Chapter 67

“Chuchu, have you been waiting for me?”

Liliana gently lifted Chuchu and the little iron ball in her hands. Chuchu looked at Liliana with a worried expression.

Chuchu touched Liliana’s nose with her hand and whispered,

“What did that old spirit summoner say?”

“Nothing important.“

“Nothing important, huh?”

It didn’t seem like Liliana could fool Chuchu without saying anything. She wore an apologetic expression.

“The truth is, we might need to find another spirit summoner. The dark spirit summoner doesn’t want to help, so we might have to find a light spirit summoner instead. It could take a really long time. Are you okay with that?”

Chuchu, initially looking dejected, suddenly perked up and smiled brightly.

“Of course, it’s okay. Lily will eventually free me, so it’s fine.”

Chuchu, who was consistently honest, wasn’t pretending to be okay. She simply trusted Liliana that much.

Liliana softly stroked Chuchu’s cheek with her fingertip and then cautiously asked,

“Chuchu, are you sure you don’t remember anything? Even the smallest detail?”

If Chuchu could recall even a tiny memory, Abra might be able to offer some helpful advice. However, Chuchu shook her head.

“Nothing.”

“Not even a little?“

“Sorry… Chuchu is useless, huh?“

Chuchu’s shoulders slumped in sadness. Liliana, feeling pity, shook her head vigorously.

“Absolutely not.“

Liliana’s strong denial seemed to cheer Chuchu up, and her cheeks flushed slightly. But it was only for a moment, and soon Chuchu spoke up about something she had been thinking about while waiting on the windowsill.

“Lily, it’s okay if you contract with another spirit. Just don’t abandon me, okay?”

Chuchu, uncharacteristically resolute, made her request. Liliana bit her lip, feeling sorry for Chuchu, then broke into a wide smile.

“Chuchu, why don’t we just live like this?“

“Like this?“

“Yeah. Just a silly empress consort and a silly spirit living together like fools. What do you think? You can’t fly, and I can’t leave this palace freely, so we’re in similar situations, aren’t we?”

Liliana’s voice did not hint at self-pity. She simply accepted what was given to her while finding joy, as she always did.

“Tch… I’m not a fool, though.”

Chuchu’s lips twitched despite her words as if she wanted to smile. Unable to hide her true feelings, Chuchu soon beamed and tightly hugged Liliana’s finger.

Abra and Vail watched as Liliana and her spirit promised to share their lives together without even forming a contract.

To be precise, Abra was observing the spirit, while Vail was focused on Liliana.

Liliana’s gaze, full of affection for the spirit, was as lovely as the spirit itself. Her smile seemed so radiant that it seemed she was made from spring.

“D*mn…”

Vail subtly turned away and clutched his chest, muttering a curse under his breath. The sight of Liliana’s bright, innocent smile made his heart race and left him feeling dizzy.

Even though the image of Liliana leaning on Helio’s embrace during the Harvest Festival was still vividly imprinted, he couldn’t stop himself from gazing into her eyes.

‘I’m being foolish again. She is the Emperor’s woman.’

Vail frowned. As he was about to leave, Abra approached him.

“Why do you think the King of Dark Spirits erased that spirit’s memories?”

Abra asked Vail quietly. Vail, not in the mood to consider such matters, replied cursorily.

“I don’t know.“

“I think it was an act of kindness.“

Abra’s response was puzzling. Just earlier, she had spoken of the King of Dark Spirits punishing Chuchu and implying that she was a dangerous spirit due to her transgressions.

Vail finally turned to look at Abra.

“What do you mean?“

“Her Highness isn’t wrong. Spirits are purer than humans. They wouldn’t commit a sin without reason. That spirit must have been placed in a situation beyond her control, leading her to do something wrong. So, the King of Dark Spirits punished her but took away the memory as an act of mercy.“

“Can that really be called mercy and not deceit?“

“Well, it depends on how you see it. But looking at that spirit, I believe it was mercy.”

After saying this, Abra bowed respectfully towards Liliana.

Despite this, Vail remained rooted to the spot, staring at Liliana and her spirit.

If living with that gentle woman, who was more like a spirit than a human, without knowing anything else was possible, then perhaps it was an act of kindness.

Vail, too, bowed deeply to Liliana and slowly retreated. Liliana and Chuchu’s laughter echoed down the hallway long after they had left.

* * *

Liliana had thought she would have some free time after the Harvest Festival, but she was mistaken.

Lucia immediately sent over an even larger stack of documents to the Emerald Palace, insisting that preparations for the year-end party and New Year’s celebration needed to begin.

Why did the end of the year and the New Year have to be so close together? And if they were so close, why not celebrate them together in one day instead of holding two separate events?

Liliana complained about things she had never questioned before, but nothing changed.

Still, it was much better than being trapped in the palace as she had been in the Kingdom of Nieta, passing the time with nothing but string games using old threads.

Besides, after recently upsetting Helio, she was even more determined to produce good results.

However, after several consecutive days of only two or three hours of sleep, her stamina reached its limit. Liliana tried to read the documents, struggling to keep her eyes open, but eventually, she rested her forehead on the desk and fell asleep.

She slept so deeply that she didn’t even dream. The strange and lonely nightmares she occasionally had, or the dreams of sitting on her mother’s lap and chatting, did not visit her.

“When did I fall asleep like this?”

Liliana felt someone stroking her head. The voice that rumbled nearby was sweet enough to melt away the exhaustion of the past few days.

“She has been asleep for about two hours, Your Majesty.“

“And you didn’t wake your mistress, even though she’s been asleep at the desk for two hours?“

“She simply wouldn’t wake up… I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Liliana heard Sophia’s flustered apology.

‘Why is he blaming my poor Sophia for me falling asleep wherever I please!’

Feeling a strong sense of defiance, Liliana tried to lift her head.

But her neck, bent for about two hours, protested, and even though she hadn’t used her arms as a pillow, her fingers felt heavy and numb.

“Ugh…”

As Liliana groaned and shivered, a soft chuckle came from above her.

“Are you a child? Get up slowly.“

“My hands are so numb…”

Liliana muttered, barely managing to lift her hands onto the desk. But she couldn’t move any further. Helio, watching her, gently took her left hand.

“Ah!”

Liliana gasped, but Helio, unfazed, slowly massaged her fingertips. The cold-blooded man in front of her didn’t react even as she made a pained expression.

The problem was that his skilled touch quickly brought the blood back into her fingers.

After releasing her left hand, Helio extended his palm. He clearly expected her to give him her right hand next.

“I’m fine now…“

“Your forehead is still bright red. You can’t be fine.”

At his words, Liliana lifted her left hand to cover her forehead. Since she had fallen asleep with her head on the desk, a red, round mark was undoubtedly left behind. She looked up at Helio and carefully asked,

“Is it that bad?“

“It’s cute, so don’t worry.”

What did he just say?

Helio spoke as if it was nothing, then quickly grabbed Liliana’s right hand and massaged it.

It was an odd sight—the Emperor of the Carlo Empire perched on the Empress Consort’s desk, massaging her small hands. Liliana sighed as she watched the blood return to her fingertips.

It was the first time they had met again after their awkward farewell, and Liliana seemed the only one who couldn’t bring herself to look at him directly.

Helio, still holding Liliana’s hand, glanced over the documents on her desk. What caught his eye was unrelated to the year-end party or the New Year’s celebration.

“Is this all the gifts you’ve received?”

It was a list of gifts that Sophia had compiled while Liliana slept. The Harvest Festival had gone well recently, and Helio’s favor had been on full display, so there were plenty of gifts.

There were so many that Sophia had to enlist the help of the maids, whose fingers had turned red and swollen from unwrapping and organizing them.

“This is more than enough.“

“It should be at least double this to be considered a lot.”

Helio spoke firmly as he reviewed the gift list. A wry smile formed on his lips as his gaze traveled from top to bottom.

“There are still many who haven’t grasped the situation.“

“The gifts won’t increase unless the influence of the House of Gabriel wanes.”

Liliana responded as if it were obvious. The people showering her with gifts hadn’t aligned themselves with the House of Gabriel. Of course, there were exceptions.

“Count Kurd?”

Helio narrowed his eyes as he mentioned the name. Count Kurd was practically one of the House of Gabriel’s most loyal followers.

People often mocked the Kurd family estate as Gabriel’s playground, given how the young Gabriel lords would use the Kurd Merchant Guild to practice their investments.

Count Kurd had no reason to try to align himself with Liliana, so why was his name on the gift list?

“Did Count Kurd send me a gift?”

Liliana asked, puzzled. Helio casually set the list down and gestured to Sophia.

“Bring it here.”

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.