Chapter 22

The Imperial Guard was somewhat reluctant, but they were also amazed at Lexion’s ability to identify the magazine.  

“The quality of this magazine paper is different. It’s mainly purchased by the Imperial Family and high-ranking nobles.”  

“Is that so? We’ll compare it with the magazine first.”  

The Imperial Guard grabbed the arms of the maid who was standing there blankly.  

“Maid… you will need to come with us. You are accused of attempted assault on the Marquis Young Lady and fabricating rumors.”  

“No! I… I…”  

The maid tried to resist by lowering her posture, but she was soon dragged out of the room.  

“Miss, you must have been very surprised. We’ll inform you once the investigation results are out.”  

One of the knights approached Adelina and spoke politely.  

“Then, please investigate thoroughly. Just thinking about yesterday still frightens me…”  

Adelina stretched her neck to watch the maid being dragged away and then quickly covered her face with both hands.  

“Oh… my daughter. It’s alright. Your father is here. I will speak to the Emperor and ensure the culprits receive severe punishment.”  

As Adelina pretended to tremble her shoulders, Stephan, still inexperienced in acting, quickly embraced her.  

+++

“You should rest today.”  

Jaeyon sat beside Adelina, who was sprawled on the sofa.  

“Thank you, Sir Jaeyon. Thanks to you, I was able to keep the evidence safe.”  

“Extend it by a day later. I want to complete the portrait.”  

“Of course, Sir Jaeyon.”  

Adelina absentmindedly picked up the cool peppermint tea the maid had brought her and then gazed at Jaeyon’s face.  

“Why?”  

Jaeyon asked, puzzled, as Adelina stared at him.  

“Let’s switch drinks.”  

“But… I’ve already taken a sip…”  

“I don’t mind.”  

Adelina handed her cup to Jaeyon and took the drink he had sipped from.  

‘Even if it’s someone else, no one would poison a drink meant for Jaeyon!’  

Seeing that the maid wasn’t flustered, it seemed the switched drink wasn’t poisoned either.  

“Ahem. Drink this.”  

Lexion handed Adelina the glass he had half-drunk and snatched the cup Jaeyon had sipped from.  

Then he stood beside Adelina, staring at the glass.  

What are you doing? Hurry up and drink it down.  

‘Oh… milk tea again…’  

Adelina wasn’t too pleased, but she was so tense since morning that her throat was quite dry, so she drank the rest down.  

Seeing this, Lexion bent down and whispered into Adelina’s ear.  

“Indirect kiss.”  

“What are you saying?”  

Adelina swallowed the last drop in her mouth and then glared at Lexion.  

+++

“Goodnight, Father.”  

“You too, my daughter. Sleep peacefully without any worries.”  

That night, after only briefly appearing at the banquet, Adelina and her party retired to their chambers early.  

Stephan was still hiding in the darkness of her terrace that night.  

“I will guard tonight.”  

Dressed entirely in black, Lexion entered the darkness where Stephan was.  

“It’s alright. She’s my daughter.”  

“You haven’t slept well since meeting Adelina. Rest tonight.”  

Stephan tilted his head and looked up at Lexion’s face.  

‘Was the Duke always someone who could say such considerate things?’  

It was too dark to see Lexion’s expression, but he knew he must be feeling quite awkward.  

“Then, I’ll leave it to you for tonight. Please protect her well.”  

“I will.”  

Stephan left Lexion in the darkness and entered his chamber.  

‘He will… protect her, right?’  

Surely, even if dozens of assassins came, Lexion would easily protect her.  

Yet, he couldn’t shake off the unease.  

‘I should just insist on keeping watch myself next time.’

Even after taking a bath, Stephan wandered for over an hour, unable to sleep.  

+++

‘Who’s there! A ghost? A person?’

Adelina had been awake for 10 minutes, feeling as if someone was watching her.  

‘They said many people died in this palace… Many women held as hostages died…’  

It must be a ghost. If it were an assassin, they would have already stabbed her heart.  

Adelina clasped her hands tightly under the blanket.  

She rummaged through her mind, trying to recall a hymn she vaguely remembered from the church she visited every Christmas in her past life.  

“Open your eyes if you’re awake.”  

Oh dear. It must be a male ghost, not a female one.  

A shiver ran through her body at the eerie voice whispering softly in her ear.  

“I’m already taken. Find another maiden.”  

She barely opened her eyes to see a man dressed in clothes darker than the darkness itself.  

“That someone must be me, right? Surely not someone else?”

“Duke?”  

Seeing Lexion’s face smiling slyly, Adelina sat up and leaned against the headboard.  

“Men and women should be separate.”  

“I came to protect you. I’m a very commendable husband.”  

Lexion pushed her to move aside and sat on the bed.  

“Did you come because you’re scared to sleep alone? Like a child?”  

“Haha. Let’s say it’s that.”  

Adelina glanced down at her nightgown.  

It wasn’t too revealing, so she felt comfortable talking with him like this.  

“Tomorrow, you’ll see the Dragon Knights.”

“I know. The knights that made this Empire powerful.”  

Adelina felt Lexion’s arm around her shoulder tighten but said nothing.  

“We can overcome it.”  

Adelina placed her hand on Lexion’s hand, which was wrapped around her shoulder.  

‘Perhaps, your life has been harder than mine…’  

As Adelina tapped his hand and looked at Lexion with eyes saying, ‘You’ve been through a lot,’ he tilted his head.  

It seemed like Lexion’s hand on her shoulder tightened for a moment, then he embraced her in a facing position.  

“We should practice. Practice physical affection.”

Lexion’s fingertips slowly slid down from Adelina’s forehead.  

His fingertips, which brushed past Adelina’s eyes, making them close, pressed gently on her lips.  

“No one’s watching, you know. You don’t have to do this. You’re good even without practice.”

Adelina, with her eyes closed, opened her mouth and bit down on his finger.  

“Hahaha. Is that so? I’m not very good. I’m a beginner.”  

Lexion’s refreshing laughter flowed into Adelina’s ear.  

Lexion rescued his hand from Adelina’s mouth and laid her down on the bed, trapping her in his embrace.  

When she tried to open her eyes, he covered them with one hand.  

He was sure she would glare at him if she opened her eyes now.  

Lexion slowly lowered his head towards Adelina’s lips.  

To hide the sound of his loudly beating heart, he moved the hand covering her eyes to cover her ears.  

“You have to find the mirror for me.”

Every time Adelina moved her lips, they brushed tantalizingly against Lexion’s.  

“Of course.”  

“Let’s practice only up to the kiss.”  

“My wife is very particular.”  

“Not yet your wife.”  

Lexion hurriedly captured Adelina’s lips. The hand that had covered her ears now wrapped around her neck and waist.  

‘Adelina… Adelina Ernst.’  

He attached his last name to her name.  

‘Adelina Ernst!’  

What a fitting name!  

Lexion held Adelina tighter as his heart pounded strongly.  

He boldly swept through her mouth, absorbing every breath.  

‘Lexion…’  

Adelina tightly closed her eyes.  

Perhaps because Lexion’s body was pressing down on hers, this kiss felt different from any before.  

His chest gently pressed against hers, making her more conscious of it.  

His heavy weight made her breathless.  

It felt like he was trying to take away all her breath.  

‘I need to get a grip! It’s just practice! Practice! I can’t lose!’  

Adelina calmed her heart, which seemed ready to leap out and run around, as she continued to accept his intense kiss.  

Lexion’s growing breaths pounded thrillingly in her ears.  

‘Oh… Lexion? That place… not there…’  

As Lexion’s breathing became rougher, his heated hand touched her chest.  

“Hahaha.”  

When Adelina left a bite mark on his naughty hand, Lexion’s laughter filled the room.  

“Be quiet! Someone might hear!”  

Adelina covered Lexion’s mouth with both hands. Lexion removed her hands and embraced her again.  

“We practiced, didn’t we?”  

“I’m still clumsy.”  

“Liar!”  

Lexion’s lips overlapped Adelina’s lips again.  

‘It’s just practice! Practice.’  

Adelina’s hands, which had been pushing Lexion’s chest away, now pulled his neck closer.  

+++

“A Dragon Knight inspection! I’m so excited!”  

“Indeed. Envoys from other empires will be deeply impressed by the Dragon inspection.”  

At 1 PM the next day, when all the nobles had finished a simple brunch, they gathered in the Imperial Palace garden.  

“Duke, what are those on your hands?”  

Stephan asked, puzzled at the bite marks all over Lexion’s hands.  

It was definitely not mosquitoes, and he wondered if Lexion had petted a stray cat in the palace wrongly.  

He had no idea when those marks appeared.  

“Hahaha. I was bitten by a very fierce cat. A beautiful silver cat.”  

Lexion pulled Adelina, who was beside him, tightly into his embrace.  

“Silver cat…”  

Seeing this, Stephan’s face suddenly hardened, perhaps feeling displeased.  

“Miss, come to my side. Men and women should be separate.”  

“Father… since when did you care about such things…”  

Adelina was baffled by Stephan suddenly becoming conservative, but she stood between them with a smile.  

‘What’s this? Is he suddenly treating me like his real daughter? Embarrassingly?’  

At this rate, I might even get a curfew. Lexion, you might not be able to visit me at night anymore!  

Thinking this to herself, she waited for the Dragon Knights to appear.  

‘Crazy! How can we defeat those dragons!’  

A moment later, when the dragons appeared in the Imperial Palace garden, Adelina was so overwhelmed by their imposing presence that she forgot to blink.  

‘The dragon’s weakness… it disappeared.’  

The weakness of the dragons that Lexion and Chellus had discovered… was no longer a weakness.  

+++

In the palace garden, only the dragon ridden by Evans had folded its wings and sat down.

The other dragons were perched on the roofs of the palace buildings and the castle walls, showcasing their majesty.  

Even without spreading their wings, the dragons’ bodies were overwhelmingly large.  

The dragon’s red eyes were as big as an adult man’s head, and each of its claws was as thick and long as a knight’s spear.  

Its thick skin, almost black in dark gray, would not let arrows penetrate.  

“They’re wearing helmets made of titanium…”

Lexion gritted his teeth as he spoke, and Stephan squeezed and released Lexion’s hand while looking around.

‘Previously, they wore leather helmets…’  

Adelina also looked at the dragon with Evans on it with a bewildered expression.  

In the war encyclopedia Adelina had seen, dragons wore leather breastplates and helmets.  

Given the era’s background, it was still difficult to make very thin steel, and it was also heavy.  

‘I… want to go back into the mirror… How can we defeat those dragons!’