Chapter 10

The Emperor could not take his eyes off Kanna.

Was that truly necessary? Was she in her right mind?

Even as he thought this, his gaze hurriedly scanned Kanna’s body.

Fortunately—or rather, astonishingly—Kanna appeared completely unharmed. She was perfectly fine.

The Emperor finally managed to steady his breath.

“You… Are you protesting against me right now?”

“Protesting?”

Kanna tilted her head slightly, repeating the Emperor’s words.

But soon, as if it didn’t matter, she casually shoved her hands into her pockets and smiled crookedly.

“Someone said what they wanted to say and left before I could respond.”

“……”

“And it’s too much trouble to come meet you again.”

“……”

“Why are you sitting down?”

The Emperor opened his mouth but no words came out.

Was she seriously asking because she didn’t know? 

The Emperor was so dumbfounded that Kanna’s informal speech didn’t even register.

“I don’t bother trying anymore with people who dislike me. If you don’t like my attitude or the way I speak, then just don’t call for me again.”

“……”

“So live as if I don’t exist. I’ll live as if you don’t exist, too.”

“……”

“Are you worried I might become the heir? At the very least, you know what kind of person Kanis Riventi is. You must also know what it means that I’ve remained unknown to the world until now.”

The Emperor, supported by the servants, barely managed to stand up.

In contrast, Kanna stood alone, with no one by her side.

The small child declared, as if stating an obvious fact:

“When Kanis Riventi returns, I will disappear again.”

Those words stuck in his mind, refusing to fade.

***

That evening, Michael hurried back to his chambers and silently observed the scene in the drawing room.

Jehel was clinging to Kanna, fast asleep on the sofa.

Kanna, her head barely sticking out, was dozing off like a sickly chicken with her head tilted.

“If I move them, Kanna might wake up…”

At the servant’s words, Michael strode over to the sofa.

He easily peeled off Jehel’s octopus-like arms and slid his hands under Kanna’s armpits to lift her up.

Like a radish being pulled out, Kanna was extracted from Jehel’s grasp. Michael held her securely in his arms and gestured with his chin.

The servant immediately opened the bedroom door and pulled back the covers, but Kanna woke up.

“…What is it?”

“Go back to sleep.”

“What is it, I said.”

Michael ignored her and placed Kanna on the bed, but she sat up straight.

“Is Jehel gone?”

In the blink of an eye, Kanna seemed fully awake.

Michael frowned slightly, displeased, but answered calmly.

“No. She’s outside.”

“Talk her into going home.”

At Michael’s signal, the servants left to wake Jehel and escort her out. The room fell silent.

***

Sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her, Michael glanced at Kanna.

“Jehel must have given you a hard time this afternoon.”

“Yes. It was complete chaos.”

“Do you know why?”

Kanna, wary, preemptively answered.

“I’ve already said it a hundred times today, but I swear I’ll start using the stairs from now on.”

“Good.”

After the brief reply, Michael loosened his tie and unbuttoned a few buttons.

Kanna blinked.

Michael seemed more subdued than usual.

“Since you’re awake, you should see the doctor.”

“I already had a check-up earlier.”

“You never know. Something might show up later.”

“I’m fine—”

“I’m not fine.”

Michael cut her off and gestured to a servant.

“Bring the doctor.”

In the end, Kanna had to endure another round of meticulous questions: “Does this hurt?” as they pressed each finger, and “Is there any discomfort?” as they moved her arms.

Despite being declared perfectly healthy, Michael, standing with his arms crossed, kept urging the doctors to ask more questions—whether her insides were fine, whether her vision was clear.

The doctors, flustered, even checked Kanna’s hair before finally convincing Michael that she was in perfect health.

After the exhausting check-up, the doctors left, and the servants were dismissed as well.

Michael sat beside Kanna, who was sprawled on the bed.

“Are you very tired?”

Too drained to argue, Kanna rolled her eyes at him.

“What do you think?”

“Even if you don’t feel it, your body must have been shocked.”

Michael reached out to touch her forehead but hesitated.

As soon as their eyes met, he withdrew his hand naturally and asked:

“Did you nap today?”

“…No.”

Michael sighed, looking troubled.

Despite playing around all day, Kanna hadn’t napped, and she barely slept at night either.

Ever since she learned that servants checked on her at dawn, she stayed awake to greet them, startling them each time.

No one had ever seen Kanna sleeping soundly.

After today’s incident, she needed to rest properly so he could feel at ease.

Kanna, noticing Michael’s obvious concern about how to make her sleep, stared at him incredulously.

“Why are you so worried? People who want to be fooled are already fooled.”

“Fooled about what?”

“About you being my real father.”

“……”

Michael was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable.

“If that’s not it… why are you doing all this?”

“Why do you think?”

Michael’s face seemed more worn than before.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed that way.

From the moment they first met at the inn until now, he had been pushing himself too hard.

Half-turned away from the lamp, Michael shifted the topic, as if he hadn’t expected an answer:

“So, what was it you wanted to say earlier today?”

“Earlier?”

Kanna, caught off guard, asked back, then remembered why she had sought him out earlier.

This could’ve been brushed off, but Kanna’s mind raced.

“Well, about our agreement.”

“The one where you help me, and in return, I fulfill your requests?”

“Y-yes, that one.”

“Whatever it is, just say it.”

At his words, something came to Kanna’s mind.

“The Imperial library.”

“Do you need books?”

“No. I need access to the forbidden section.”

She expected him to refuse at first.

She had even prepared a follow-up argument, but Michael nodded without hesitation.

“All right.”

“…All right?”

“All right.”

“Can we go tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Even as they spoke, Kanna could feel Michael’s gaze lingering on her.

It wasn’t the conversation that held his attention.

Perhaps he was checking to see if she was truly okay…

“You’re not even looking at me.”

Michael faintly smiled and slowly extended his hand.

When Kanna blinked and didn’t avoid him, he finally placed his hand on her head and replied:

“I am looking at you, Kanna.”

“……”

“It’s true that I was reminded of the past.”

The past?

“Well, you should get some sleep now.”

After glancing at the darkened window, Michael stood and lit the lamp. Kanna grumbled, displeased at having her bedtime decided for her.

“How can you expect someone to sleep for 10 hours?”

“And how is sleeping less than 4 hours normal?”

Yet, instead of leaving the room as she expected, Michael sank into the armchair by the bed.

He placed the lamp on the table.

“…Why are you sitting there?”

“I’ll stay here tonight.”

He pulled out a folder of documents from who knows where and began flipping through them.

“…Go to sleep.”

“Go to sleep.”

“You’re noisy.”

“A little noise actually helps people fall asleep.”

“I can’t sleep if someone’s here.”

At that, Michael looked up from his papers and turned to her.

“Just think of me as a breathing rock.”

“What nonsense.”

“Well, I’m too handsome to be a rock, aren’t I?”

“…You’re really not leaving?”

“Kanna. I’m working, so could you help me by not interrupting?”

Kanna snorted in disbelief and turned away from him.

As she struggled to pull the blanket over herself, Michael, who had somehow appeared at her side, tucked it neatly up to her chin before returning to his seat.

Noticing her gaze, Michael, still focused on his papers, explained:

“The sound of the blanket was distracting.”

Seriously… What a fool.

Kanna swallowed her unspoken words and closed her eyes.

Tomorrow, I would search the forbidden section of the Imperial library for clues.

And then, I would…

No, that wasn’t it. I would leave this suffocating palace as soon as possible.

And return to the peaceful and quiet Mage Tower.

The forbidden section housed the legacy of the first Emperor, Felix Clobern.

He had distinguished and studied rumors about mages from across the continent, publishing many books.

Perhaps there, she could find a case similar to her.