Chapter 79

‘Do they think I don’t know? They plan to intervene in the war once Ernst has weakened Petrus as much as possible! They intend to easily seize supremacy that way!’  

It wasn’t just the Tiola Empire. The other empire envoys she met yesterday would be the same.  

Adelina continued to glare at the Emperor and Jaeyon until their laughter ceased.  

The Emperor, feeling awkward, cleared his throat twice and took a sip of tea to buy more time.  

“After Thanksgiving, I’ll provide you with warships. After all, the real war will begin in autumn.”  

At the Emperor’s words, Adelina’s expression gradually softened.  

‘The Emperor has made up his mind!’  

This meant the Tiola Empire would officially participate in the war after Thanksgiving.  

“I’ll spend Thanksgiving here.”  

Adelina unfolded her crossed arms and gently placed her hands on her navel, bowing slightly.  

If they were giving her warships, she might even bow deeply if asked.  

“And one more thing. Please send shipbuilders to Ernst.”  

She straightened her back and shamelessly demanded. Having nothing, what else could she do but put on a brave face?  

“Your Majesty, shipbuilders… isn’t that too much to ask?”  

When Jaeyon interjected, Adelina glared at him fiercely.  

‘How dare a mere member of the Imperial Family interrupt a conversation between an Emperor and a Queen!’  

Already making an unreasonable request, Jaeyon, as a friend, should have helped instead of pouring cold water on her efforts, which was truly displeasing.  

“Very well, Your Majesty. I’ll send you the shipbuilders. Thirty of them, secretly.”  

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”  

Fortunately, the Emperor readily accepted.  

Having decided to participate in the full-scale war, he seemed intent on providing as much support as possible.  

As Adelina’s expression brightened endlessly, Jaeyon’s lips slowly curled into a smile while watching her.  

“I hope you make many good memories with Jaeyon.”  

The Emperor said playfully, patting Jaeyon’s shoulder.  

“Yes, Your Majesty. We are maintaining a good friendship.”  

Adelina responded with an ambiguous smile, unable to fully relax her stiffened face.  

“If you don’t like Jaeyon, I have sons too.”  

“Your Majesty!”  

Jaeyon flared up at the Emperor’s continued teasing remarks.  

‘These people! They’re playing with me!’  

Adelina burst into laughter, waving her hands.  

I couldn’t punch the Emperor in the face and make him bleed, could I?  

“Hahaha. I understand they are all married.”

And have children too, as far as I know.  

“Then, I’ll now retreat as a hostage to the Camellia Palace.”  

Adelina abruptly stood up, bowed slightly, and left the audience chamber without waiting for the Emperor’s reply.  

+++

‘Ah! So annoying! Emperors are all annoying!’  

Adelina exited through the door, opened by a startled attendant.  

The maids waiting outside followed closely behind her.  

‘Her Majesty is in a bad mood! She must have heard something unpleasant inside!’  

Following Adelina, whose footsteps were loud as she suppressed her anger, the maids glared at the escort knights for no reason.  

“Your Majesty!”  

Jaeyon hurriedly followed and approached her side.  

Standing beside her as if escorting her, he placed her hand on his arm.  

“Haha. I was surprised you requested shipbuilders. Anyway, we need to gather people quickly.”  

Seyra’s eyes burned as if they would set Jaeyon’s arm on fire, but he pretended not to notice and moved closer to Adelina.  

“I’ve already gathered them.”  

“What?”  

When Jaeyon stopped in surprise, Adelina smiled brightly and gestured for him to look ahead.  

“Over there. Hailyn is coming.”  

‘Hailyn…’  

Hailyn, dressed elegantly in a dress for the first time in a while, approached them and snapped open a fan.  

“Your Majesty, everyone is gathered. You can go to that inn.”  

“Thank you for your hard work, Hailyn. I’ll prepare a bonus for you.”  

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”  

Jaeyon looked at the two whispering behind their fans with an incredulous expression.  

‘A bonus? Ha! Hailyn! You conspired with Adelina without my knowledge!’  

Jaeyon’s head tilted to the side.  

“Hailyn, can I see you for a moment? Right now.”  

“Jaeyon?”  

Jaeyon, pulling Hailyn, whose cheeks were slightly flushed unlike usual, stepped into a nearby room.  

+++

The next day, as if sensing Adelina and the maids’ moods, it rained lightly all day.  

When Jaeyon visited Adelina’s room, she was sketching something in an empty book.  

“Let’s go. I have something nice to show you.”  

“Something nice?”  

Adelina’s face showed clear annoyance as she glanced out the window.  

“Come on. You’ll really like it once you see it.”  

Jaeyon forcibly led Adelina to the Magnolia Palace, where artworks were displayed.  

• Adelina seems very anxious and depressed right now.  

Even without Hailyn’s gentle hint, Jaeyon knew Adelina would be uneasy.  

With envoys preparing to leave one by one, and no definite response yet, she must be very anxious.  

“This is where we gather the Imperial Family’s artworks.”  

Jaeyon guided Adelina to the largest room in the Magnolia Palace.  

It was a place he often visited when he felt frustrated.  

“Impressive.”  

Adelina looked around the room and stood before a gigantic painting occupying an entire wall.  

‘How could someone paint like this…’  

It was a landscape painting expressed solely with water and ink on white paper.  

A mist stained by a drop of ink.  

Snow left stark white and clean without any paint.  

A mountain she had never visited, and a tree she saw for the first time.  

Yet, why did it evoke such longing…  

‘It’s different from what I saw in books… to see such a painting in real life…’  

Adelina unknowingly raised her hand to gently touch the painting.  

A chill ran through her as if she felt the cold touch of snow.  

She thought she had already given up on painting.  

Since her past life, she was accustomed to giving up on anything.  

Parental love. Friendship with friends. Sympathy from others. Even passion for painting.  

‘Foolishly… I decided not to want what I couldn’t have…’  

But the sudden surge of this choking emotion, this thirst piercing her fingertips…  

She couldn’t help it either.  

+++

Jaeyon took Adelina’s hand and turned her to face him.  

He lifted her chin to make her look at him.  

‘I thought she’d cry… but she didn’t.’  

He felt a slight regret at the moisture surrounding her golden eyes.  

If she had cried, he would have had an excuse to touch her cheek.  

“I’m glad you like this painting. I’ve arranged for the artist who created this work. You can learn to paint for an hour every day. With me.”  

Adelina’s expression changed in various ways at his words.  

Surprise and joy, confusion, and… annoyance?  

“Jaeyon… what are you doing?”  

Ah. It seemed he was right.

She glared at him and brushed his hand away.  

“Seduction.”  

Jaeyon shrugged his shoulders, trying to suppress a smile.  

While comforting a sad Adelina was nice, she suited being so haughty.  

“With money?”  

“With my face and body.”  

He playfully leaned in close to her, as if asking if this was okay.

“Too bad. If it were money, it might have been more effective.”  

Now, all the sadness that had shadowed her face was gone.  

“Oh dear, Your Majesty. Isn’t that too materialistic?”  

Grabbing her hand, which was pushing against his forehead with a finger, he led her to another room.  

He didn’t look back at her face.  

He didn’t want her to see the smile on his lips.  

+++

That night, Adelina didn’t mention the envoys to Lexion in the mirror.  

‘So, I’ve decided to paint with Jaeyon every day.’  

Instead, she decided to share something cheerful.  

Since she and the maids were quite regretful about not returning home, she wanted to let him know they were okay.  

“Painting? Hmm… paint with me.”  

Contrary to her expectations, Lexion in the mirror frowned deeply, looking very displeased.  

‘How? We can’t even meet.’  

“Can’t you come here again?”  

‘I don’t know. If I can’t come out, everyone will think I ran away.’

Of course, she wanted to go. But she couldn’t since she didn’t know exactly how to get out of the mirror.  

“Then… draw me. Don’t draw anything weird. I’ll show you now, so remember well.”  

‘How?’  

“Watch closely.”  

Lexion set the hand mirror on the desk at the right angle and began unbuttoning his shirt one by one.  

This well-educated naughty man!  

Adelina, who had been leaning against the headboard, straightened her back and stared intently at the mirror.  

“Did you see well?”  

‘Yes!’  

The half-n*ked Lexion in the mirror twisted his body as if to show off his muscles.  

To think… I couldn’t poke it! Truly regrettable!  

Everywhere he flexed, his muscles seemed like they would burst like tangerine segments.  

“Shall I show you the last part too?”  

Oh my. Oh my. Has he gone mad!  

Even though he was quite embarrassed, Lexion, whose neck turned red, placed his hand on his hip bone.  

‘Yes!’  

Well. So what! I’m just watching!

To draw, she must accurately understand the body’s structure!  

Adelina spread her fingers wide and covered her mouth.  

Now! Finally, the last piece was about to disappear from his body.  

It’s R-rated! R-rated! 

She was about to witness a true R-rated scene!  

‘Huh?’  

Suddenly, as if time was up, Lexion’s image disappeared from the mirror.  

‘Hey! What do you mean by this!’  

Only Adelina’s face, red as a rose petal, remained in the mirror.  

+++

Thanksgiving was just ten days away.  

More than half of the crops ripening in the fields of the Tiola Empire had been harvested.  

It was the happiest time of the year, with abundant ingredients and the generous spirit of the market people.  

A small luncheon was prepared in the central garden of the Imperial Palace before the first envoy left.  

“Hahaha, it seems Ernst has many beauties.”  

The envoy, who had been eyeing Seyra, clicked his tongue in regret while sipping his drink.  

“Not only beauties, but Ernst also has many excellent artists and scholars.”  

Seyra, thanking him for the compliment, briefly nodded and said.  

Adelina, seeing the maids trying their best to maintain a good atmosphere despite the envoys’ lecherous gazes, stood up and raised her glass.  

“I am truly glad to have met you at this banquet. I look forward to meeting you at the King of Ernst’s birthday celebration next year.”  

At Adelina’s words, the envoys from Leophris and Petrus blatantly turned their heads, but the other envoys raised their glasses in response.  

“Haha, Your Majesty, won’t that be too late? Let’s meet at your birthday banquet next year.”  

The envoy from the Suichen Empire, whom Adelina had worked hard to win over, stood up and raised his glass higher.  

‘Got it! Now that the empire has announced it’s on our side, other empire envoys will start moving!’  

Adelina and the envoy looked at each other and smiled brightly.  

It seemed the war would soon end in Ernst’s victory.  

+++

“You’re still all in the Tiola Empire. I’m glad I hurried.”

At the sound of a beautiful woman’s voice from behind, Adelina nearly dropped her glass.