Chapter 169. Getting Married, You Say

“What?”

Johann frowned and asked again. Pushing aside the pile of documents, he wrinkled one eye as if displeased.

“Seraphina is going out?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

Jesuf answered, scratching the back of his head.

A little while ago, Seraphina had come to find Jesuf at the training grounds.

Her attire looked exactly like she was going out, so Jesuf could easily guess why she had come to him.

It seemed she was being cautious on her own, as she was about to become empress soon.

He thought it was fortunate that she was acting appropriately for her position.

He thought it was a good thing.

“Didn’t you order to assign her guard knights anyway?”

“So she has time to go out…”

Johann muttered with his blood pressure rising.

It’s true that he had ordered to assign guard knights. But he didn’t intend to do it this quickly. He had inwardly thought there would be no need to go outside the palace walls until the imperial wedding.

“I was already thinking of Joseph and Arnaud, so I quickly assigned them.”

“Did she say where she was going?”

“That much…”

Jesuf trailed off in an uncertain voice.

He thought it was enough to assign two skilled knights, he didn’t know he had to monitor where she was going too. Of course, if ordered, he could monitor, but…

“Should I monitor her?”

“…No.”

Johann answered, the air around becoming low-pressured.

In his mind, he was going through the possible reasons why Seraphina might have gone out. To meet that Cork brat? Or the Information Guild Master? Or maybe for a gift…

Johann, who had been boiling inside, was able to calm down a bit when he reached the last thought.

Clunk.

He opened the drawer.

The brooch he had received from Seraphina a few years ago was placed where it could be easily seen.

After quietly looking at it with his eyes, Johann told Jesuf to leave now.

Jesuf grumbled that his lord’s unpredictable mood swings were like having a period, only to get hit on the back of his head by a flying seal.

Anyway, left alone in the office…

“Should I pretend not to know.”

Johann let out a small laugh.

His hands were carefully pinning the brooch to one side of his jacket.

* * *

“Wait here.”

I briefly instructed Joseph and Arnaud, the guard knights Jesuf had assigned, and went up the stairs.

How long has it been?

It was a place I once lived, but strangely, it felt unfamiliar. At the same time, it was familiar.

What does this mean… I’m not sure myself.

How should I put it?

The place where I used to live was already starting to smell different from my memories. Maybe I’m the one changing.

With each step up the stairs, I felt a new sense of emotion.

All sorts of things happened in this small house.

At the end, I ran away without properly organizing… I wonder what it looks like now?

“Seraphina?”

Just then, I heard a welcoming voice.

I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

“Marc!”

“Se, Seraphina! Is it really you?”

Reunited after a long time, we hugged each other tightly.

This guy.

Have you been well?

Seeing him looking a bit thinner, I felt worried. After breaking the hug, I looked Marc over from head to toe.

“Why have you lost so much weight? Haven’t you been eating well?”

“You, this kid…”

Complex emotions appeared on Marc’s face. Worry and resentment were mixed, but a sigh of relief was leaking through.

“Do you know how worried I was when you suddenly disappeared?”

“Huh?”

“And then after half a year, there was just an article saying you went to the Grodes Mountains.”

“Huh?”

“Even though I’ve gotten used to hearing about you through newspaper articles, this is too much. When I heard you purified the dragon you saw and came to Elmon, I’ve been coming here occasionally just in case…”

Marc couldn’t finish his words as emotions welled up.

While thinking I should comfort him, I realized something strange at the same time.

Wait, why doesn’t Marc know anything?

“Didn’t you receive my letter?”

“I was so worried… Letter? What letter?”

Faced with Marc’s expression of complete ignorance, I was at a loss for words.

This is strange.

I definitely sent Marc a letter before rushing to Ponitan, and even from Ponitan. To be precise, I asked Cyril to make sure to deliver it.

“Marc, wait a moment.”

My mood sank.

I originally came here to meet Cyril.

In other words, if I pass through this corridor and open that entrance door of room 403 over there, Cyril should be there.

I strode past Marc, who was wearing a dazed expression with tears in his eyes. And I opened the door without hesitation.

The scene of the tiny house came into view at once.

And by the window stood a red-haired man. He slowly turned around.

“Sera.”

“Cyril…”

D*mn it.

I should be confronting him, but seeing him after so long, my voice wouldn’t come out.

It was a face I missed.

“I heard you’re getting married.”

Cyril spoke his first words in a bitter voice. In his hand was a newspaper.

As far as I knew, today’s newspaper would carry the news of the Emperor’s imperial marriage for the first time. However, the identity of the partner would be revealed gradually with a time lag. It meant that the identity of the empress-to-be was still veiled.

But for Cyril, the head of the Information Guild, finding out the identity of that partner would be a piece of cake. Well, he might have guessed intuitively without needing to investigate separately.

“Yes. That’s how it turned out.”

I barely managed to answer, my throat choked up.

Cyril’s expression looked very sad.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Cyril.”

“If that b*stard makes you cry, make sure to tell me. Got it?”

“Yes.”

I barely held back the laughter that was about to come out. I should have confronted him about not delivering the letter to Marc. I’m not sure if I could ask in this atmosphere, though.

At that moment, Cyril’s eyes wavered.

He was looking at something beyond my shoulder. I turned my head.

“Wh-who are you…?”

Marc was standing there.

“Ah, this is my family. Cyril Xavier.”

“You had family, Seraphina?”

“Yes. And Cyril should have delivered my letter to you…”

I trailed off and looked at Cyril.

“Ah, the letter.”

Cyril mumbled softly and avoided my gaze.

…This guy.

Don’t tell me he deliberately didn’t deliver it?

I could tell just by looking at his expression.

I narrowed my eyes and asked him accusingly.

“Cyril, what’s going on?”

“…It’s your fault. You keep caring about other men.”

“What?”

“You’re even marrying another b*stard.”

“Whaaaat? Marriage?!”

The last one was Marc.

Looking at him, startled out of his wits, I smiled awkwardly.

Ah, Marc, this guy. He’s going to feel distant from me again. How should I explain this?

As I was pondering, Cyril threw the newspaper at Marc. It was a newspaper with an article on the front page about Emperor Marseus getting married.

My name wasn’t mentioned, but seeing that article at this timing, he should realize something.

Marc mumbled with a blank expression.

“Emperor Marseus… finally confessed to you…”

Huh?

But Marc, what you’re saying is a bit strange?

I looked at my friend with a face like I’d been hit on the back of the head.

Don’t tell me you knew?

* * *

The desert city of Sahar.

In this repository of all kinds of relics and ancient records, Mihail was combing through records about wands.

Amidst the air of concentration, suddenly a turbulent ripple arose.

“Commander! Please look at this!”

Forgetting to knock, Andrei burst through the door and rushed in, out of breath.

Mihail raised his eyes from the ancient book he was reading and looked at Andrei.

“What’s all this commotion about, Andrei?”

The boy’s face was full of urgency. In his hand were an envelope that looked like an invitation and a newspaper.

Mihail held out his hand as if to say ‘let me see’.

With indifferent eyes, he first examined the envelope. It had the Emperor’s seal on it.

“It seems they’ve found Miss Sera.”

It was good news.

Mihail opened the envelope, making an educated guess.

The Johann he knew wasn’t the type to send useless news like he had returned to the palace empty-handed without finding her. It meant there was something worth sharing.

And…

“Imperial… wedding…?”

Mihail’s eyes shook violently as he unfolded the invitation.

Unable to find the missing Seraphina, an imperial wedding…?

How is such a thing possible?

Andrei watched Mihail’s reaction. The hand holding the paper was visibly trembling. It seemed the shock was not small.

Well.

How surprised Andrei had been when an invitation flew in from the palace along with the news of the Emperor’s imperial wedding splashed across today’s newspaper.

[…With this, the Granz Empire will welcome the lady of Felice Palace after a long vacancy.
All attention is focused on the choice of Emperor Marseus, who had been postponing the imperial wedding, saying he needed to focus on overseeing the empire due to the long war with the undead and its aftermath. Prime Minister Ionia stated the palace’s position that an official announcement would be made soon…]

Mihail’s hand trembled more and more as he read the article.

Soon, he crumpled the newspaper mercilessly.

After standing still for a moment like that, looking at the mountain of ancient books piled on the desk, he soon began to laugh like a madman while staring into space.

“Haha… Hahahaha…”

The shock must have been great.

In the ominous atmosphere, Andrei shrank his neck like a turtle.

How much suffocating time had passed?

In an instant, Mihail stopped laughing.

Andrei glanced at him cautiously.

“I guess we should go congratulate them.”

As he said this, Mihail’s turquoise eyes were gleaming ominously.

It was a look that made one doubt whether he was really going to congratulate or to do harm.