Chapter 62

“Birthday kiss.”  

‘What? Kiss? After setting up the mood like this, just a kiss?’

Adelina momentarily looked at Lexion with a dazed expression.  

His mischievous grin and twitching lips were very annoying.  

“That much, I can do anytime.”  

Adelina pushed Lexion’s back against the sofa and climbed onto his lap, facing him.  

“I like this position very much.”

Lexion held Adelina’s back with one hand.

With the other hand, he subtly slipped inside her pajamas and brushed her calf.

“Be quiet. Just open your mouth.”  

Adelina slapped Lexion’s hand, which had climbed up to her thigh, and wrapped her arms around his neck.  

Closing her eyes, she slowly lowered her head towards Lexion’s lips.  

‘My heart is going to explode…’  

Adelina’s lips trembled as they touched Lexion’s.  

The tongue exploring inside felt so unfamiliar, as if it wasn’t part of her.  

‘It’s not my first time, so why am I like this!’  

She tightly shut her eyes, almost to the point of tears, and continued to entwine with his soft flesh.  

“Ha… Adelina…”  

‘Lexion?’  

The playful look in Lexion’s eyes dulled as if mixed with gray paint.  

This kiss seemed painful, even wrinkling his fine brow.  

“Huff…”  

His lips and tongue, devouring all her breath, were too hot.  

Adelina’s lips began to swell and bleed.  

“Lexion…”  

“So weak.”  

As he took a moment to catch his breath, Lexion touched the torn part of Adelina’s lips, where blood had pooled.  

“Ah…”  

“Adelina.”  

At Adelina’s faint moan, Lexion exhaled a heavy breath and called her name.  

The grip on the back of her neck tightened.  

Their lips slowly drew close again.  

+++

Knock, knock. At the sudden knock, their gaze, about to meet lips again, turned to the door.  

“What is it!”  

Lexion’s voice, hot with passion just moments ago, now roared like a fierce winter snowstorm.  

“Sorry… I apologize. An envoy from the Tiola Empire has arrived.”  

“An envoy from the Tiola Empire? … Could it be…”  

As if in a trance at the attendant’s voice, Adelina got off Lexion’s lap and slowly walked towards the door.  

“Your Majesty. Hailyn from the Tiola Empire has come as an envoy and requests an audience.”  

“Hailyn?! Lexion! Hailyn is here!”  

At the attendant’s words from outside the door, Adelina looked at Lexion with a bright smile.  

‘Hailyn…’  

Lexion forced a smile following Adelina, but his eyes remained cold as he stared at the door.  

+++

“I was eager to confirm Lady Adelina’s safety quickly, so I committed the rudeness of visiting at this late hour. I will accept punishment for this later.”

Hailyn, who was in the waiting room, immediately entered Adelina’s reception room and bowed.  

“No, Hailyn. I was also worried about you because of the typhoon. Thank you for coming.”  

Adelina hugged Hailyn tightly and held both of her hands.  

Lexion sat on the sofa, waiting for them to sit.  

“You’ve worked hard. So, you came as an envoy?”  

“Yes, Your Majesty. First, please accept the personal letter from His Majesty the Emperor. Also, I brought a gift to congratulate Your Majesty’s ascension.”  

After reading the letter Hailyn took out, Lexion handed it to Stephan, who was waiting beside him.  

“A galleon as a gift. Not a bad coronation gift.”

The Tiola Empire’s galleon, more than twice the size of other kingdoms’ warships, was impressive in size and speed.  

Several countries tried to replicate it, but always failed due to lack of technology.  

‘They know they can’t imitate it, even if they want to.’  

Lexion looked down at Adelina’s hands, still holding Hailyn’s tightly, and stood up.  

“By now, your room should be ready, so rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”  

Stephan and the staff were probably eager to disassemble and reassemble the galleon immediately.  

“Oh, by the way! Your Majesty, happy birthday. Jaeyon has personally prepared a gift for you.”  

As Hailyn, who stood up following Lexion, looked at the attendants who came with her, they opened a large box.  

“A telescope.”  

Lexion examined the telescope handed to him by an attendant, fixing his gaze and slightly raising the corners of his mouth.  

“Yes. It’s newly developed. It should perform much better than what Petrus has.”  

Hailyn’s face, full of pride, reminded him of Jaeyon.  

“Please convey my thanks.”  

Lexion left the reception room, holding the telescope.  

One of the staff waiting in the hallway hurriedly approached and quietly spoke.  

“The technicians have arrived. We will begin dismantling immediately.”  

“Provide all necessary support.”  

Lexion handed the telescope to the staff member and immediately convened a meeting.  

+++

The next morning, Evans, who had taken control of the southern region of Iberis, stepped out of his tent to check the weather and looked up at the sky.  

“The swans have already begun their migration.”  

The swans, which had started migrating from Ernst to Iberis as the weather turned cold, caught Evans’ eye.  

Swans… Sweeney was as graceful as those swans.  

‘Along with a beautiful smile, she betrayed me vilely.’  

Evans twisted his lips and ordered his subordinate to bring a bow.  

Thwack! The swans flying in the sky let out a short scream at Evans’ arrow.  

The beautiful white feathers were stained with red blood and fell haphazardly into the grass.  

“Your Majesty! Look at this!”  

A subordinate hurriedly ran over, having found a tie sling around the neck of a fallen swan.  

Evans clenched the tie sling in his fist and pulled out the paper inside.  

<The moon in the east will protect you.>  

The paper had small writing in the Iberis language.  

“Hahaha. Sweeney, you think you can escape from me.”

Foolish. No matter where you go, I’ll follow and kill you.  

“Summon a military meeting immediately!”

Evans crumpled the paper in his fist and threw it to the ground, striding forward.  

The subordinate beside him picked up the fallen paper, put it in his pocket, and hurriedly followed Evans.  

‘Sweeney, you will never reach the east.’  

A cold wind, as biting as Evans’ sneer, blew through the grass.  

+++

Having rested, Hailyn visited Adelina’s office just before the afternoon.

Seyra, who was with Adelina, set up a cup of tea for Hailyn and sat across from her.  

“I am Hailyn. I am a sworn sister to Lady Adelina. I am the elder sister.”

Seeing Hailyn extend her hand for a handshake, Seyra looked at Adelina with surprised eyes.  

“Uh… Sister?”  

Wasn’t I the first to become sworn sisters with you? Wasn’t I the first?

“Hahaha. Seyra, Hailyn helped me a lot when I was in Petrus. She even risked her life for me.”  

Adelina awkwardly laughed and wiped her forehead once.  

Seyra quickly turned her head and looked at Hailyn with sharp eyes.  

Her cheeks puffed up like a child who had a favorite doll taken away.  

Sister? I wasn’t the first? In that case…  

“Please call me Seyra, Elder Sister.”  

Then I’ll have two sisters.

Seyra gently took Hailyn’s hand.  

“And, please use the proper title. She is not Lady Adelina, but the Queen of Ernst.”

However. I can’t easily give up my second sister! I must defend her!

“Nice to meet you, Little Sister.”  

Hailyn smiled softly and squeezed the hand she was holding.  

For a moment, Seyra was startled and opened her mouth.  

“Elder Sister, please take care of me.”  

Seyra quickly closed her mouth and squeezed back as best she could.  

+++

Two days later, early in the morning, Stephan checked the carrier pigeon and hurried into the staff meeting.  

“It’s today.”  

The carrier pigeon sent by the young earl of Gair was only carrying a black cloth.  

“The situation has become urgent.”  

The staff immediately stood up and began preparing to head to Pale Island.  

As Lexion and Stephan changed into the same black clothes as the special knights and were about to depart, Earl Bettran and other older nobles entered the meeting room.  

“What is it?”  

“Your Majesty… Are you going as well?”  

Earl Bettran sighed deeply inside as he saw Lexion, wearing a black hood.  

“Yes.”  

Lexion put on black gloves and watched them bow deeply in greeting.  

“Your Majesty… Shouldn’t you stay and protect this palace…”  

“Earl Bettran.”  

Lexion interrupted the anxious, trembling voice of Earl Bettran and looked around at their faces.  

All filled with worry. Deep wrinkles formed over the past ten years were filled with concern.  

“I am a Sword Master. If I can save even one more soldier by going, then I should go.”  

Due to Petrus’s thorough restraint, there were almost no Sword Masters in Ernst.  

Currently, only ten Sword Masters remained, including Lexion and Stephan.  

With their superior skills, they would have to participate in almost every battle.  

“Don’t worry. There aren’t many who can kill a Sword Master.”  

Lexion patted Earl Bettran and the nobles on the shoulder and was about to leave the meeting room.  

“Your Majesty… Forgive my rudeness, but the people’s worries are still great.”  

Earl Bettran and the nobles lay flat behind Lexion’s back.  

Lexion turned and looked down at them.  

“What do you mean?”  

“You’re the only one in the Ernst’s royal family. The people want this royal family to be stable. So… until there is an heir, how about avoiding dangerous tasks… How about leaving today’s operation to others…”  

They prostrated themselves so their foreheads touched the floor.

According to the head maid of the queen’s palace, Lexion and Adelina had not consummated their marriage.  

With no sign of pregnancy, if something happened to Lexion, the royal lineage would be cut off.  

The concern that had been a source of anxiety for the past ten years still lingered.  

“We’ll talk about that after I return.”  

Lexion left the meeting room, leaving them as they were.  

He understood their concerns.  

Knowing his life wasn’t his own, he had endured harshly for the past ten years.  

‘But I can’t just have an heir with any woman…’  

Unconsciously fiddling with the knot at the end of his sword, he walked down the corridor.  

After this operation, the nobles would push women from their families into the harem.  

“Adelina?”  

At the end of the corridor, in front of a large window where light streamed in, Adelina was looking outside with Seyra.  

Sensing Lexion’s gaze, Adelina turned towards him with a gentle smile.  

“Lexion!”  

Quickening her steps, Adelina approached and glanced at the knot hanging from Lexion’s sword, extending her hand to him.  

“I wanted to show you this. It’s trendy to do it this way these days.”