Chapter 76

Jaeyon could understand Adelina’s unspoken words without her saying them.

“It’s not your fault, Your Majesty.”  

He embraced Adelina, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and gently stroked her back.  

“I…”  

The fake me should have stayed… and saved them, the reals…  

He didn’t want to know her innermost thoughts.

He didn’t want to guess the words she couldn’t say.  

“It’s not your fault, Lady Adelina.”  

A tear hanging from her eyelash finally rolled down her cheek.  

Jaeyon felt as if someone was squeezing his lungs, making it hard to breathe.  

His hand unconsciously reached for her cheek.  

“I’m okay now. Thank you.”  

Before his hand touched her cheek, Adelina gently pushed it away and rubbed her face as if washing it with her hands.  

“Address me properly. I am the Queen of Ernst.”  

Though she was crying without even letting tears hang from her eyes, she forced a smile by raising the corners of her trembling mouth.  

+++

Jaeyon reached deep into his left sleeve with his right hand, pulled out a glass bottle, and handed it to Adelina.  

“It’s a digestive aid.”  

“Haha. Friends are indeed the best.”  

Adelina gulped down the digestive aid on the spot.  

If she remained so gloomy, the maids would want to shed tears of blood.  

“By any chance… do you have more?”  

With her stomach somewhat settled after the digestive aid, Adelina looked at the maids’ pale faces and subtly glanced at Jaeyon’s sleeve.  

The maids, having heard the news, must be forcing food down, making their stomachs uneasy.  

‘Somehow, it feels like anything could come out of that sleeve.’  

In historical dramas shown on TV in her previous life, swords, money, and even rice came out of such sleeves…  

“Here it is. Ladies, please take one each. You can chew it.”  

As expected! Jaeyon took out black pills wrapped in paper from his sleeve and handed them to each maid.  

“The medicine… seems very bitter.”  

The usually graceful maids couldn’t manage their expressions, indicating how bitter it was.  

Seyra’s face, chewing the pill, contorted endlessly.  

The other maids also couldn’t smooth their faces, perhaps due to the lingering bitterness in their mouths.  

“Yes. So normally, it’s swallowed with water.”  

“Jaeyon…”  

Jaeyon turned Adelina around, who was looking at him as if he were a scoundrel.  

“Let’s go, Your Majesty.”  

Despite Seyra glaring at his back with trembling shoulders and the other maids glaring sharply, Jaeyon carefully placed his hand on Adelina’s back and guided her to the Camellia Palace.  

“I’ll come to the terrace in three hours.”  

‘Jaeyon?’  

Upon reaching the entrance of the Camellia Palace, Jaeyon whispered softly in Adelina’s ear before turning around immediately.  

Others likely didn’t hear it over the sound of crickets chirping.  

About three hours later, Jaeyon sneaked into Adelina’s bedroom.  

‘Sleep well.’  

Having mixed a sleeping aid in the digestive aid, he expected Adelina and the maids to fall into a deep sleep immediately.  

‘It’s always fascinating to see this silver hair.’  

Jaeyon carefully sat on the edge of the bed and held a handful of Adelina’s silver hair in his hand.  

He brought the silver hair close to his face and took a deep breath.  

The scent that occasionally wafted from her seemed to emanate from her hair.  

“Stop. That’s enough.”  

In a voice still groggy from sleep, Adelina pressed a dagger to Jaeyon’s neck.  

Jaeyon gently pushed the dagger away from his neck with his fingertips.  

‘I’ve always wanted to have them. These golden eyes.’  

Adelina, not fully awake, had no strength in her body and was glaring at him with forced open eyes.  

“Please wake up, sleepyhead Queen. Everyone should be arriving by now.”  

“Why did you give me a sleeping aid?”  

Jaeyon went to the table, filled a glass with water, and brought it to Adelina.  

“Knowing how suspicious Your Majesty is, I thought you’d take an antidote, and the maids… I wanted them to sleep a little under the influence of the medicine. Otherwise, they’d cry all night.”  

Adelina barely sat up, drank the water in one go, and handed the glass back to Jaeyon.  

“That’s their choice. It’s not something you should intervene in.”

“Yes, I know. But now is not the time to cry, but to be alert. Like Your Majesty.”  

Jaeyon approached Adelina again and sat on the edge of the bed.  

‘You could have slept comfortably for a few hours.’

Adelina was wearing a shirt and pants instead of pajamas, ready to leave immediately.  

“Can you get up?”  

“The medicine seems quite strong.”  

“Have another glass of water.”  

Jaeyon helped the still weak Adelina sit up.  

He assisted her to sit side by side on the bed and brought another glass of water to her lips.  

‘Those lips I once touched.’  

He couldn’t take his eyes off Adelina’s red lips, slightly pressed against the transparent glass cup.  

“Now I feel some strength returning to my body. Let’s depart.”  

Adelina placed the water cup on the bed’s headboard and looked up at Jaeyon’s face, staring at her intently.  

“Jaeyon?”  

“Can I receive my overtime pay now?”  

Jaeyon lightly hugged Adelina’s shoulders and looked more closely at her face.  

“No, you can’t. Friends don’t do that.”  

Adelina frowned, as if annoyed, and removed Jaeyon’s hand from her shoulder.  

‘Adelina. That look hurts me. I’m a man too.’  

Jaeyon felt like a puppy begging its owner for a pat.  

“Then, let’s end our friendship.”  

Adelina’s eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn’t expected such a response.  

“Friends are precious. We can’t end our friendship.”  

“Greedy. You only want what’s good for you.”  

He found it amusing that she was taking it somewhat seriously.

“Hmm… And… Lexion told me not to cheat.”  

‘Somehow, this isn’t amusing.’  

Jaeyon gently lifted Adelina’s chin. Now that he seemed to appear as a man, she blushed and turned her head, which he found somewhat pleasing.  

“Such a prude.”  

“Stop joking. Let’s depart.”  

“I’m not joking. Let’s go. Hold my hand.”  

Jaeyon released Adelina’s chin, stood up, and extended his hand. 

That’s enough for today.  

Since she started blushing because of him, he believed he could soon enter her heart.  

“Let’s go.”  

Jaeyon led Adelina, who fearlessly grabbed his outstretched hand, out to the terrace.  

+++

Numerous warships and fishing boats illuminated the dark night sea with the luminescent stones they hung.  

Wyverns plunged deeply into the pitch-black night sea as if diving again.  

“There! The wyverns have rescued more people!”  

Wyverns burst out of the water where the silver crescent moon shone on the dark blue waves.  

“We’ve found everyone!”  

The voice of Earl Bettran, who confirmed the number of survivors and the deceased, echoed loudly over the sea.  

Lexion and Stephan landed their wyverns on the aircraft carrier Adel.  

The large ships Adelina prepared were named Adel and Lina by Lexion.  

Attendants and servants hurriedly ran up to strip Lexion’s shirt and unwrapped the bandages.  

Blood continuously flowed from the reopened wound, soaking the deck.  

“How many survivors?”  

Earl Bettran approached Lexion, who was wrapping bandages, and bowed his head.  

“Out of 150… 50 survived.”  

From the despairing number, blood flowed even more heavily from Lexion’s tense arm.  

“Grain.”  

Lexion bit the inside of his lip hard.  

The metallic taste of blood began to fill his mouth, but consumed by rage, he didn’t even notice.  

“Your Majesty… The five artificial islands have been completely destroyed.”  

Only when Stephan grabbed his hand did he swallow the blood and look towards the Petrus Empire.  

Emperor Grain had found all the Ernst people remaining in Petrus and placed them on the artificial islands.  

The desolation when they saw the dragons flying toward the islands and the people tied there…  

Knowing that the wyvern knights couldn’t fight properly because of them, they threw themselves into the sea.  

“Despicable Grain. I will kill him with my own hands.”  

Gritting his teeth, Lexion turned the ship towards the land.  

+++

“At this late hour, are you two enjoying a tryst?”  

In the garden of Daffodil Palace, located at the far end of the Tiola Empire’s palace, Adelina and Jaeyon encountered Leophris and the knights of Petrus.

“Ah. The Daffodil Palace is also used as a temple, so you must be here to mourn the Ernst people who died today.”

“Everyone will curse the cruelty of Petrus.”  

Adelina clenched her fists tightly and glared at Leophris, who approached her closely, unwilling to lose.  

“Curse, you say. Go ahead and curse now. After all, history will only praise the victors.”

Leophris and the Petrus knights laughed loudly as they passed by Adelina.  

“Ah. I heard that 150 people died this time. Originally, only one person was supposed to die. But that one person ran away.”  

Leophris suddenly stopped and turned, speaking lowly to the back of Adelina’s head.  

“Leophris! This is the Tiola Empire. Stop provoking the state guests.”  

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind, Sir Jaeyon.”  

Though Jaeyon growled at Leophris, glaring at him, he only shrugged his shoulders once and left with his group.  

‘150 people…’  

Adelina crossed her arms tightly around her shivering body.  

Their laughter wrapped around her in the chilly night air.  

+++

“Your Majesty…”  

At Jaeyon’s worried voice, Adelina straightened her body and focused her eyes.  

“Let’s go. People are waiting.”  

Adelina clenched her fists and walked forward, looking only ahead.  

‘Did so many people die because of me? … No, it’s not because of me… Emperor Grain is cruel… It’s not because of me.’  

She clenched her teeth, hardening her heart that threatened to crumble.  

“Jaeyon?”  

Suddenly, Jaeyon pulled Adelina, who was walking ahead, into his arms.  

“Just come to me. Then there will be no worries, no danger.”  

Understanding Adelina’s feelings too well, Jaeyon whispered in a voice sadder than hers.  

“I am now the Queen of Ernst. I cannot turn away from those who look to me.”  

“They… will abandon you, Your Majesty. When the war ends, they will make a real Ernst woman their queen. You know that, don’t you?”  

‘Cruel man. To bring that into words for my ears to hear.’  

Adelina pushed against Jaeyon’s chest, creating some distance.  

“I know… Just… Until then…”  

“Why?”