What should she do from now on? She couldn’t understand why he wanted her, she only thought, ‘Why? For what reason?’

She never anticipated that wearing jewelry would be such a long and arduous task. Now she realized Raphael didn’t buy her those jewels with pure intentions. The cold metal still lingering on her neck and arms felt distinctly present.

“…….”

Amelia lifted her hand to touch the necklace. The large red diamond sparkled beautifully. It was a shackle, no different from a territorial mark he had personally placed on her. There might have been an intention to prevent others from approaching her, but it seemed there was more to it than that.

For example, to keep her from running away. Only now did she understand why he had been concerned about her health.

“No…….”

Such a thing must not happen. No matter what, she would leave Raphael’s side, along with Leonel.

“Mother!”

She was waiting for Raphael, who had gone to pick up Leonel. It was clear he had noticed her stern face and left. He was a sharp man, after all.

“Leonel.”

“You look so beautiful.”

The same compliment felt completely different when it came from Raphael. Amelia’s hardened face softened at the pure admiration and praise. Yes, her goal had always been Leonel. She only wished for Leonel’s happiness.

“My dear son is also very handsome.”

“Really?”

It wasn’t just empty words; it was true. Today, Leonel looked exactly like Raphael from head to toe. Their styles and outfits were entirely matched. The biggest difference was that, unlike Raphael’s sharp, beast-like eyes, Leonel’s eyes were a warm chocolate color.

That was the most significant difference.

“Yes, very handsome.”

Because his hair was styled, she couldn’t tousle his fluffy hair, but she could touch his soft cheeks. The softness under her fingers somewhat eased her sharpened emotions.

Yes, Raphael’s change wasn’t important.

“It’s good that you two get along, but we should be leaving now.”

It was a needless grumble when there was still time.

“Leonel, have you ever been to the capital?”

“No! It’s my first time.”

He’s never been to the capital? What had they been doing without ever taking him there? Amelia glanced at Raphael across from her. So, that meant Leonel fell for the female protagonist when he first visited the capital. If they had visited the capital more often, that wouldn’t have happened.

Currently, Raphael’s only interest was in her. Even when getting into the carriage, he tried to sit next to her, but she quickly made sure Leonel sat beside her instead. She would have preferred to ride in a different carriage, but that wasn’t possible.

“We might not see it because of the party this time, but let’s go out separately next time.”

“Really?”

At the child’s question, asking whether it was true, Amelia nodded and crossed her fingers as a promise. She would have to bring him to the place where he would eventually meet Sierra, the female protagonist. If he ever meets someone here, she would tell him not to look back and just run away.

“It would be nice to go on a family trip later.”

When did she say she would go with him? When he suddenly inserted himself into the conversation, she looked at Raphael with an unhappy gaze. Even if they went, she planned to go only with Leonel, not him.

His interest was only momentary anyway. Curiosity about something new? Probably something like that.

“But can we really get to the capital in one day?”

“Yes.”

It took less than an hour to travel from Siegfried’s northern territory to the capital. No wonder Chester Merchantry had so many visitors. She wondered why they chose Siegfried for their headquarters; there was a method to their madness.

“We use the magic tunnel.”

“The magic tunnel?”

“It’s a tunnel that can teleport people and goods together.”

So it spreads warp magic on a large scale? Can they manage that? She had heard that mages were very rare… as were mana stones.

“Does every territory have one?”

“Not just every territory, but it’s also connected to other empires.”

It was truly on a massive scale. Naturally, it would be managed by the imperial family, right?

“Is the magic tunnel managed by the imperial family?”

When they slowly entered the tunnel entrance, it looked no different from an ordinary tunnel… Passing through this tunnel would lead directly into the capital, and it took less than ten minutes.

“It’s all managed by Siegfried.”

Was that even possible?

“But… there must be mages in the palace as well.”

“The decisive factor is that only Siegfried can continuously supply mana stones.”

That arrogant snobbery. She couldn’t say anything against his sky-high arrogance because everything he said was true. The way he sat leisurely in the carriage with his legs crossed and arms folded was somewhat irritating. He knew too well how great he was.

“Siegfried will never run out of money.”
   
Monopolies were always the problem.

“If you want something, you can buy anything.”
   
He must have thought she had been obsessed with shopping since their last encounter. Of course, the previous Amelia would have indeed been addicted to shopping.

“There’s no need to bribe me with money.”

“Does it feel that way?”

“Yes.”

She wasn’t as wealthy as Raphael, but now she also had plenty of money. Because she had snagged a good fool. If she could make a fortune this time too, at least Leonel wouldn’t have to worry about money when he grows up.

“It seems we’ve arrived.”

The dark tunnel passed, and bright light poured into the carriage. She wondered what the capital would look like. Since Sierra appeared, almost all events occurred in the capital.

“Wow…….”

Whether it was just because of the Founding Festival or not, the streets of the capital were all lively. Ann and Jane also wanted to participate in the capital’s festival. It was true what they said about having a big festival on the streets every year.  

The atmosphere was distinctly different from that of Siegfried’s territory. Although it was said to be a barren north, thanks to the Chester Merchantry, it had developed a lot, but it couldn’t compare to the capital. For starters, people’s faces were different. Maybe it was because of the festival period… It felt much brighter. In Siegfried, there was always a shadow on one side of people’s faces.  

Everyone had no choice but to suffer from fear due to the periodic appearance of demonic beasts.  

“Let’s come and see it together next time.”  

But today, they had to participate in the Imperial Founding Festival. Since she was disappointed by the quickly passing scenery outside, Raphael’s words of comfort made her chuckle.  

“Aren’t we attending the Founding Festival held by His Majesty?”  

“If my wife wishes, we don’t have to go now.”  

This answer was somewhat different from other times. It seemed like it was he who didn’t want to go, not her. It felt like he was purely following her wish this time. As they entered the capital, it was clear. He tried not to show it, but his slightly distorted frown was proof.  

Displeasure? Yes, that’s exactly the kind of atmosphere.  

What made him displeased?  

“I’m looking forward to it.”  

It was a different kind of anticipation… She wanted to attend the Founding Festival because of the emperor and Aaron. She wanted to see what the future she had pulled forward would bring.  

“If my wife is looking forward to it, then I’m happy too.”  

“Mom, I’m excited too.”  

Amelia tried to ignore his actions as he rested his chin on his hand and looked at her. Really, Raphael looking all dressed up and formal was harmful to her body. Especially to her heart.  

“It seems to be the imperial palace.”  

As the scenery outside the carriage changed, a golden palace appeared. The imperial family’s symbolic color was gold, and the building’s exterior was plastered in gold. Yet, this man in front of her outshone any gold. It was true what they said, that in front of Siegfried, any gold loses its light.  

Surprisingly, even with the golden palace in sight, she didn’t feel much emotion. If this was the case, it seemed like the imperials should all have golden hair and golden eyes.  

“Amelia, I have something to tell you.”  

Her theory that he didn’t want to come to the Founding Festival became a certainty. As the imperial palace drew closer, Raphael’s eyes became sharper.  

“Don’t mind whatever His Majesty says.”  

It didn’t take her long to understand his words.