Chapter 52

Isabelle’s sharp gaze, as if it could pierce the heart, was directed at Adelina. 

Lexion, sensing Isabelle’s gaze, straightened his back despite the absence of the Emperor’s command and looked at Isabelle indifferently. 

When a sudden flicker of light passed through Lexion’s emotionless red eyes, Isabelle flinched and avoided his gaze.

“Thank you. It is all due to Your Majesties’ grace.” 

Lexion’s calm yet powerful voice resonated in the audience chamber. 

“Indeed, Duke. Enjoy your honeymoon to the fullest. It is, after all, a fleeting thing.”

Adelina swallowed dryly at the cold tone that did not feel like a congratulatory remark for newlyweds.

‘Oh dear… You two could kill someone with those looks.’

Following Lexion’s lead, Adelina looked up at the Emperor and Isabelle, then unconsciously lowered her head and clutched her dress tightly. 

Lexion gently held her hand.

“Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty.”

It was a formal audience anyway. 

Lexion roughly complied with their wishes, bowing at a right angle, and left the audience chamber with Adelina.

‘What is this feeling of unease… ’

Holding Lexion’s hand, Adelina kept pondering something as they headed to the palace where Sweeney resided.

‘It’s midsummer… but it’s so cold… ’

Perhaps it was because it had been raining since morning. 

The air inside the palace was so chilly it made her shiver.

“Do not worry. I will surely protect you.”

Sensing Adelina’s fear, Lexion embraced her as soon as they exited the Emperor’s palace.

Due to the wind blowing between the still-falling rain and the fully bloomed hydrangeas, the garden’s temperature was significantly low for midsummer.

“I’m not worried. Because you are here, Lexion.”

Just from a slight touch, warmth began to spread throughout Adelina’s body. 

‘The human body temperature is truly fascinating.’

As Lexion’s warmth reached her, it felt as if the coldness in her heart was also disappearing.

“Let’s go. Everyone must be waiting.”

After a short hug, Lexion released Adelina and held her hand.

“…Alright.”

Regretting the disappearance of the warmth that enveloped her, Adelina held Lexion’s hand and headed to Sweeney’s palace.

+++

Upon entering Sweeney’s palace, the head maid guided Lexion and Adelina to the reception room. 

Inside, Sweeney, Chellus, Stephan, and Hailyn were already conversing.

When the head maid sat in front of the reception room door to keep watch, Adelina placed Lexion in the middle of the room.

“Lexion, take off your clothes.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to undress amidst such blatant gazes.”

Despite saying that, Lexion began taking off his jacket with an expression that showed no embarrassment, and Stephan received his clothes.

“A magnificent back.”

At Sweeney’s playful remark, Chellus, who always wore a gentle smile, frowned deeply.

“Your Majesty… Please maintain decorum.”

Since they needed to see the map, they couldn’t cover the Queen’s eyes… 

Chellus, even as a man, couldn’t help but acknowledge the magnificence of Lexion’s back and stood a bit straighter.

“Thank you for complimenting my husband’s back, Your Majesty.”

Adelina placed her hands on her belly button, bowed slightly, and then placed a long wooden stick on Lexion’s back. 

The head maid had fetched a wooden stick used for turning newspaper pages.

The head maid, while looking at Lexion’s back, drew the map onto white cloth as closely as possible.

“As you can see from this drawing, there are X marks at regular intervals. These are presumed to be the resting places of the dragons.”

Adelina pointed to the red ink absorbed into Lexion’s back with the stick.

“During the recent suppression of the rebels, the maximum flight time for dragons was 4 hours.”

“Austin’s arrogance led to such a mistake.”

At Lexion’s words, still showing his back, Sweeney’s eyes sparkled with anticipation and anxiety.

‘Maximum flight time is 4 hours? Then… is there a time limit even during battle?’

If they could just find out that time limit, there might be a chance to fight against the dragons. 

If they could just hold out during that time, they might have a chance to defeat the dragons!

“Once the dragons land, they rest for at least 20 minutes. Naturally, they rest longer when they eat.”

As Stephan leaned forward and whispered, even the head maid stopped drawing and looked at him.

“That is why Duke and I could arrive at the capital faster than the Dragon Knights. Horses can be faster than dragons.”

At Stephan’s continued words, Chellus stood up abruptly and approached Lexion. 

It seemed like there was finally a glimmer of hope.

“Decisively, during the suppression of the rebels, the dragons completed everything within 4 hours.”

However, at Lexion’s continued words, Chellus’s face showed a mix of emotions.

“Four hours…”

Chellus spoke in a mournful voice, as if his expectations had been shattered. 

His throat moved greatly, and his jaw set firmly.

In those 4 hours, thousands of people could die under the dragons’ claws. 

It was impossible to know whether this 4 hours was the dragons’ limit or if Austin stopped because he thought it was sufficient.

“Your Majesty.”

Adelina called out to Sweeney, whose complexion had become as dark as Chellus’s.

“The important thing is that after flying for 4 hours, the dragons must rest for 20 minutes.”

“Indeed.”

“Dragons, despite their large size, have the weakness of poor endurance. Four hours. This is the weakness we have against the dragons. We must plan all our strategies around these 4 hours.”

“Four hours…”

Sweeney stood up and paced the reception room. 

Unconsciously biting her thumbnail, the head maid approached and held Sweeney’s hand.

“Duchess Adelina.”

Realization seemed to dawn on Sweeney, and her expression brightened.

“Yes, Your Majesty. That is exactly it.”

When Adelina nodded slightly, Sweeney quickly approached and embraced her.

“Now, Ernst will become a Kingdom again. Iberis will become Ernst’s blood ally. We will never betray you.”

Sweeney tightened her embrace around Adelina.

Chellus, after closely examining the X marks on Lexion’s back, calculated the date when Evans could act and informed them.

“It is truly fortunate that we learned of this before our departure. We will wait for the decisive moment. Do not miss it.”

“We will definitely return.”

After confirming that the head maid had finished drawing on the white cloth, Lexion put on his shirt and jacket again.

“I wish for your safe return, Your Majesty.”

“Duke, I hope you safely reach Ernst.”

Lexion and Sweeney shook hands. 

After 10 years, they formed an alliance once again.

+++

As the carriage to the Ducal residence departed, the drizzle turned into a torrential downpour. 

Adelina and her party sat in the carriage, each looking out a window.

The sound of the heavy rain pounding on the carriage roof and the horses’ hooves echoing on the road drowned out Lexion’s loud laughter inside the carriage, unnoticed by the coachman and escort knights.

“Hahaha. So that’s why you were so worried about a rebellion in Ernst!”

The laughter abruptly stopped, and Lexion’s lips twisted sharply.

‘So, unless you were a pure Petrus noble, you couldn’t even approach the dragons!’

How could they have maintained such a thorough secret for 10 years!

If they could only fly for 4 hours, the dragons couldn’t reach Ernst by crossing the sea. 

They needed a midpoint to stop at before that.

‘So they always stopped at Pale Island.’

Pale Island was located between Ernst and the Kingdom of Iberis. 

When Evans rode the dragons to Iberis, he always used the pretext of clearing pirates in the nearby sea to stop at this island.

Seizing this island would be the key to this war.

Lexion looked at Adelina reflected in the carriage window. 

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even turn her head when he looked at her.

“Adelina, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Adelina, frowning slightly and pursing her lips, looked quite serious.

“Be quiet.”

At Adelina’s sharp tone, a smile appeared on Lexion’s lips.

‘Lexion, you fool, always joking around! I’m here racking my brains over strategies. Wait… why am I strategizing? I just have to get the mirror and enter it to end the contract.’

Suddenly realizing this, Adelina shot a glare at Lexion’s reflection in the window.

“Ahem… So what part of me did you fall for?”

Well, since she received a love confession, even if she was going to abandon him later, it was only polite to ask such a question. 

‘My smile? Elegance? Intelligence?’

She listed things about herself that might be attractive.

‘Oh dear! I’m such a charm magnet!’

Adelina focused her ears on Lexion’s lips reflected in the window.

“What I fell for.”

Lexion’s chest gently pressed against Adelina’s back. 

His breath tickled her hair, hanging by her ear. 

Adelina resisted the urge to rub her ear and remained still.

“Your strategic mind for war? The ruthlessness in cutting off Leophris’s thing?”

‘Of course! I’m a fool to be thrilled by that!’

Adelina turned around and pushed against Lexion’s chest.

“Get lost!”

Crossing her arms, she glared at the window again. 

In the carriage window, Adelina’s sulky face was reflected alongside Lexion’s grinning face.

+++

“I’ll buy a few more necessities before going in.”

When the carriage arrived at Emerald Street, Hailyn said she had personal items to purchase and got out of the carriage.

“Shall I call for a carriage?”

“No, I’ll take a rented carriage.”

Hailyn opened a black umbrella after getting out of the carriage. 

Blending into the crowd on the bustling Emerald Street, she closed her umbrella and shook off the water in front of a small bookstore at the corner of the street.

“Welcome. This is a bookstore specializing in novels. Is there anything you’re looking for?”

Ding. As the bell on the door rang, a large bookstore employee who appeared to be in his 60s greeted her with a business smile. 

Perhaps due to the rain, there were no customers inside the bookstore. 

“I heard there are very discreet items used by women here. For example, long and hard ones.”

At Hailyn’s words, the bookstore employee wiped off his friendly smile and flashed a sharp look. 

“Please, come this way.”

Hailyn followed the bookstore employee upstairs.

“Peterson. Change the code, will you? It’s so embarrassing to say it every time.”

Entering a small office on the second floor, Hailyn immediately complained. 

She looked at the bookstore employee with disapproval, as if annoyed that he always made her say the code despite knowing her face.

“Hahaha. No one would look for that in a bookstore. What a perfect code it is!”

A man with a sleek figure in a black suit laughed playfully and offered Hailyn a seat.

“Peterson, you must deliver this to Sir Jaeyon.”

After drawing a map for a long time while seated, Hailyn neatly folded the paper and handed it to Peterson. 

The paper also contained information about the dragons.

“And this too.”

Hailyn hurriedly wrote a short letter and handed it over.

“Do not worry. I will deliver it without fail.”

Peterson sealed the papers with wax and tucked them between the covers of a thick hardcover book.

+++

The next day, the Ducal residence was bustling from early morning.

“The Princess will be coming too. There shouldn’t be a single fingerprint on the cups!”

“Yes, head maid!”