35. Garden Walk (2)

She felt as if this moment might disappear in an instant. Larael gripped Edward’s arm tightly. When she squeezed his arm, Edward covered her hand with his right hand. Unlike Edward’s cold hand, Larael’s was warm.

“There’s a villa where the imperial family spends their holidays in the summer. Let’s go together this year.”

Larael had never been there before, but she had heard about it.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Larael answered briefly.

She began walking in step with Edward. As she matched his pace, Larael suddenly burst out laughing. It wasn’t for any particular reason. She was just so happy in every moment with Edward that the laughter came naturally. Edward laughed along with her. He didn’t ask why she was laughing, either.

Unfortunately, the time Edward was allowed was very short.

After they walked around the garden once, Count Anderson, who had been waiting at the entrance, quickly announced the next appointment. Edward glanced at him with a sharp look. Feeling Edward’s gaze, Count Anderson coughed and averted his eyes. At times like this, he couldn’t help but resent Marquis Argen, who often left work early after handing off duties to him.

Larael unlinked her arm from Edward’s. When Edward, still holding her hand, didn’t let go until the very end, Larael pressed her lips together and shook her head. Only then did Edward release her hand.

“Let’s set aside time like this to take walks together.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After Edward went back inside the palace, Larael headed toward Abella Palace at a much more relaxed pace than before.

***

“My signature meat pie just isn’t baking well today.”

Nora was baking a second meat pie. She hadn’t baked in a while, so she’d already burned the first one and was trying again. The first failed pie, still reeking of burnt crust, was brought straight to the Tower Master’s laboratory.

“You’re always going on about your signature. I’ve never tasted your so-called signature meat pie at the Tower. I…”

Ferma glared at the burnt meat pie in front of her.

“If you don’t eat it, there won’t even be this much left.”

Nora, in a tone completely unsuitable for addressing her master, snapped and reached to take away the pie in front of Ferma. Ferma, smacking her lips, clutched the plate with both hands.

“Our Empress wants to eat it, so I have to feed her.”

Ferma glared fiercely at her.

“Watch your mouth, Nora.”

“Why? There’s no one here.”

Nora glanced around the empty laboratory and then pouted at Ferma.

Only the Tower Master and the elders of the Magic Tower knew that the Tower was a direct organization serving the Empress when one with the Third Eye ascended the throne.

No one had expected that the ancient artifact, which had not shone for hundreds of years, would light up to announce the birth of an Empress with the Third Eye. Even the elders had thought it was nothing more than a legend.

When the artifact shone and announced the birth of the legendary Empress, Nora, one of the mysterious elders secretly dispatched to find the new Empress, was the one who discovered her and watched over her from close by.

They never revealed themselves until she proved herself and passed the trials to become Empress. Even if someone was born with the Third Eye, if she could not become Empress through her own strength, they would not serve her. It was their rule not to care about her, no matter where or how she lived.

When Larael became engaged not to the Emperor, but to his brother the Grand Duke, Nora lost her composure and became agitated. As a result, Ferma had to forcibly confine her to the Tower. Ferma judged that Nora’s feelings for Larael had made her lose objectivity.

But in the end, Larael became Empress Consort, and Nora regained her composure, deciding to step back from Larael’s affairs and regained her freedom. However, when the mana stone mine was discovered and her exceptional skill in crafting magical accessories was needed, Nora was allowed to see Larael as compensation for her help.

“Hehe, everything is unfolding as fate intended~ Soon, the Guardian will appear too.”

Humming, Nora swayed lightly and left Ferma’s office.

“What a sly fox…”

Though Nora was now disguised as her disciple, Ferma could never win against her. Nora was her closest friend, someone like family.

‘I should use this meat pie as an excuse to let the Empress Consort and Nora meet.’

Ferma chuckled and shook her head.

The next day, after hearing Ferma warn her hundreds of times to watch her mouth, Nora took the meat pie and went to deliver it to Larael.

***

Ariella stepped down from the carriage in a beautiful red dress, as lovely as a freshly bloomed rose.

The head maid of Abella Palace greeted her and led her inside. Ariella lowered her gaze and responded in the kindest tone possible.

‘This is the palace traditionally used by the Empress, isn’t it?’

Ariella slowly took in Abella Palace, which would soon become hers, as she followed the head maid to the parlor.

“Lady Ariella of the Nox family has arrived.”

“Lady Nox, thank you for coming…”

Larael, smiling as she greeted Ariella entering the parlor, suddenly stopped speaking. Her face filled with confusion. With her mouth slightly open, she glanced between the person sitting on the sofa and Ariella.

Ariella entered the parlor with a smile, but when she saw Larael’s expression, her eyes darkened. She barely suppressed a rising laugh. As she bowed politely toward Larael, she noticed Larael looking at someone else. But from where she stood, she couldn’t see who it was.

‘Is there someone else here?’

Ariella’s heart dropped. She took a few more steps forward to see who it was. Her expression stiffened.

“Your… Your Majesty the Empress Dowager…”

***

For the first time in a while, a messenger pigeon sent by Count Winters tapped at Larael’s bedroom window.

Sasha, realizing it was a messenger pigeon, quickly opened the window and untied the note from its leg, then secretly handed it to Larael.

Larael had asked Dean to look into recent orders placed by the Nox family at the dress shop they did business with. For Four Seasons, finding that kind of information was easier than a cat catching a mouse.

When Larael unfolded the note and saw the dress sketch, a knowing smile spread across her lips.

As expected, it was the same design as the dress Larael had prepared as a gift for the Empress Dowager. That dress was modeled after the one worn by the most beloved Empress from the Empress Dowager’s family, the Anderman Dukes—Canaria Kazel—famous from her portrait.

“Joanna, is the gift for the Empress Dowager wrapped?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Bring out the box and tell Sir Berser that we are going to visit the Empress Dowager. Also, have Lillian inform the Empress Dowager in advance.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Larael finished preparing for her visit to the Empress Dowager’s palace and set off.

She glanced back at Berser, who was following her. Her heart pounded madly at the thought of introducing Berser to the Empress Dowager for the first time. At the same time, she felt sorry for Berser. Thinking about it, Larael let out a long sigh and bit her lip, trying to steel her resolve.

Since there was already a guest who had arrived earlier, Larael had to wait in the parlor for a while.

After some time, the Empress Dowager entered the parlor, laughing loudly. The Empress Consort rarely visited, so her coming of her own accord made the Empress Dowager feel as if she had won some invisible battle.