Chapter 95

“Why is that?”

It was only then that Helio seemed to notice Hesdin following behind Liliana. He frowned slightly as if displeased with Hesdin standing so close to her.

“Why are you bringing your teacher along?”

“I told you through Minelli yesterday, didn’t I? That Hesdin would come along, too. Did you not pay attention?”

Minelli was the one who spoke, but it was clearly Liliana’s intention. If he admitted to not listening carefully, it would mean he had ignored Liliana’s words, so Helio quickly changed his attitude.

“Not at all. But the moment I saw your face, I forgot everything.”

Liliana burst out laughing at his playful tone. It seemed he was continuing his attempts to charm her.

Even though it didn’t seem necessary anymore, she still lacked the courage to say so.

Perhaps when she became empress, when her safety was secured, and she no longer needed to take contraceptives, she would finally be able to express her feelings.

“You look bright, so I assume you bring good news.“

“Of course. Don’t be surprised.“

“I’ll do my best.”

Helio escorted Liliana to a soft sofa and sat down across from her.

Hesdin stood diagonally behind Liliana with his head bowed, and Aria stood slightly ahead of Hesdin.

Liliana spread her palm wide to introduce Aria.

“This is Aria, the Spirit King of water from Gathis River, whom I mentioned last time. You can’t see her, though.”

Just as Liliana said, Helio lifted his chin, resting it on his index finger.

His sharp blue eyes scanned the surroundings but found nothing.

“I can see your teacher, but surely your teacher isn’t the spirit king of the river?“

“How could such an idiot be Lilith’s father?”

Aria asked with an innocent expression, and Liliana found it amusing.

Aria was no ordinary spirit—she was a spirit king. Anyone born with even the slightest aptitude for spirit arts would have sensed at least a faint presence.

However, while Helio tried to look where Liliana indicated, he stared into empty space.

Helio, frowning as he looked toward Hesdin, appeared oddly adorable to Liliana.

Pfft…

Liliana let out a small laugh but quickly looked at Helio to see if he’d noticed.

“Are you laughing?“

“I’m sorry…“

“You’re laughing because you think I look ridiculous, right?”

“No.”

“Now you’re even lying. The empress consort is mocking the emperor, deceiving him, and not telling him anything. You must really be a temptress.”

His teasing words showed he wasn’t distraught. Liliana shot him a sideways glance before getting to the main point.

“The Spirit King of water, Aria, is here with us.”

Helio crossed his legs and shifted his gaze to Liliana. Since he couldn’t see the spirit anyway, he seemed determined to focus on Liliana instead.

“I see. I’ve been staring into nothing all this time.“

“Aren’t you surprised?“

“Did you form a contract with the spirit king?”

“No, Hesdin did.“

“Then I’m not too shocked. You have a talent for managing people.”

Liliana didn’t quite agree with that statement. Managing people? She had spent her life being controlled by others.

But if Helio said so, it somehow felt right. She suppressed her swelling pride and continued.

“Aria said she can dry up the Gathis River.“

“Dry it up? You mean she will hold it within herself for a while?”

Aria bristled at the phrasing, but Helio didn’t hear her and voiced his concern.

“Does that mean the Gathis River will be unusable forever? It has great potential for a canal and is essential to the people’s livelihood in that area.“

“Unusable forever? How could you say that to me?”

Aria jumped up, and Liliana, laughing gently, grabbed her hand.

“Aria, His Majesty is just concerned for the people. Besides, he doesn’t know much about spirits!”

Helio crossed his arms, listening to the conversation between Liliana and Aria.

Of course, all he could hear was Liliana’s voice, but he could guess from her tone that Aria was upset.

“It sounds like the river will be safe.“

“Yes, you don’t need to worry too much. Aria will only temporarily withdraw enough water to prevent its use for a canal. The river will be restored once the work is done, and the canal can be used.“

“Is something so illogical even possible?“

Helio’s expression didn’t change much, but this was his way of showing surprise. His face was more serious than usual, likely because they discussed national matters.

Liliana was more used to his mischievous side, so seeing him like this made her heart flutter.

‘Did I manage to help, even a little?’

As she waited quietly, careful not to disturb his thoughts, Helio looked up, his once serious face breaking into a smile.

He uncrossed his legs, leaned forward, and extended his hand toward Liliana. When she gently took his hand, he spoke softly.

“Do you realize how amazing what you’ve done is?“

“It wasn’t me, it was Aria…“

“Gather dozens of nobles and see which one of them could summon a spirit king.”

Liliana didn’t feel like she had done much.

She had desperately searched for a solution but couldn’t find one. Ultimately, the spirit king appeared on her own and offered help. Yet, Helio insisted on crediting Liliana for it.

“I’ll ensure everyone knows how great this is and how lucky the empire is to have you.“

“I just didn’t want Your Majesty to go to war…”

Liliana spoke humbly, sensing things could get more significant than she intended, and Helio tilted his head slightly.

Though they hadn’t spent that much time together, they had been through so much that Liliana felt she could guess what he was thinking.

“Should I take the chance to gather many things for myself as well?“

Liliana’s voice was tinged with embarrassment as if she was asking, “This is the right answer, isn’t it?“ Helio, noticing her awkwardness, let out a cheerful laugh.

* * *

Helio promptly sent Hesdin and Aria to the Gathis River, accompanied by half of the 3rd Imperial Knights, to ensure a grand display of force in case of unforeseen events.

The Carlo Empire had handed over the damaged Gathis River to the Sagreen Kingdom without compensation.

While the nobles were outraged, the commoners were delighted that the threat of war had disappeared.

The Shagreen Kingdom initially appeared to accept this, but they sent an urgent envoy soon after.

“The Gathis River is drying up!”

Helio responded indifferently.

“The Gathis River belongs to Sagreen now, so why are you asking the empire about it? Does Sagreen think so little of us?“

“But many claim to have seen the water spirit king at the Gathis River…”

Aria had carefully drawn the river into her domain over a long period, making it visible to spiritists or those with even a trace of spiritual aptitude.

Helio raised his chin, smiling as if intrigued.

“Is that so? It seems someone in the empire has the blessing of the spirit king. I have no spiritual abilities myself, so I wouldn’t know.”

With Helio’s firm response, Sagreen couldn’t blame the Carlo Empire for what was happening.

They tried to stay as long as possible to meet with Helio again, but that was out of the question given the strained relations between the two nations.

In the end, the envoy from Sagreen had no choice but to return empty-handed.

Though this event was recorded by the imperial scribes, the palace staff also witnessed it firsthand.

Word of the spirit king spread throughout the empire, gradually becoming a story: ‘Empress Consort Liliana sought to stop the war for the sake of the people, and the water spirit king, moved by her sincerity, sided with her.’

This incident happened just after Liliana had gifted the Empress Dowager with a spirit stone, leading people to gossip that the Duke of Laove had sold spirit stones to her for a reason, despite no proof.

In no time, Liliana became known as someone blessed by the spirit king. People even recalled her invoking the Spirit King of Light during a hunting competition.

Meanwhile, the situation in Sagreen was more dire than expected. Not only had they lost the Gathis River and the imperial princess they desperately wanted, but they also lost the justification for their actions.

As Sagreen had grown rapidly, public sentiment was overheated, and criticism of the royal family was mounting.

Sagreen was in no position to make arrogant demands, such as challenging the Carlo Empire to a direct confrontation. They would have to spend the next few years calming their people.

“It’s still a shame we just gave away the Gathis River,“ Agrina said, clearly regretful, but Liliana was unfazed. She sat back comfortably on the sofa, blowing on her cocoa.

For now, there were no banquets or wars to worry about. She could relax and wait for spring. Her cocoa was rich with lots of chocolate, and the bittersweet flavor was delightful.

“You’re awfully relaxed. The nobles were quite offended. If you want to become empress, you’ll need to win them over, too.“

“Don’t worry. His Majesty said he would bring it back.“

“How?”

Liliana smiled mischievously.

“Do you remember why Sagreen suddenly became powerful?“

“Because of the arms industry. The frequent wars in the Carlo Empire made surrounding nations buy more weapons… Oh!”

Agrina exclaimed as she realized something.

“Now that the Carlo Empire has cut off any chance of war, neighboring countries will be less on edge.“

“Exactly. The Carlo Empire never attacked other nations without reason, but weaker neighboring nations were still fearful. Because of that fear, they’ve spent a lot of money stocking up on military supplies.

Sagreen is a country that thrived off of that fear. But now that the empire is peaceful, Sagreen’s treasury will naturally empty. When the Gathis River becomes available again, how could they refuse to sell it back? They can’t wait indefinitely for the river to recover.“

“Sagreen has dug its own grave.”

Liliana took a sip of her cocoa, her face filled with contentment. Then, with a firm expression, she warned Agrina.

“Don’t mention Sagreen in front of me anymore. I’m sick of it.“

“Alright, alright.”

With no need to think about Sagreen or banquets for a while, Liliana felt more relaxed than ever.

“By the way, shouldn’t you start feigning illness soon?”

Liliana tilted her head in confusion.

“Feign illness? Why?“

“Well…”

Just as Agrina was about to explain, there was a knock on the door, and Sophia entered.

“Your Highness, um…”

Seeing Sophia hesitate, Liliana suddenly realized what Agrina had been trying to say. Vail had sent a warning letter, but she had been too busy lately to think about it.

“…Lady Gabriel is here to see you.”

TL NOTE: Visit and bookmark the story at dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and updates of its latest release.