“I am glad you are unharmed.”

“I behold the great glory of the empire.”

Her etiquette was flawless, without a single thing to fault. The people around her were transfixed by Roelia’s bearing, and Carlisle turned to stand in front of her, shielding her from view, and extended his hand again. She bent at the waist toward Carlisle as he offered his hand in escort.

“Whether I may receive Your Majesty’s escort…….”

Roelia lowered her head as though she did not deserve it, and Carlisle was displeased.

“Is there any reason why the woman who saved my life should not receive my escort?”

It sounded as though he was asking for the opinions of those around him, but no one could answer Carlisle’s question. Duke Valintar, who was watching the situation, let a sly smile settle at the corner of his mouth.

“If Your Majesty wishes it, it is possible at any time, but she is a lady of unknown identity.”

“What saved me was this woman’s magic. A mage ought to be eligible for at least the rank of baron, would she not?”

Duke Valintar’s eyes went wide at Carlisle’s firm resolve to keep this mage by his side by any means. But he soon composed himself and continued in a measured tone.

“Even so, we cannot bring her into the imperial palace without a background investigation.”

“That is so, Your Majesty. Rather than having her enter the palace directly, might it not be better to have her stay at the Valintar estate and bring her in once her identity is confirmed?”

Percaine, who was quiet, stepped in as well. He made no effort to hide his interest in Roelia, and Carlisle’s eyebrow rose slightly before settling back into place. He spoke without missing a beat.

“Of course an investigation must be done.”

“So, pardon?”

Duke Valintar was taken aback that Carlisle agreed with him.

“Dame Maili.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I leave it to you.”

“I receive your command.”

Carlisle reached for Roelia once more and took her hand without fail.

“Would you tell me your name?”

“……It is Eli.”

“A lovely name.”

Roelia felt Carlisle’s lips touch the back of her hand and could not bring herself to look at him directly. She turned her head slightly to the side, and to those around her it appeared she was simply flustered.

“Silver hair like the guardian deity in the founding myth of the Astrux Empire.”

Carlisle’s whisper broke out like a sound of admiration, loud enough for everyone to hear. Those who recalled the founding myth thought of the silver-haired mage who stood by the first emperor’s side before vanishing without a trace.

“Your Majesty, those words…….”

“It means that even her saving me like this is not coincidence but fate.”

Carlisle’s declaration shifted the mood around them. Some cast curious glances at Roelia, others looks of envy, and others watchful eyes.

“Did His Majesty truly just say what I think he said?”

Nobles who arrived too late and did not fully understand the situation murmured among themselves. But Carlisle paid no attention and led Roelia forward.

Walking the whole way while holding Carlisle’s hand, Roelia felt her magical energy refilling little by little and moved with composure. The elegance of her bearing held not only the nobles present but even the soldiers and knights captive.

The sunlight that fell at just that moment made Roelia’s silver hair shine brilliantly, and gold was layered over the silver rippling near her waist. Percaine, who was staring in a daze at the display of new color, wore a blank expression.

“Get a hold of yourself.”

Duke Valintar, noticing his grandson’s state, placed a hand on his shoulder. The weight of it came down heavily and gripped Percaine’s shoulder with a painful squeeze.

Though already close to sixty, Duke Valintar still led his knights as a knight himself, and his grip strength was formidable. But Percaine showed no sign of the pain and bowed his head toward him.

“Grandfather.”

The people around them, at some point, all followed after Carlisle. The duke looked around and confirmed that only the Valintar estate’s knights remained. Occasionally an oblivious citizen of the empire wandered in the duke’s direction, but the estate’s knights turned them away before they could get close.

The duke mounted his horse and Percaine mounted his as well. The forest path was rough, but a trail was cleared for walking, so riding presented no difficulty. Atop his swaying horse, Duke Valintar lowered his voice.

“I came to check on the emperor’s condition, and here he is perfectly fine.”

“Have you still not given up?”

“Given up? Do you have any idea how much your aunts sacrificed to build that power? And you say give up?”

The duke caught himself as his voice rose and swallowed his anger with effort.

“I sold my daughters to gain power. I cannot deny that.”

“Then perhaps it is time to stop…….”

“Nonsense! Everything you enjoy comes from the power this dukedom holds. You are telling me to give that up?”

“Even before my aunts sat in the position of Empress, House Valintar was wealthy.”

“Ha! Then what about your parents, who died such a wrongful death?”

“…….”

The duke clicked his tongue, noticing how quickly Percaine’s complexion darkened. Having lost his only son and daughter-in-law, Duke Valintar was consumed by rage and nearly stormed the imperial palace without a second thought, but the grandson before him stopped him.

At the time, Percaine was nothing but a newborn, and if he was not protected, the Valintar bloodline would have been left with only collateral branches. The duke, who took more pride in his bloodline than anyone, could not accept the prospect of losing Percaine.

And so he buried the blade of his vengeance deep within his heart. That blade grew sharper with every passing year, and now, with everything in place, it at last began to slowly emerge from its sheath.

“But that matter was not the doing of the current emperor…….”

“Since that man is gone, his son will have to pay the price.”

The duke muttered. Knowing the depth of his grandfather’s grudge, Percaine could no longer defend Carlisle. He quietly fell silent, and the duke whispered.

“So you had better keep your wits about you as well.”

“……Understood.”

The duke cast a dissatisfied look at Percaine’s reluctant answer, but soon turned his head and moved forward.

* * *

The heavy doors of the emperor’s palace swung open, and the people lined up inside bowed toward Carlisle.

“We greet His Imperial Majesty.”

Carlisle stood without entering and surveyed the faces of those who came out, then let out a casual remark.

“There are faces I do not recognize.”

At the cold voice, Rista Rubi, the head chamberlain of the emperor’s palace, stepped forward.

“The Empress Dowager, concerned that the emperor’s palace was short-staffed, sent people over.”

“How unnecessary of her.”

Carlisle’s blunt words drew a gentle smile from the head chamberlain.

“Even so, she sent them out of concern, so let us keep them for now. If they do anything out of line, I will deal with them.”

The head chamberlain mentioned death as a matter of course, and Carlisle gave a nod before turning to introduce Roelia, who stood at his side.

“This is the lady who saved my life at today’s hunting competition. See that a bedchamber is prepared for her in the emperor’s palace.”

“I receive your command.”

Once the head chamberlain withdrew, Carlisle already turned to Roelia with eyes curved in a smile.

“Shall we take a look around the emperor’s palace while your room is being prepared?”

It was plain that she wanted nothing more than to go inside and rest, but Roelia smiled even more brightly.

‘There were things I needed to check as well.’

“It would be an honor.”

The time she spent walking hand in hand with Carlisle was considerable, yet the seal on her magical energy did not break entirely. If anything, contact with Carlisle allowed her magical energy to flow in a more stable current.

‘Strange.’

Magical energy, when forcibly sealed or driven to run wild, would normally cause the system within to collapse. Roelia’s magical circuits were in a state of disarray. She was using magic here and there, but had no way of knowing how long that could continue. The magical energy that Silena forcibly sent into a runaway state was sealed, but it was eating away at Roelia’s body.

It was why Roelia, who possessed greater skill as a mage than anyone, could not use magic properly. Yet contact with Carlisle seemed to be pointing toward a different solution.

‘I am certain it was written in a magic tome somewhere…….’

The memory was hazy.

That was the problem. When a mage’s flow of magical energy became tangled, it not only weakened them physically but could also cause changes to their memory. Roelia bit down on her lip and searched through her recollections.

Meanwhile, Carlisle glanced at Roelia’s profile as she walked in silence, then looked ahead and kept walking. He too could feel the faint energy passing from Roelia’s hand. It was the same kind of energy used when handling the divine beast’s power.

In the Astrux Empire it was called divine power, but in the Wintergrass Empire it was called magical energy.

“Eli.”

Carlisle stopped walking and called her name. She surfaced from her thoughts and met his eyes.

“Did you feel it too?”

Roelia’s head moved slightly up and down in answer. Carlisle looked back behind them, and the servants who were watching quickly turned away. Those who understood his warning hurried to clear the corridor, and before long only Carlisle and Roelia remained in the hallway.

“When our hands touch, I feel an energy similar to what I feel when using the divine beast’s power.”

Carlisle took Roelia’s hand firmly without hesitation. Holding both her hands, his brow furrowed slightly.

“It is certain.”

“It is not certain yet.”

“No. I have not felt the divine beast’s power this strongly in recent memory.”

Carlisle’s black eyes, lit with joy, looked straight at Roelia. But she only kept avoiding his gaze.

Noticing her hesitation, Carlisle opened the door to the room right beside where they were standing and pulled Roelia inside with him.