Chapter 61

“What? What news?”  

“Adelina is in Ernst. With Duke Lexion.”  

“What?”  

Hailyn, surprised, froze in place, and Jaeyon pushed her into the carriage.  

“How? Emperor Grain was thoroughly monitoring…”  

“Everyone found it puzzling.”  

Sitting side by side in the carriage, Jaeyon handed her a handkerchief to wipe the rainwater.  

+++

“Hey, you rascals! Stop right there!”  

The training ground inside the royal palace was in chaos because of the wyverns.  

Adelina, watching the scene with Seyra, who had become her maid, pressed her temple with one hand.  

Following Adelina’s suggestion, the knights first captured ten wyverns and began training them.  

At the meeting, not everyone agreed with her opinion from the start.  

• Wyverns? You want to use those creatures?

• Yes. They will become small fighter planes.

• Fighter planes? What is that, Your Majesty? 

While everyone was skeptical of Adelina’s words, which they couldn’t understand, it was only with Lexion’s enthusiastic support that they decided to give it a try…  

‘Why! In other romance fantasies, everyone rides wyverns! Why are they acting like this!’  

Now I understand why wyverns are nicknamed troublemakers.  

I understand why others never thought of training wyverns over the long years.  

“There you are, Adelina.”  

Lexion, curious about the wyvern training, approached Adelina with his staff.  

“Lexion, was my plan too reckless…”  

Adelina looked at Lexion’s hand, which was wrapped around her shoulder.  

His hand had healed quite a bit, no longer bandaged, but scabs remained.  

“Captain, what is the issue with the wyverns?”  

As the temporary wyvern unit captain approached and bowed his head, Lexion looked at the training ground and asked.  

‘Is it training or playing with mischievous children…’  

The wyverns were each holding the knights’ cloaks in their mouths and shaking them.  

“They are too… unruly. It’s like teaching three-year-old children.”

The captain smiled awkwardly and bowed his head deeply.  

“Too unruly, huh…”  

Lexion patted the captain’s shoulder for encouragement and stared at the training ground, lost in thought.  

“Lexion… I’ll come up with another plan…”  

Adelina felt discouraged looking at the wyverns that seemed to have no answer.  

She felt she had come up with an odd idea, making the knights struggle at this critical time.  

“It’s only been a week.”  

Lexion placed both hands on Adelina’s slumped shoulders, blocking her view.  

It’s only been a week.  

Even the best horses can’t be trained in a week.  

“Captain. Blindfold the wyverns like horses. Let’s first address their distraction.”  

While knights’ horses don’t wear blinders, sometimes blinders are used during training to narrow the vision of distracted horses.  

“Yes! I’ll immediately blindfold the wyverns!”  

As if enlightened by Lexion’s words, the captain immediately ran to the wyverns.  

+++

A servant from the princess’s palace in the Petrus Empire carried a red box from the Imperial treasury to the princess’s palace.  

The princess’s palace, filled with an unusual tension, had a slightly chaotic atmosphere.  

“Princess. I brought what you requested. His Majesty said the decision regarding this is entirely up to you.”  

“Thank you for your effort.”  

Isabelle, wearing the Imperial Knights’ uniform instead of a dress, as if she were going somewhere, received the box.  

With her hair tied high in a single knot, Isabelle placed the box on a desk next to the terrace.  

As the lid of the box opened more and more, Isabelle’s eyes grew sharper.  

‘Adelina. Foolish. No matter how much you struggle. You’re a fake.’  

Isabelle grabbed the rose tiara placed on the blue velvet with her hand.  

“Is this the tiara Adelina wore at her wedding?”  

“Yes, Princess. All the other jewels are missing except this one.”  

“Is that so?”  

Isabelle let out a small scoff at the servant’s words and dropped the rose tiara to the floor.  

“It’s fake, so it was discarded. She doesn’t even know she’ll be discarded too because she’s fake.”  

She pressed the rose tiara with her boot.  

The tiara’s shape distorted, and the tightly set jewels came loose.  

The rose shape, which boasted a three-dimensional decoration on the tiara, was crushed under the hard boot sole.  

The jewels could no longer hold on and exposed themselves on the cold marble floor.  

“Throw it away. Fakes are always discarded.”  

Leaving the tiara, now unsightly, Isabelle led the maids and servants out of the room.  

+++

A month had passed since the black rose flag was planted at the Kingdom of Ernst’s royal palace.  

In the blue sky, only white cumulus clouds were occasionally visible; no more rain clouds were in sight.  

Adelina, looking at the sky from the terrace, shivered in the now chilly morning breeze.  

“Your Majesty. Please don’t worry too much.”  

Seyra wrapped a triangular shawl made of Tosca wool around Adelina’s shoulders.  

“Iberis couldn’t defeat the Dragon Knights…”  

Adelina clutched the shawl tightly.  

The sad news from last night had cast a gloom over the entire palace.  

Evans had taken control of the southern region of Iberis with the Dragon Knights and Petrus elite forces.  

In just one battle, thousands of Iberis citizens had died.  

This news had a significant impact even on the people of Ernst.  

It felt like the dragons would appear in the sky any day now.  

“The typhoon… has passed… if only we had a little more time…”  

Adelina looked up at the beautifully blue sky, feeling sorrowful.  

The typhoon had passed.  

Soon, the dragons of Petrus would spread their wings.  

+++

“We must support Iberis. If Iberis falls, our rear will collapse.”  

Today’s staff meeting was heavier than ever.  

Lexion, sitting at the head of the table, unconsciously fiddled with the knot tied to his sword, urging his staff.  

“Additionally, we must find a way to secure Pale Island. Emperor Grain will not just sit back and watch us.”  

As Stephan looked at the two maps hanging in the meeting room, everyone’s gaze turned to the green flags on the map.  

Adelina approached the map, removed a red flag, and moved it to the south of Iberis.  

“The fastest dragon that can come to Pale Island is Evans. He knows this terrain best.”  

At her words, Lexion nodded for her to continue.  

“We need to send Evans in the opposite direction.”  

“Send him in the opposite direction…”  

Adelina moved a red pin to the Kingdom of Gair, east of Iberis.  

“It’s too difficult to exchange letters with the Kingdom of Gair at the moment…”  

Stephan looked at the pin with regret, his eyebrows furrowing.  

“We can send Evans there without moving the Kingdom of Gair.”  

“How?”  

Lexion stood up, standing next to Adelina, and looked at the map.  

“Operation Midway Phase 1. Spread false information. We need to bait Evans into moving.”  

“Bait.”  

As Lexion repeated Adelina’s words, she brought her lips close to his ear.  

“Sweeney.”  

Adelina’s sweet voice, as if whispering love, lingered in Lexion’s ear.  

“Hahaha. You truly are my treasure.”  

Lexion’s face broke into a wide smile at Adelina’s devilishly enchanting words.  

The next morning, as the dew on the grass dried in the sunlight, five swans took flight from the lake of Ernst.  

“Cross safely.”  

Stephan watched the swans until they became small dots, then headed to the royal palace.  

+++

“Your Majesty. Let me help you prepare.”  

As it was time for Lexion to return to the bedroom after his duties, Seyra entered with a group of maids and whispered to Adelina.  

“No… Why are you whispering when I’m just changing into pajamas?”  

Adelina rubbed her ear and looked at Seyra with an expression that said she had seen something strange.  

“It’s thrilling. A secret operation.”  

Seyra, claiming there might be spies, unnecessarily checked various parts of the bedroom.  

“The secret… Everyone knows today is Lexion’s birthday. And what are all those?”  

Adelina frowned at the maids carrying an excessive amount of luxurious oils as she entered the bathroom.  

Given the timing, she couldn’t throw a grand birthday banquet for Lexion, but she had been busy all morning preparing a substantial breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  

‘I didn’t even celebrate my birthday like this!’  

In short, she had prepared a grand birthday table as a wife.  

‘What is that!’  

Adelina shook her index finger left and right, indicating no, as she saw Seyra holding up pajamas made of fabric so thin it was questionable if they were clothes.  

Not that one. Put it down right now.

“Tsk.”

Seeing Seyra grumble and pull out different pajamas, Adelina sank into the bathtub.  

An hour later, Lexion, with his hair slicked back and wearing a loose nightgown not fully buttoned, leaned against the door of Adelina’s bedroom.  

“Ahem. I didn’t know, but they say today is my birthday.”

‘Oh… So cheesy. Who set that concept…’  

Adelina forced a smile and approached Lexion.  

“How can you not know? I ate with you all day.”  

She poked Lexion’s stomach.  

What’s in there? Didn’t you eat several cakes?  

“Really? I just thought you liked me.”  

Lexion grabbed both of Adelina’s hands and brought them behind his back, holding them tightly.  

Then, he gazed deeply at her.  

Isn’t there something you forgot? Today is the day.  

“Pfft. Is it because I didn’t wish you a happy birthday?”  

You’re not a child anymore to be wished a happy birthday.  

Adelina burst into laughter, seeing Lexion’s ears turn red with embarrassment.  

“Happy birthday, Lexion.”  

Although it was embarrassing, since he wanted it so much, she closed her eyes and said it.  

“Can I choose my birthday present?”  

“Uh… I already painted a portrait…”  

Oh dear. Lexion really seems to enjoy celebrating his birthday thoroughly.  

Without money and only able to draw, she had painted a portrait…  

“I’ll take that and one more.”  

‘Wow. Funny. Is this a gamble? Take one and get another.’

Adelina slyly opened her eyes and pulled her arms from Lexion’s grasp.  

“Then you have to give me two gifts on my birthday next year.”

“Of course.”  

“In that case, tell me.”  

Adelina neatly buttoned Lexion’s open gown and led him to the sofa, sitting side by side.  

Meanwhile, his intense red gaze full of heat was fixed on Adelina’s lips.  

+++

What could he want for a birthday present…  

Money? Honor? Love? Is there anything I can give among these?  

‘No way! This naughty guy… My body?’  

Impossible!  

Adelina subtly crossed her arms over her chest.