—I’m holding on tight!”
「Excellent.」
Whoosh!
Carsea sliced through the air, accelerating sharply.
“W-whoa—!”
The speed was no greater than that of a galloping horse, yet the altitude and the strange motion made Rubiana shriek despite herself.
