Chapter 31

Lirika sighed, and Rudia turned her gaze to her.

"Why are you like that?"

"It's nothing."

Lirika shook her head. Rudia smiled slightly and asked,

"By the way, how is Diale? Do you like him?"

"Yes."

Lirika nodded. Rudia briefly said, "That's a relief."

Diale Wolf.

When Rudia was sentenced to death and was about to be executed, Diale was already one of the top three knights in the empire, renowned for his name. However, his whimsical personality was also well-known.

'He was certainly an artifact user of the Wolf family, right? The artifact was called "Fang," wasn't it?'

Old noble families possess several artifacts, and the number of artifacts they have is also a symbol of their greatness.

Some of the ancient relics brought from the sunken main island still exist, some famous and some secret.

After losing magic and being unable to create artifacts again, every family cherished their artifacts.

Among them, some are difficult to handle, and "Fang" is one of those. While it has been passed down in the Wolf family, there haven't been many users.

Diale was the youngest user of "Fang."

'But I don't know much about it.'

She only knew that it was an artifact that enhances physical abilities. Knowing that there was such a promising talent, around Lirika's age, she couldn't help but have him by her side.

He's already called "Impatient Diale," but since he's still young, it might be good for him to build some connections by being next to Lirika.

"Still, if you ever feel troubled, be sure to talk to your mother, okay?"

Lirika nodded at Rudia's words. Although Diale was also very nice, she thought more about Fjord.

Fjord would be happy to hear the news.

'But Athel might get angry.'

No, he would definitely get angry.

Lirika swallowed a groan. What should she say to Athel?

While pondering, Lirika ate a cookie. Despite its sweetness, it felt awkward due to her worries.

To soothe her mind, Lirika suddenly stood up from her seat.

"Mother, I'll get up first."

"Already? I'm getting my dress fitted, so you should get one too, Lirika."

"I'm fine. If I get one today, it would be the second this week."

Lirika shook her head. Although she really wanted a princess dress, she couldn't ask since her mother only wore bustle styles.

Rudia, feeling a bit disappointed, kissed her daughter's cheek.

Lirika returned to her room, closed the study door tightly, and took out the note from her pocket.

Preparation: Pendulum

"Pendulum? What's that?"

Surprised by the unexpected word, Lirika's face turned blank. Hesitating, she hid the note and went outside.

"Bryn."

"Yes, Princess."

"Do you know what a pendulum is?"

"Yes, of course. It's a weight hanging from a string. It was popular in the past, used to find water veins or directions in divination."

"!!"

Lirika's eyes sparkled. Seeing her expression, Bryn quickly understood the situation and whispered,

"Do you need one? Should I order it?"

"Can you order it?"

A magic tool?

"Yes, of course. Choose the gemstone you want, and they will make it for you."

"But I need it today..."

"Then I'll make a temporary one for today."

"Is that possible?"

"Yes, I'm the princess's Bryn Sol."

Bryn confidently spoke and had a maid bring a jewelry box.

She removed the pendant from a gemstone necklace and skillfully attached it to the necklace string.

"Here, this should do for now. Just hold the end of the string, and the pendant will move like a pendulum. This is a pendulum."

"I see."

Lirika looked at the spinning pendant and then at Bryn.

"Thank you, Bryn."

"You're welcome, Princess."

Being trusted enough to be told about important matters is a point of pride for a close attendant.

Receiving such affection and trust from the young princess, Bryn couldn't help but give her best.

It might look strange to prepare clothes in the middle of the night, so Bryn did it alone.

After finishing dinner, she put on the prepared clothes one by one.

A wide-collared dress with a cute ribbon, lovely nisacs, and shoes with gold buttons.

She carefully styled Lirika's hair for easy movement and put a hat on her, completing the look.

Holding the pendulum tightly in one hand, Lirika stood in front of the mirror and exclaimed,

"I look like a student."

Didn't the animal students in the fairy tale illustrations she often saw wear such clothes?

Feeling like she could learn and use magic at any moment, Lirika became instantly cheerful.

She imagined swinging the pendulum magnificently to protect her mother and defeat the villains.

"Hehehe"

A laugh escaped her, and she felt a bit embarrassed. Bryn whispered,

"Then I'll leave now."

"Okay."

Lirika nodded, and Bryn quietly closed the bedroom door and left.

Lirika sat by the window, placing her hands neatly on her knees and waited.

'Is he not coming?'

She glanced out the window, listening for any sound of a stone being thrown.

'He might be busy.'

She sighed, but then a sudden voice came from behind.

"Are you ready to learn?"

"!!"

Lirika jumped up from her seat in surprise. So startled, she almost knocked over her chair, but Altair caught it.

"Your strength has grown like a calf's."

"How...?"

Surprised, Lirika mumbled. The emperor shrugged.

"There's nowhere in this palace I can't enter."

Physically and legally.

Lirika was amazed. He extended his hand.

"Come."

"Yes, yes."

As soon as their hands touched, a gust of wind blew. A gust of wind inside the room?! She instinctively raised her arm to shield her eyes, but everything stopped.

Lowering her arm, Lirika opened her mouth. They were standing in the night garden, bathed only in the moonlight, which quietly turned the garden silver.

"Wow..."

An exclamation escaped her without her realizing. She couldn't tell where they were.

The night was completely different from the day, making even familiar places feel strange.

"What did you tell Bryn?"

Lirika raised her hand and answered,

"I told her I would meet the Emperor. She said she would order a pendulum and even made a temporary one for me like this."

She showed the pendulum in her hand. Looking at the sapphire pendant shimmering in the moonlight, Altair said,

"I see."

He stared intently at Lirika.

"I don't know about you, but—"

"I won't do it."

Lirika shook her head. She didn't want to do such a terrifying thing.

"Good, then for the first lesson, close your eyes and hold the pendulum."

Lirika did as she was told.

"Imagine a path in your heart connecting to the pendant through the string."

"..."

A path in the heart, a path in the heart.

The path made of magic must surely be composed of shining pebbles, running like a clear stream over them.

Suddenly, the string in her hand felt cold.

"!"

A large hand on her shoulder made her feel relieved.

"The first magic a wizard must learn is light. Bringing out the light from within your heart and sending it through the string to the pendant. Light. A source of light that doesn't produce heat."

'A light that doesn't produce heat.'

She immediately thought of the bright moon at night.

"Imagine gathering the light in the pendant and say 'Erihi.'"

"Erihi."

She could feel the light even through her closed eyelids.

"Now, open your eyes."

When she opened her eyes, the pendulum was glowing brightly.

"Wow!"

She exclaimed and looked at Altair, but then hesitated. He had no expression. It wasn't just a blank face; it looked like an ancient statue she had seen in illustrations, weathered and eroded.

'A somewhat tired and lonely expression...'

Lirika felt sad. Altair met her gaze and smiled faintly.

"Since you succeeded, why the long face?"

"Well..."

She couldn't say that he looked lonely. A large hand gently stroked her head.

"Knowing you can bring out light at any time will help you walk through the darkness without fear."

Lirika quickly gathered her sad thoughts and said,

"Still, I think I'll be scared alone. I would be scared without the Emperor here. But, as the Emperor said— I think I can move forward."

Scared and fearful, but still, one step forward.

Hearing Lirika's words, Altair hesitated and then said,

"That's not bad."

He let go of her hand.

"Then today's lesson ends here. For homework, you need to find out what 'Erihi' means. Ancient languages are essential in magic, so it's good to learn them. Same time next week."

They instantly returned to the room. The lesson was short but powerful. Altair said,

"Don't tell anyone you're learning magic. Not even your mother."

"Yes."

Lirika nodded deeply, and Altair tapped her forehead and disappeared.

He arrived in his own room. Without hesitation, he passed through the door of the marital bedroom and entered the empress's room.

The empress, who had just returned from dinner, was undressing with the help of her maids.

"Everyone, out."

At Altair's command, the maids quickly stopped what they were doing and quietly left. Rudia frowned and said,

"Why are you making them leave?"

"I can undress you."

Rudia laughed bitterly at his brazen words.

She took off her wedding ring and placed it on a silver tray, making a clinking sound. Altair reached out and started untying the corset laces.

The sound of silk laces brushing against each other was the only thing heard.

"What's going on?"

Rudia asked, seeing her reflection in the mirror didn't look good. Altair leaned in and whispered in her ear,

"You shouldn't be worrying about such things."

"No, I shouldn't."

Her pale fingers touched his jawline and cheek. Their gazes met in the mirror. She said,

"But I'm curious."

Her icy blue eyes stared at him piercingly. Rudia always did this. A piercing gaze.

"Are you not afraid of me?"

"In what way?"

"That I'm a dragon."

"No."

"Why?"

"You won't kill or harm me."

Rudia's answer came easily. Whether he had a good personality or not, he kept his promises. They had a contract, and Rudia was safe.

"Is that enough?"

"What's more important?"

The corset laces silently fell to the floor. After skillfully removing the corset, Rudia turned around in her white linen dress. Altair said with a smile,

"For some people, that's the biggest issue."

Rudia nodded.

"There are such people. Of course. But what if you put aside your disillusionment with humans and enjoy the good things about being human?"

"What?"

Rudia said calmly.

"Eat delicious food, wear nice clothes. Even with sadness, pain, and suffering, if you think there's joy, peace, and happiness, it's bearable."

She said this and frowned. With a bitter smile, Rudia continued,

"I know it's not a conversation I should have."

These were things she had only recently realized. She looked at the dragon in front of her.

An old wound dragging on, a person who didn't know how to handle their emotions.

She knew she wasn't good enough to give advice to such a person, but the words still came out.

'I must be starting to resemble Lirika.'

Thinking this made her feel not too bad.

In the silence, she couldn't tell what Altair was thinking.

After a moment, he lowered his eyes, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow. Perhaps because he was a dragon, his physique was incredibly beautiful. Even his familiar face was surprisingly stunning.

His dark, exotic skin added to his charm, not detracting from it at all. She knew how perfect his body was under his shirt. Sculpture-like, more perfect than any statue, it felt surprisingly warm, soft, and firm when touched.

His large hand wrapped around her slender waist.

Rudia took a short breath. She could feel his warm body through the thin dress.

"Indeed."

His voice became low and dense.

"One good thing about being human is that I know it."