Chapter 23

Should I change course even now?  

Should I abandon Lexion and side with Emperor Grain?  

Wouldn’t Emperor Grain know where the mirror is?  

As Adelina gazed endlessly at the dragon with wavering eyes, Lexion held her tightly in his arms.  

“Don’t worry. I will definitely protect you, my wife.”  

“Duke…”  

Um… Lexion. We haven’t married yet. I’m still single, both legally and physically.  

As Adelina pushed against Lexion’s chest, she began to ponder very briefly about which side to choose.  

+++

A small crack appeared in the expressions of Prince Isya and Jaeyon upon seeing the dragons’ titanium armor.

‘Not only the dragons but the knights are wearing armor too?’  

Even Evans and the Dragon Knights were clad in gleaming silver titanium armor.

Even with the weight, their movements should have been unnatural, yet the knights moved as naturally as if they were wearing leather armor.  

Sweeney bit the inside of her mouth as she glared at Evans.  

‘Evans. To have brought more powerful dragons…’

It felt as though Evans’ large hand was gripping and tightening around her neck.  

Now, it seemed she could no longer refuse Evans or the Petrus Empire.  

“Queen.”  

Chellus grasped Sweeney’s hand, hidden in the voluminous folds of her dress.  

When she tried to pull her hand away in surprise, he gripped it even tighter until his veins bulged.  

“Chellus…”  

“Do not think of anything. Nothing at all. I will definitely find out again.”  

Seeing Sweeney’s elegant expression momentarily falter, Chellus whispered urgently in her ear.  

Please… trust me.  

Don’t go to Evans. Just hold on a little longer.  

+++

“Hahaha. Evans! Excellent!”  

As Emperor Grain’s hearty laughter echoed through the Imperial Palace garden, the dragon on which Evans rode spread its wings wide.  

The wind from its wings was strong enough to blow off the ladies’ hats.  

“Yes! Your Majesty! The armor is made from materials from the Fire Mountain, the Titan Mountain!”  

In response to Evans’ booming reply, the dragons let out a chilling ‘Kieek’ sound and spread their wings simultaneously.  

With their wings unfolded, the dragons looked even more menacing as they gazed down at the people.  

“For the boundless glory of the Petrus Empire!”  

At Evans’ shout, the dragon he was on soared into the sky.  

“For the boundless glory of the Petrus Empire!”  

Following that dragon, thirty other dragons waiting elsewhere also took to the sky, covering it in darkness.  

The fierce wind raised by the dragons whipped people’s dresses and cloaks wildly.  

It was as if a solar eclipse had occurred, and all around was dark.  

Only the titanium armor of the dragons and knights shone dazzlingly as if illuminated by the sun.

‘They extracted titanium from volcanic rock… incredible…’

Adelina held her hair with both hands against the wind, looking up at the dragons.  

In the continent without volcanoes, the small amount of titanium found from meteorites was used to make cups.  

In contrast, Evans obtained a rich amount of titanium from Ernst, created by volcanic eruptions.  

It was a technology Evans had siphoned off while ruling Ernst for ten years.  

“Duke.”  

Adelina released Lexion’s arm and looked at his face, lips tightly shut.  

His eyes were filled with red blood vessels as red as his irises.  

Stephan’s expression also momentarily twisted in despair.  

But Stephan soon composed himself, creating a serene impression and shielding Lexion’s face from others’ view.  

‘Even the number of dragons has tripled… and their weakness has disappeared…’  

Adelina held Lexion’s hands, but his gaze was fixed on the dragons.  

The only weakness of the dragons, covered in thick skin.  

The small blue spot in the center of their foreheads was hidden by the titanium helmet.  

Even with arrows or spears, it wouldn’t be possible to penetrate that helmet.  

The dragon’s weakness was no longer a weakness.  

+++

“I’ll be straightforward. I intend to promote the marriage between Lady Adelina Florin and my son Jaeyon.”  

That afternoon, before the last banquet began, Prince Isya visited, saying he wanted to have tea with Stephan.  

‘Huh? Me? Just leave me alone! Just thinking about the dragons makes my head feel like it’s going to explode!’  

Adelina glared at Isya with eyes that seemed to question why she was being dragged into this again.

“My daughter… is already promised in marriage to Duke Lexion here.”  

Stephan raised his hands to shoulder height, looking troubled.  

“I will help you, Duke Lexion.”  

“Prince.”  

At Isya’s continued words, Lexion’s eyebrows twitched significantly.  

“What you desire so much. With our help, you can surely achieve it.”  

Isya spoke while looking only at Lexion, without sparing a glance for Adelina.  

“Prince. You don’t ask for my opinion.”  

Unable to bear it any longer, Adelina set her teacup down with a clatter and raised her head proudly to glare at Isya.  

“Lady’s opinion? Shouldn’t the lady follow the Duke’s opinion? Surely, you don’t expect me to believe you love each other.”  

Isya dismissed Adelina as if she were a child interrupting adult conversations, then turned back to Lexion.  

Lexion slowly lifted his teacup to his lips without saying a word.  

Feeling upset, Adelina crossed her arms and prepared to speak more defiantly to Isya.  

‘Why? With this face, it’s possible to be in love! We are officially said to have fallen in love at first sight! People acknowledge it to the extent of saying, “Oh… I see…”’

Lexion, seeing Adelina’s expression, chuckled softly as he set down his teacup.  

He could tell what she was thinking just by her expression.  

“It was a very tempting offer, but I will decline. I do not engage in negotiations using my lover as collateral.”  

At Lexion’s response, Isya let out a disbelieving ‘huh’ sound.

“There is still time, so think carefully. Having me as an ally means having the Tiola Empire as an ally. That way, your back will be very secure. By sending one woman, you gain the alliance of the Tiola Empire.”  

At Isya’s direct mention, Adelina began to feel a bit uneasy.

Even in a situation where she wasn’t truly Stephan’s daughter, if she could be used to gain an alliance with the Tiola Empire…  

‘Wouldn’t they sell me off without hesitation?’

Adelina first took a sip of tea, calming her nerves, before speaking.  

She was too tense to notice that Lexion had added an excessive amount of honey to the tea.  

“Prince, even without holding me as collateral, the two places will cooperate. So, please don’t be too anxious.”  

But, she couldn’t let herself be sold off.  

Adelina forced her stiff lips to curve into a smile, slightly closing her eyes to create a pleasant expression.  

Pretending to be confident that Lexion wouldn’t sell her off, acting as if she wasn’t anxious at all.  

“Do you think I’m anxious?”  

“With the dragons’ weakness no longer being a weakness, you must be anxious. The day those dragons gather in Ernst will be the day they attack the Tiola Empire.”  

“Hahaha. But Miss, the day those dragons gather in Ernst, Ernst will turn into hell.”

Adelina and Isya glared sharply at each other, trying to hide their respective anxieties.  

Lexion stood up and sat next to Adelina.  

“Prince. Even without taking a hostage, if you join us in our cause, we will risk our lives.”  

Lexion covered Adelina’s tightly clenched fist with his large hand.  

As the warmth of Lexion’s body reached her, Adelina realized that her hand had been trembling slightly.  

‘He noticed. Prince Isya must have noticed everything.’  

It seemed she was still inexperienced in hiding and controlling her emotions compared to these men.  

Isya pretended not to see Lexion’s actions and looked at the clock on the wall.  

“What do you propose as collateral?”  

It was about time to get up.  

Preparations for the banquet had to be made. Suspicion from Evans and Emperor Grain needed to be alleviated somewhat.  

“Trust. Friendship?”

Isya involuntarily squinted one eye at Lexion’s absurdly naive response to his question.  

“Ha. I never expected such romantic words to come from you, Duke Lexion.”  

The Lexion who mercilessly suppressed rebels to relieve Emperor Grain’s suspicion was talking about trust and friendship?  

“Why? I’m a man who fell in love at first sight.”  

Lexion hugged Adelina’s shoulder tightly as if it were the most natural thing.  

“Ahem… I cannot risk the lives of our empire’s soldiers on such romance. Present something else that I can trust and rely on.”  

Isya stood up and looked at Adelina once more.  

‘Yes. That child is the key. As long as we have her, Lexion and Stephan will be at our mercy.’

Trust? Friendship? Love?  

Adelina was the embodiment of everything Lexion mentioned.  

It seemed Lexion hadn’t realized it yet.  

After finishing his conversation, Prince Isya left the room, and Hailyn approached him.  

“Jaeyon is ready.”  

Hailyn walked alongside Isya, smoothing out the creased collar of his clothes from sitting for a long time. No one reproached her for her familiar touch.  

“It seems you’ll have to take care of it.”  

“Of course. Do not worry.”  

At Hailyn’s confident reply, Prince Isya calmed his nerves and crossed the Imperial Palace garden.  

+++

The final banquet of the coming-of-age ceremony mainly involved tea time at round tables or card games.  

Most provincial nobles had to leave the capital early the next morning, so the banquet was considerate of them.  

“Marquis. Marquis Young Lady. His Majesty the Emperor summons you.”  

Adelina, who had been poking her fork into sweet desserts while accompanied by Lexion and Stephan, paused with the fork in her mouth at the attendant’s words.  

“My wife is quite popular.”  

Lexion removed the fork from Adelina’s mouth and gestured for her to go.  

‘You. Just wait until you find the mirror. I won’t show any mercy and will slip into the mirror.’

Adelina reluctantly rose, shot Lexion a glare, and followed the attendant with Stephan.  

‘Oh… Lexion… where are you going?’  

At the same time, she saw Isabelle’s maid approach Lexion, who then left for the garden with the maid.  

Emperor Grain was seated on the platform reserved for the Imperial Family.  

In front of the platform stood the Empress’s nephew, Leophris, with a gentle smile directed at Adelina.  

‘Adelina Florin. You must not marry Lexion or Jaeyon.’  

Emperor Grain smiled as he watched Evans take Sweeney into the garden.  

It’s almost done.  

Once Evans takes control of Iberis in the fall, securing the rear, they could strike the Tiola Empire using Ernst as a base.  

Soon, the entire world could be under his feet, under the dragons’ feet.  

Emperor Grain looked down at Adelina and Stephan, who stood before him paying their respects.  

“Miss. Marry the Empress’s nephew, Leophris. That is an order.”