67. I Want to Have You

“What? The wizard?”

Larael’s expression darkened even further. Edward realized something was wrong when he saw her face grow more somber at what he had intended as a change of subject.

Larael bit her lip hard before speaking again.

“Are you going to end it with the wizard?”

Edward had thought her dark expression was because of the trauma from being attacked by Fenrir. But her words made it feel as if the heavy stone pressing on his chest now struck his head.

“…”

“Ah… No, I’m just glad the culprit was caught.”

Larael forced a smile, hiding the darkness that had unconsciously appeared on her face.

Her mind grew complicated. She knew there was nothing she could do about the Duke of Anderman for now, but hearing the news left her disappointed despite herself.

‘Edward probably can’t touch the Duke of Anderman either. He must have heard that there’s a connection, so what does he think about Herwen?’

She was certain the Tower Master had told Edward the information she’d uncovered through Four Seasons.

A deep sense of despair ran through Larael.

She realized, after all, she couldn’t tell Edward the truth. If Herwen ever tried to frame her, this was the moment her faint hope that Edward would take her side crumbled away.

“Larael.”

Edward gently took Larael’s trembling hand, still speaking kindly.

Instead of answering, Larael pulled her hand away from his. Edward looked at her in confusion, but she turned her head, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Larael, are you angry because you think I’m trying to cover things up?”

Larael turned her head to look at Edward at those words. Her breathing grew quicker.

‘What is Edward saying right now?’

“I know there’s someone behind it. But it’s not easy to act. They can just cut off loose ends. Until I can identify the real culprit, all I can do is wait quietly.”

Edward brushed aside the stray hair that had fallen on Larael’s forehead. She realized she had been too quick to be disappointed, not considering how deeply Edward must have been troubled by all this.

As he smoothed her hair, a gentle smile curved Edward’s lips.

“I don’t want you to have to worry about this too.”

Edward’s hand moved from her forehead to softly cup her cheek. The warmth from his hand seemed to flow straight into her chest, completely washing away the disappointment she’d felt toward him.

A faint smile appeared on Larael’s previously stiff face. She filled her eyes with a deep trust as she looked into Edward’s dark, unfathomable gaze. Larael made a vow.

‘I can never leave Edward. I want to have you.’

A powerful, uncontrollable desire flickered in her red eyes. Unable to suppress her rising emotions, Larael kissed Edward, who had barely managed to keep his composure until then. Edward was pushed back by Larael’s sudden kiss.

“Wait, wait a moment.”

Edward barely managed to pull his face away. Larael’s hair hung down as she looked down at him.

“Larael, is this why you asked to see me in the bedroom?”

Edward laughed softly as he wiped the saliva from her lips with his hand.

***

Kali, true to her reputation as the top graduate of the academy, handled every task Larael assigned her with precision.

Under Kali’s direction, Corneli Assefena’s preparations to study abroad went smoothly. It was currently summer break at the Royal Academy of Astria. Everything was ready so that Corneli could start music studies as soon as the next term began.

Jojo Assefena came to Abella Palace once, demanding Corneli be handed over and causing a scene.

He seemed completely out of control and was, of course, kicked out of Abella Palace. When his attempt to see Corneli failed, he tucked his tail and headed straight for the Empress Dowager’s palace. Naturally, the Empress Dowager did not welcome him. In fact, visiting her when she already held a grudge was like running into a burning house.

It was said that Jojo Assefena left the palace pale and shaking, almost fleeing. Larael was curious to see just how far the Empress Dowager would drag Jojo Assefena down.

Since the new term was about to start, Corneli left for Astria with Kali. There was a teleportation portal in the capital, so travel was quick and easy.

The Royal Academy of Astria required all students to live in the dormitories, so they had arranged accommodations for Corneli until the start of the term.

“Kali, thank you for your hard work.”

“To be safe, I hired mercenaries to guard Corneli until she’s enrolled.”

Larael nodded in satisfaction.

She wasn’t sure if Jojo Assefena would try to find Corneli again, but it was always wise to prepare for the worst. She liked that Kali had taken such precautions.

“And the interior work on the building we leased is finished. Would you like to take a look?”

Since Larael would also use it when going out from the palace, Kali wanted to decorate the interior to her taste.

Larael had left everything to her, but Kali kept asking about her preferences. Now that it was done, she was eager to show off the office.

“Let’s go see it together, then. Sasha, Joanna, please get ready for us to go out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After instructing Sasha and Joanna to prepare, Larael got up from the sofa, went to her desk, and opened a drawer. She took out a neatly folded piece of paper and handed it to Kali. When Kali tried to open it, Larael shook her head.

“This is your next task. Please investigate what’s written on that paper. Use every information broker if you have to—find out everything.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Kali’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she nodded vigorously.

Larael gazed at the paper she had given Kali.

It was a sheet bearing the name of the epidemic that had swept through the northern Kalia region, the same terrible disease that had killed people across the Kazel Empire this year and claimed Larael’s parents.

“Kali. Has the Layton barony tried to find you?”

“No…”

At the mention of the Layton barony, Kali’s head dropped. Larael recalled that Kali’s brother’s execution date was approaching, and she worried about how Kali was really holding up.

“We weren’t a close-knit family. I was always a thorn in their side, so they’re probably glad I’m gone.”

Kali bit her lip slightly. She had never resisted the discrimination she and her half-brother faced from childhood; she’d accepted it as natural.

Her admission to the academy was her first act of rebellion. She’d only been allowed to enroll after promising not to get involved in the family business and to marry well after graduation.

“Don’t you want revenge on the Layton barony for treating you that way?”

“Revenge… Honestly, I’m too busy just living right now. And what would I even take revenge for? If I had been born to the main wife and inherited the business, I probably would’ve treated them the same way.”

Kali smiled bitterly and bowed her head. She knew her brother’s execution date was near. Even though they weren’t close, blood was still blood; as the day approached, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she looked at Larael with her usual enthusiastic smile.

“Your Highness, everything is ready for our outing.”

Outing preparations were simple: readying the carriage and notifying the palace gatekeeper of their departure.

Larael, Kali, Sasha, and Joanna got into the carriage, with Berser and Handelson following on horseback.

Larael kept thinking about what Kali had said earlier.

‘She said that if she were in a position of power, she would’ve done the same. Can I really say that doesn’t apply to me, too?’

Watching Kali read the paper she had given her, Larael turned her head to the window, feeling a hollow ache welling up from deep inside.