Chapter 63

As Adelina opened her hand, a knot of black and silver was placed on her palm.  

“Is that so?”  

Lexion quietly watched as Adelina attached it to his sword.  

Once, twice, three times.  

She tied it so tightly that the tips of Adelina’s nails turned white.  

“All done. I’ll make you ten or a hundred, so… come back safely.”  

Adelina, seemingly unfamiliar with his gloved hand, couldn’t even hold it, just fiddling with the sleeve.  

Lexion pulled Adelina into his arms by her waist.  

“Of course.”  

Leaving a short kiss on Adelina’s forehead, he departed the palace with the knights.  

+++

The southern coastal region of Iberis. Evans climbed a hill and turned back after seeing the clouds surrounding Pale Island in the distance.  

As the sea breeze strengthened, the grass lay flat.  

Only the flag of Petrus, emblazoned with a dragon, fluttered proudly.  

“The Iberis army has moved.”  

“Let’s go.”  

After confirming the message sent by the spy, Evans approached the dragon sunbathing with its wings spread on one side of the hill.  

“Kill every Iberian you see.”  

Evans’ figure, seething with anger, was etched into the dragon’s eyes before they soared into the sky.  

+++

Pale Island, where even small fishing boats have no place to dock, is surrounded by sharp rocky cliffs.  

As darkness fell, the knights of Petrus stationed on Pale Island spotted kayaks approaching the coast.  

“It’s an ambush! Shoot the arrows!”  

Lexion and the knights, each in a small one-person kayak, paddled towards the cliffs, deflecting the arrows pouring in from the darkness.  

“We can’t go any further!”  

As Stephan’s sharp voice rang out, nearly twenty kayaks capsized.  

‘Adelina.’  

With his head under the sea, Lexion couldn’t breathe.  

Only the silver moonlight piercing through the black sea lingered briefly in his vision before disappearing.  

“Keep shooting the arrows!”  

Arrows rained down on the overturned kayaks, sticking into them like rain.  

Despite the thick darkness obscuring everything, the arrows did not cease.  

No sound could be heard.  

Only the sound of the fierce waves crashing suicidally against the coastal cliffs could be heard from the black sea.  

+++

Hailyn and Seyra approached and held Adelina’s hand, who couldn’t sit still for a moment.  

“Your Majesty, please don’t worry too much.”  

Seyra led the pale-lipped Adelina to the sofa.  

Though it was cold at night and they even lit the fireplace, Adelina’s hands were quite cold.  

She wrapped a triangular shawl around her, warmed a thick towel by the fireplace, and wrapped it around Adelina’s hands.  

“I’m not worried.”  

A lie. Using the cold as an excuse, her whole body was trembling finely.  

“Yes, Your Majesty. Everyone will return safely.”  

Even late at night, Seyra poured a cup of warm cocoa prepared by the maids into Adelina’s hands.  

Clatter. The terrace window shook loudly in the rough night wind.  

Hailyn approached the terrace to check if the door was securely locked, placed a chair in front of it, and sat down.  

‘Lexion. Stephan… Please return today… I’m waiting.’  

With the sword on her lap, she looked up at the silver moon reflected in the terrace window.  

Adelina’s terrace, without Lexion and Stephan, looked very precarious and lonely.  

+++

Below the cliffs of Pale Island, white waves foamed incessantly.  

Occasionally, the seawater rushed in with a roaring sound through a very small gap between the cliffs.  

Overturned kayaks collided between the cliffs and were sucked into that gap.  

“Phew!”  

The kayaks that entered the cave below the cliffs flipped over again.  

Lexion and the knights exhaled the breath they had been holding and panted heavily.  

Having held their breath for so long, some knights even choked and spat out water.  

Unable to think of getting out of the kayak, they just breathed for a while before finally checking each other’s faces.  

“The one who came up with this plan! I’ll kill them!”  

As Stephan got out of the kayak and shouted in anger, one of the knights flinched greatly.  

“It was a good plan. The Petrus army wouldn’t have thought we could hold our breath for so long.”  

Lexion approached the knight and patted him on the back to console him.  

The Petrus army really wouldn’t know.  

Even they didn’t know they could hold their breath for so long.  

“Let’s go up.”  

Lexion and the knights climbed the sharp cave walls.  

+++

The next morning. On the eastern plains of Iberis, the large shadow cast by the wings of three dragons spread wide.  

“Protect the Queen!”  

The Iberis army couldn’t even attack.  

As if the only thing they could do was run fast, they galloped for hours. 

• Evans is not an easy man. He won’t believe it unless I move personally.  

Sweeney persuaded her ministers and mounted her horse herself.  

The hair tie that had been tightly holding her hair together couldn’t withstand the constant shaking for hours and fell off.  

Her lungs felt like they were tearing.  

She couldn’t tell if the rough, loud breathing was from the horse or herself.  

Even as sweat from her forehead trickled down into her eyes, she couldn’t wipe it and just kept running.  

The large black shadow swallowed their small shadows.  

‘Evans!’  

Sweeney didn’t need to turn her head to know.  

The dragon’s eyes, persistently chasing her black hair.  

Those eyes would resemble Evans’ icy blue eyes.  

“Run faster!”  

The black dragon’s shadow grew larger.  

The wind stirred by the dragons’ wings whipped behind them.  

+++

‘Sweeney!’  

From the sky, Evans could immediately spot Sweeney.  

Even just seeing her back, he could tell she was terrified to the point of wanting to cry by now.  

‘Choosing that guy over me?’  

The brown-haired man running beside Sweeney was quite irritating.  

“Your Majesty! We need to land!”  

The shout of one of the dragon knights was heard.  

Having spotted Sweeney and chased her without rest, the dragons must have been flying for over four hours by now.  

“Land above their heads!”  

At Evans’ command, the dragons’ claws aimed for the heads of the Iberis army.  

+++

Tap, tap, tap-. The sound of Adelina’s shoes running down the corridor of the Ernst palace echoed off the high ceiling.  

It was already two hours past the time Lexion promised to return.  

She didn’t even know what dress she wore this morning.  

Didn’t know how her hair was styled.  

If she wore a tiara? A necklace?  

Even if she could tell by looking in one of the mirrors hanging in the palace corridor, Adelina couldn’t think of turning her head to the side and just ran forward.  

“Lexion!”  

As the central palace door opened, the silhouettes of knights dismounting from horses were visible.  

“Adelina!”  

Whether he came with a body not yet dry, the sunlight hitting Lexion’s body made it shimmer like a mirage.  

As Lexion spread his arms, Adelina ran into his embrace.  

“It’s dangerous to run in heels.”  

“It’s okay.”  

Fool. What’s dangerous about running on this flat corridor?  

Lexion, who enveloped her tightly, smelled like the sea.  

Others probably smelled similar.  

Stephan approached them hesitantly and brought his fist to his mouth.  

“Ahem… We have completed the mission safely and returned, Your Majesty.”  

At Stephan’s words, Adelina snapped back to her senses and stepped back from Lexion’s embrace.  

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard. You accomplished a difficult mission excellently.”  

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”  

Adelina spoke with dignity and met the eyes of each knight.  

“Your feet are hurt.”  

Only when Lexion frowned and sat down to remove her shoes did she realize her feet were bleeding.  

They must have been because of the new shoes.  

Now she remembered Seyra mischievously winking as she put them on her, saying they would make her look pretty when meeting Lexion today.  

“Lexion!”  

As Lexion lifted her up, she called his name in embarrassment and held onto his shoulder.  

“Have the knights rest, and we’ll have the meeting in an hour. Prepare for it.”  

“Yes, Your Majesty!”  

Lexion carried Adelina to the bedroom.  

Though it was just one night, it felt like they had been apart longer than during any previous month-long expedition.  

+++

The Ernst palace was buzzing as if preparing for a banquet.  

“Did you say… the knight devised this plan?”  

“Yes, that’s correct.”  

The knight who devised the plan scratched the back of his head shyly, surrounded by people.  

“Oh my… That’s amazing.”  

“Yes, it was a strategy the Petrus knights wouldn’t have dared to think of. Truly impressive.”  

The maids blushed as they looked at the knights who returned after completing the mission, and the men were noisy, recounting their feats here and there.  

As Lexion and the staff passed through the corridor, they stopped their chatter and bowed.  

‘Having secured Pale Island, the possibility of dragons landing in Ernst should now be slim!’  

Lexion entered the office with the staff, feeling joyful.  

Adelina was said to be having a separate meeting with the noblewomen to prepare for the Thanksgiving festival in a month.  

“Your Majesty, how about taking a concubine?”  

At the words of the nobles who came for the meeting, Lexion’s raised lips lowered.  

“Earl Bettran!”  

The first to get angry was Stephan.  

Stephan placed his fist on the table and glared at the nobles.  

“My daughter is rightfully the queen, and you talk of concubines!”  

“The greatest duty of Your Majesty and Her Majesty is to maintain the royal succession!”  

At the stern voice of Earl Bettran, the nobles nodded vigorously in agreement.  

“Enough!”  

When Lexion commanded with his arms crossed, those glaring at each other lowered their heads.  

“Now is the time to discuss the war that endangers the lives of the people. Only strategy and tactics should be discussed at this time.”  

“But… Your Majesty…”  

When Lexion rebuked them, Earl Bettran and the nobles tried to raise their heads to express their concerns.  

Lexion raised his hand to stop them.  

“The succession you are worried about will be discussed with the queen, so do not bring it up further in this meeting.”  

At Lexion’s firm declaration, the nobles hardened their expressions and began the meeting.  

+++

That night. Having had dinner with the noblewomen while preparing for the Thanksgiving meeting, Adelina sprawled on the bed.  

“Your Majesty, you’re tired, aren’t you? Let me give you a massage.”  

“Thank you, Seyra.”  

As Adelina was slowly dozing off while receiving the massage, Lexion entered the room.  

“Today is not the night for the union, Your Majesty.”  

“Hailyn, you came as an envoy. It’s not your concern to manage the queen’s union nights.”  

Seyra and Adelina, who had just awoken from drowsiness, widened their eyes at their conversation, looking at each other, wondering what was happening.  

“Hahaha. Elder Sister Hailyn, really… You two, sleep well.”  

Seyra, somehow sensing Hailyn’s reluctance to leave, took her hand and led her out of the room.  

Lexion approached Adelina, who was sitting blankly, and sat on the edge of the bed.  

“Adelina… We’re in the middle of a war right now.”