“Orsenath, you…”

“…What’s the matter?”

“Well, I’ll be damned. Didn’t see that coming. You’ve got a cunning side!”

At the angry rebuke, he hurriedly examined himself but found nothing unusual.

“Aren’t your muscles bigger than usual!”

Caldeon, who said this, was also wearing subtly larger and more brilliant jewels than usual. 

Orsenath felt like clutching his forehead. Just then, the herald appeared and drummed a small drum to gather attention.

“Her Majesty enters!”

Though the coronation hadn’t been held yet, no one questioned the title. 

The Electors straightened their postures and looked toward the entrance behind the throne, reserved for the emperor. 

When the door opened, a small white hand led by Linea appeared first. Then long, flowing golden hair, a clear face, and slightly widened bright blue eyes fully revealed themselves.

Seeing the beasts’ eyes focused on her, Ivona flinched but soon bit her lip and composed her expression. She looked like she was steeling herself, thinking, “I mustn’t be scared!” 

With her back straight, Ivona walked toward the throne.

The beasts’ gazes followed her with intensified fervor. Though there was distance, the Electors could feel pheromones bursting from her radiant body that she couldn’t completely suppress.

Though her thoughts were plainly visible, no one laughed. More accurately, they couldn’t laugh. The beasts were experiencing a strange state they’d never encountered in their lives.

Even stretching to full height, Ivona’s stature only reached Orsenath’s waist. Yet facing this small existence, the beasts seemed overwhelmed and couldn’t move a finger.

But strangely, they felt no resistance or rejection. Rather, seeing Ivona’s face stiff with tension, they were closer to fretting that she might fear them. That she might say she’d never meet them again.

Finally, Ivona stood before the throne and raised her head with a tense face. Though afraid, she didn’t avoid it and raised her head to meet the beasts’ gazes. 

At that moment, the Electors knelt in unison like they’d made a promise.

“We greet the reclaimed glory of Alvidion, the one and only noble Balboa.”

The audience chamber rang with voices shouting in unison like a rallying cry. When Ivona’s shoulders trembled, Linea stepped forward.

“My, you’ll deafen us.”

The large beasts rolled their eyes with aggrieved expressions and protested with their gazes. 

Though they glared at Linea with expressions full of things to say, they absolutely couldn’t open their mouths. At the strange sight, Ivona’s head tilted, and Linea whispered to her.

“Until you give permission, they cannot rise or speak words other than greetings.”

A mischievous smile full of amusement appeared on the wrinkled face. Ivona hurriedly waved her hands.

“Um, y-you may rise.”

Just like when they knelt, the Electors rose in perfect unison, and Caldeon stepped forward. Only then did Ivona remember the teaching that she only needed to nod once.

“Thank you for your permission. Though inadequate, I am Caldeon, who holds the position of chancellor.”

Following him, the other Electors each introduced their names. After introductions went around, Caldeon stepped forward again.

“Originally, when Balboa is born, it is Alvidion’s law to serve them in the imperial palace, but Your Majesty could not. Because of that, I imagine the imperial palace is quite unfamiliar and difficult.”

“Um, but everyone’s been kind, so I’m staying comfortably.”

At the tense answer, Caldeon slowly nodded.

“Even so, there are limits to what maids and etiquette teachers can do. Therefore, we wish to carefully select talented individuals from each family to serve Your Majesty.”

At the unfamiliar words, Ivona blinked slowly. The maids seemed sufficiently professional and kind to her. 

What was the difference between them and these new people they wanted to bring in?

“If you permit, we would like to bring in candidates and present them before Your Majesty. Would that be acceptable?”

Ivona nodded inadvertently. But the word “candidates” that Caldeon mentioned bothered her somehow.

At Caldeon’s signal, the audience chamber doors opened and three handsome young men rushed in. Ivona learned for the first time that men’s clothing could be so varied and splendid. 

At a glance, they’d clearly dressed with utmost care and passion. At the sight that even felt strangely heated, she tensed up a bit.

“Wh-what is all this…”

“We greet the noble Balboa.”

When the door closed behind the men who prostrated themselves in perfect unison like they’d been trained, Ivona even felt slight pressure. When she looked back at Caldeon with a pale expression, a gentle voice immediately explained.

“The coronation is a grand event held only once in a lifetime. It’s glorious, but there’s much to prepare and much etiquette to observe. These are talented individuals carefully selected from each family to support Your Majesty flawlessly.”

Ivona’s head slowly turned toward the candidates kneeling on the floor. Caldeon, who sought permission with his eyes, commanded the candidates on Ivona’s behalf.

“Stand and raise your heads.”

Just like when they knelt, every movement was perfectly fluid as they rose and stood straight in perfect unison. Though they feigned expressionless faces, fervent gazes flew at her face like arrows.

Just from their eyes, they were clearly shapeshifters of powerful beasts. 

Like Caldeon said, they must have been carefully selected, choosing only excellent individuals even among the strongest beast families.

But what their eyes held was an inexplicable longing for her. Though submissive, she felt barely suppressed excitement rippling beneath their expressionless faces. 

A strangely tense pheromone wrapped around them, seemingly ready to rush forward the moment she said a word.

Just like when Calix stood before her. The moment she realized that fact, Ivona realized they were courting her right now.

‘Courting? Th-that’s ridiculous!’

But once she realized it, pretending not to know became even harder. Losing composure, flustered pheromones wrapped around her body and rose faintly. The moment she realized she’d failed to control her pheromones, Ivona became even more flustered.

She tried to hastily suppress her pheromones, but the more she did, the more wildly they ran amok. Surprise spread across the faces of the Electors and candidates who noticed her confusion.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, it’s all right. Just for a moment, please calm…”

But pheromones containing clear rejection were the hardest for beasts to endure. When the Electors’ faces twisted in agony, Ivona truly felt like crying. 

The first thing that came to her panicked mind was golden eyes shining between black hair. And the kind voice that had worried about her.

‘He said he’d help—where the h*ll is he!’

She’d believed she could do it alone, but she couldn’t. Being among strangers alone was still scary. With a stinging sensation at the tip of her nose, Ivona squeezed her eyes shut. 

She had no idea how to handle this and felt only helpless.

BANG—!

At that moment, the audience chamber door slammed against the wall like it would shatter. 

Considering the shapeshifters inside the conference room, it was impossible rudeness. But no one could blame it.

With the afternoon sunlight behind him, a massive shadow stretched long. Between jet-black hair, golden eyes burned with a fierce light. The one who rudely threw open the door was none other than Calix, who should have been in prison.

“Impossible! Weren’t there five layers of iron doors!”

Even Orsenath, who didn’t startle easily, cried out in shock. But Calix didn’t even glance around. His golden eyes, blazing brilliantly like a scorching sun, were fixed only on Ivona’s face. From just one look, Calix seemed to grasp the situation.

Veins bulged on his porcelain-smooth jaw like he was suppressing rising fury. The sound of grinding teeth was clearly audible. 

When he clenched his fists, veins rose and disappeared on his torn-sleeved arms. As he stepped toward the throne, chains still tangled around him cascaded down.

Ivona blinked slowly in disbelief. Tears she hadn’t known were forming rolled down her cheeks. 

Her vision cleared like it had been wiped. In her sharpened sight, she saw only golden eyes fixed on her. Like she was captivated, Ivona couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Calix’s face up close looked a bit gaunt since she’d last seen him. But he still had the smooth, masculine appearance she liked. The man knelt on one knee, bent down, and looked up at her.

“I apologize for being late.”

At the clear voice that finally rang through the hall, everyone flinched like waking from sleep.

“Your Majesty’s first knight, Calix of Lihillant. I’ve arrived.”

While bound tightly in chains and imprisoned, Calix had thought and thought again. What meaning he—and what had happened between them—held for Ivona. 

But no matter how many times he thought about it, he couldn’t know the complete answer without asking her. 

He’d had far too much time to think, and Calix had suffered endlessly. Then at some point, a lightning-like realization struck his mind directly.

‘If Ivona says she dislikes it, will you step back?’

That was impossible. If she disliked his previous behavior, he’d swear never to do it again. If she was sick of him, he’d find new things she’d like and show her again and again. 

Time without Ivona had become unimaginable to him. Whether the reason was pheromones or something else, Calix had no intention of backing down.

When he carefully extended his hand, he saw bright blue eyes brimming with tears. 

Guiltily, Calix felt his chest swell with joy at that moment. Apparently, it wasn’t just his feeling alone. The moment his uncontrollable lips curved up, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Where the h*ll were you, you idiot!”

A small shadow leaped from the platform. Everyone watching the scene reached out urgently. 

Though it was only three or four steps, Ivona’s body was far too small compared to them and looked as delicate as a fragile doll. The beasts’ faces twisted miserably like they’d already seen Ivona badly injured.

But the worry was truly needless. The small shadow threw herself toward Calix without hesitation, like it was unimaginable she wouldn’t be caught. 

And Calix ran forward without hesitation and spread his arms. Like they’d rehearsed beforehand, the two shadows embraced each other.

Ivona, who’d wrapped her arms tightly around Calix’s neck like she couldn’t allow even an inch of gap, suddenly leaned back and created distance.

“You said you’re my knight! Always late! Never telling me where you are!”

Small fists struck the solid body with light thumping sounds. The beasts who’d reached out in alarm learned the new fact that their lord had surprisingly heavy hands. Calix, firmly holding Ivona’s waist to support her, took the pouring fists fully.

“Always! Only me! Waiting!”

The small fist raised high was gently wrapped by a large hand in midair. With tear-filled eyes, Ivona glared quite fiercely at the man before her. 

Calix carefully pulled the hand he’d caught and kissed the reddened knuckles. With an expression hard to distinguish between laughing or crying, only his lips moving, Calix finally asked aloud.

“Were you waiting?”

“…”

Ivona only glared at Calix without budging. Ivona, whom the palace people had cared for with all their might, had become beautiful like a white gardenia in full bloom in the time he hadn’t seen her. 

Dressed formally to receive the Electors, she looked like the emperors in the portraits he’d seen as a child.