Chapter 26

When Helio lay upright, Liliana really lay down next to him and began to sing, patting him on the chest.

~ Wind, rock the cradle. So the baby won’t wake up without me. If the baby kicks off the blanket, cover the belly gently. So the baby won’t catch a cold without me.~

Helio had heard lullabies from his nurse as a child, but this was a new song. He asked, puzzled.

“What song is this?”

Liliana stopped singing and answered.

“It’s a song my mother used to sing. It’s a song the commoners of the Kingdom of Nieta sing, so it’s understandable that Your Majesty wouldn’t know it.”

She was right. The lullabies sung by the nobility of the Carlo Empire were more elegant and sacred.

But Liliana’s song seemed like a hurried lullaby sung by busy parents trying to put their baby to sleep quickly.

The fact that a princess of a kingdom grew up listening to commoners’ songs spoke volumes about Liliana’s situation.

“Still can’t sleep?”

Liliana asked worriedly. Not wanting to admit that the song’s content was too distracting, Helio closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Soon, he heard Liliana’s soft laughter near his forehead. It was a satisfied laugh, like a child watching over someone.

Helio felt the urge to open his eyes but didn’t want to interrupt Liliana’s enjoyment.

After a while, Liliana returned to her place, and soon, he could hear her softly, even breathing as she fell asleep. Only then did Helio open his eyes.

His eyes, accustomed to the darkness from roaming battlefields, quickly distinguished objects. He gazed at Liliana, dimly silhouetted in the darkness.

“Are you asleep?”

He asked in a small voice, but Liliana slept soundly without even a flutter of her eyelids.

Helio grasped a handful of Liliana’s hair and then touched her cheek. The soft texture was vividly felt at his fingertips.

He slowly moved his hand down to grasp her chin but quickly pulled back as if burned.

He could imagine how startled Liliana would be if she woke up to this situation.

“Ha, she’s my empress…”

Helio muttered in disbelief. Yet, he didn’t feel like treating Liliana harshly. If he were to touch her, it would be when she wanted it herself.

And Helio was determined to make Liliana want it herself. He would provide her with that sense of security if she felt unsafe living here.

He would give her even more incredible power if she thought a small amount of power couldn’t protect a baby.

“I guess I like her more than I thought.”

Helio didn’t mind this feeling. In the desolate palace, a bit of such enjoyable distraction was acceptable.

Helio propped his chin and gazed at Liliana. Time passed unnoticed, and so did the sunrise.

* * *

When Liliana woke up, Helio had already left the Emerald Palace. After a simple breakfast, she prepared to go out.

Sophia placed a white hat with a sky-blue ribbon on her and asked.

“Are you going for a walk?”

Liliana approached the nightstand, placed Chuchu on her palm, and smiled.

“I’m going for a walk and to read some books.”

Sophia’s face brightened at those words.

Liliana had loved reading since she was young, but circumstances hadn’t allowed her to indulge in it freely.

Although there was a library in the palace, Fecilia would chase her out daily, shouting, “A lowly princess like you can’t use the royal library!” She was often expelled.

With such repeated commotion, even the guards eventually refused to let Liliana in.

But it was different here. Inside the imperial palace, no one bothered her, and as the only empress, no guard would dare stop her.

Liliana marveled at the grand library, which was incomparable to the royal library.

“There are so many books. How many could there be?”

She whispered to Sophia, who also seemed moved.

“Ten thousand, no, hundreds of thousands, Your Highness!”

Liliana shook her head. Even at a low estimate, there is ten times more than that.

She admired the interior of the library. The attendants moving silently among the books added to the spectacle.

Liliana headed straight for the section on spirit magic. Chuchu, sitting on her shoulder, also seemed to be looking for it, pointing excitedly.

“There, over there!”

Following Chuchu’s tiny finger, Liliana found the section on spirit magic.

“Spirit magic? Why, Your Highness?”

Liliana gave a sheepish smile.

“I’m a bit interested in it.”

“But you need the talent for spirit magic… Oh, could it be?”

Sophia’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Liliana. Liliana nodded.

“I think I can see spirits. So, I want to learn about it. It’s not like I have much else to do here.”

“You do love learning, don’t you?”

Sophia said, feeling proud. Liliana began examining the books one by one.

Chuchu, being a spirit, knew little about the theoretical aspects of spirit magic. It always spoke in vague terms like, “Feel the wind, embrace the wind, communicate with the wind.”

Chuchu could do that because it was born a spirit, but Liliana couldn’t do the same. She found a book on the basics and opened it.

“The spirits come in six types: fire, water, Wind, earth, light, and darkness. Spirit summoners usually choose to contract with one of these six spirits, but on rare occasions, some manage to contract with two spirits simultaneously. However, this requires exceptionally high aptitude and poses a significant threat to the mage’s life.”

Liliana marveled at the thought that the remarkable dual contract spirit summoner could be her future child. As she pondered, Chuchu started hitting her shoulder urgently.

“Someone’s watching me!”

“Huh?”

Liliana turned to where Chuchu was pointing. There stood a tall man she had seen before. His charmingly tanned skin, fiery red hair, and eyes were fixed on Liliana.

‘Vail Gabriel!’

Liliana stepped back in shock. She hadn’t expected to encounter a branch member of the Gabriel family in the imperial library.

“Wait a moment.”

Vail raised his hands beside his head and smiled awkwardly. Then, shamelessly, he spoke.

“Do I look scary?”

Given Vail’s imposing appearance, his question had some merit. But what scared Liliana more was his resemblance to Beatty and the Gabriel name he carried.

Leaning against the bookshelf, Liliana spoke as if ready to flee.

“No.”

Her words lacked conviction, but she maintained a fierce look, pretending she wasn’t afraid.

Instead of mocking her, Vail waved his hands beside his head, trying to appear harmless. Even so, Liliana remained wary, like a cat with its fur raised.

“It seems you’re getting along well with His Majesty. Isn’t he scarier than me?”

“You’re not scary at all.”

“Oh dear…”

Vail eventually lowered his hands, realizing it was futile. Instead, he pointed to Liliana’s shoulder.

“I’m just happy to meet another spirit summoner.”

“…Can you see spirits too?”

“Haha, I’ve even made a contract, though it’s with a lower spirit.”

Liliana remained on guard and pressed him further.

“Is that why you can enter the imperial library?”

“Yes. Even as a Gabriel, a branch noble like me wouldn’t have access to the imperial library without a special reason.”

Vail spoke self-deprecatingly, then lightly waved his hand in the air. Warm energy emanated from his hand, forming a drawn-like flame.

Liliana worried the nearby books might catch fire, but his flame burned nothing. From within the flame, a small spirit peeked out.

“This is my spirit, Sasha.”

While Liliana hesitated, Sasha flew to her shoulder.

“Are there usually such spirits around here?”

“Hey, get away!”

Chuchu cried out in fear.

“Vail, they haven’t even made a contract.”

Sasha shrugged and flew back to Vail. Unlike the shackled Chuchu, Sasha seemed free and able to use her power at will.

“Why is your spirit wearing shackles?”

Vail asked curiously. Liliana, shielding Chuchu protectively, lifted her chin defiantly.

“None of your business.”

Vail sighed at her response.

“Your Highness, why are you so wary of me?”

“That’s none of your business either.”

“Is it because I’m a Gabriel?”

Liliana didn’t answer and took a step back.

“Wait! I have something to say. I’ve been wanting to tell you since the banquet.”

Liliana stopped mid-step. She could flee now, causing a scene in the library that Vail couldn’t escalate. But even if she avoided Vail now, he would likely keep trying to contact her.

There was another crucial reason. Lucia gave Liliana discreet advice at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.

‘Vail Gabriel is not on the same side as Beatty Gabriel.’

While this didn’t guarantee Vail’s safety, it implied internal conflicts within the Gabriel family and suggested Vail opposed Beatty.

Finally, Liliana peeked around the bookshelf and glared at Vail.

“What do you want to say?”

Vail, relieved, placed a hand on his chest and stepped forward.

“I understand why you are wary of the Gabriel family. They openly oppose you.”

Liliana responded coldly.

“Why state the obvious?”

“Because I want to tell you I’m different.”

Vail continued seriously.

“Won’t you join hands with me?”

“Why should I trust you?”

Vail nodded as if expecting the question.

“That’s fair. How about this: I’ll provide you with three forms of assistance. After that, consider joining hands with me.”

Liliana stepped out from behind the bookshelf and faced Vail. She couldn’t trust the Gabriel family, but Lucia’s advice was worth considering. Now willing to listen, Liliana waited as Vail smiled and explained the first assistance he could offer.

“Firstly, I sense something about the shackles on your spirit.”