Chapter 20: Omen (3)  

Chloe and Tehis left the Imperial Palace after a brief farewell. Inside the carriage heading toward the warp gate, a soundproofing spell was cast.  

“Tehis.”  

“The rebellion might break out sooner than expected. From what I saw today, there are quite a few forces allied with Duke Fernand. While some may have been swept up by mere incitement, the size of the group following him is alarming.”  

Hearing his name, Tehis automatically began to speak. However, Chloe shook her head as if to say that wasn’t what she meant.  

“Tehis.”  

“But you don’t need to worry about it. After all, this is a matter of the continent, and as someone affiliated with the Mage Tower, it would be difficult for you to interfere. No matter which side you choose, I’ll handle it myself, so you don’t have to worry. …And as for the bracelet from the Kingdom of Jeren, you can deal with it however you see fit.”  

Tehis made a rational judgment. While others assumed Chloe would marry him and leave the Mage Tower, the reality was different. He couldn’t force her into a situation where she might be expelled from the Mage Tower.  

It wasn’t because he lacked ambition. He was simply following the terms of their agreement.  

“Tehis.”  

“But your relationship with the Imperial Family worries me. If the Princess or the Crown Prince makes unreasonable demands, then…”  

Finally, Tehis stopped speaking. He had no choice, as her lips overlapped with his.  

The soft flesh and warm breath untangled the chaos in his mind. The tumultuous confusion gradually gave way to calm.  

After pausing briefly, he relaxed his body and leaned forward. He tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled back, and he failed.  

The man’s questioning eyes met the woman’s smiling face.  

“Now it’s finally quiet. That’s not what I was curious about.”  

“Then…?”  

“You.”  

Tehis didn’t understand what she meant.  

As he remained still, Chloe looked directly at him.  

“Are you okay? Ever since you saw the Emperor collapse, your face has been stiff.”  

He had always been expressionless—before, during, and even now—but there was a subtle difference. Chloe, who had the opportunity to observe Tehis Escalante from a distance no one else could approach, noticed it.  

She had seen his gaze shift toward the Emperor several times as he analyzed the situation, just like she did. After the Emperor was carried away by the knights, his eyes lingered on the bloodstained floor.  

Even as he escorted her back to the carriage, his expression remained tense. While others might not notice, the faintly tightened corners of his lips and the subdued light in his eyes revealed his complex emotions.  

‘Even the way he speaks shows it.’  

He had been rushing without his usual composure. Normally, he would have responded to her call immediately.  

Chloe gazed at Tehis in silence. He seemed surprised by her unexpected question but soon opened his mouth to speak.  

“Of course, I’m fine. It’s just…”  

Tehis couldn’t find the words to follow. Even he didn’t know what emotions he was feeling.  

When he first saw the Emperor coughing up blood and collapsing, he was caught in a whirlwind of emotions. It was a wave too complex to separate and define with individual words.  

Joy and anger were separated by a paper-thin margin.  

Seeing the Emperor’s weakness was both satisfying and unsettling. He couldn’t believe that the ruler of the Empire, who had tormented him all his life, had fallen so easily to a mere trap.  

This was the man who had always sat high upon the Imperial Throne, looking down on him with disdain. The man who had oppressed him from every angle, leaving no room for rebellion.  

Kiberun Harpeon was the root of all the injustices he had suffered and the master of all malice. So, he shouldn’t have fallen so easily. If he were to die, it should have been after enduring much greater suffering.  

If only he had known it would be this simple to bring him down…  

“Tehis?”  

“Hm.”  

Tehis snapped out of his thoughts at Chloe’s call.  

He was used to suppressing old hatred, pushing it deep into his subconscious. He buried it again and again, ignoring it until it seemed nonexistent.  

Since they would soon part ways, he didn’t want to waste his time with Chloe on personal feelings.  

“As I said, I’m fine. I was just surprised that the Emperor could be taken down like this.”  

“…Is that so?”  

“Yes, Chloe. If I made you worry, I apologize.”  

“If you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”  

Chloe knew Tehis wasn’t telling her everything, but she didn’t press him. Instead, she ran her fingers through his hair, knowing full well that the effects of his scar ointment would soon wear off.  

The man, who closed his eyes as if he were being soothed, looked much calmer than before.  

“This is the longest day I’ve ever had.”  

“I agree. We should get some rest once we return.”  

“They called it the Emperor’s birthday, but it ended more like a funeral… Oh, right.”  

Suddenly, as if she had remembered something, Chloe clapped her hands.  

“I almost forgot. I meant to ask you earlier.”  

“Is there something you’re curious about?”  

“Yes. When is your birthday?”  

Tehis found the sudden question puzzling but answered honestly.  

“Officially, it’s January 1st.”  

“Officially?”

“You know about my origins.”  

Chloe understood what he meant. Tehis gently smoothed her slightly furrowed brow with his thumb and calmly explained.  

“The 2nd Consort gave birth in spring, but after I was sent to Escalante, the former head of the household changed my birthday. Even if it wouldn’t have been an issue to share the same birthday as the officially deceased Imperial descendant, they said it was to avoid any risks.”  

“…And that’s January 1st?”  

“Yes, Chloe.”  

“Then do you celebrate your birthday along with the New Year?”  

“Not exactly. There’s no… time to celebrate my birthday.”  

Tehis gave a roundabout answer, though it was obvious that the word he had replaced with “time” could have been something else entirely—perhaps “reason” or “people,” or something equally absurd.  

So, they had changed his birthday with a nonsensical excuse and didn’t even bother celebrating it. 

Chloe’s eyebrows twitched as she realized the situation.  

“…Tehis, I’m sorry, but can I insult your father?”  

“Hm.”  

This was an even more unexpected question than the one about his birthday.  

Tehis, more curious about what kind of insults she would come up with than anything else, gave his permission. And as soon as he did, her words poured out in a torrent that exceeded his imagination.  

“That’s so petty and pathetic it’s unbearable. How could someone take their anger out on a newborn? If they were going to give you a new birthday, couldn’t they have at least put some thought into it? January 1st? Isn’t that way too lazy? Or are they just naturally thoughtless?”  

Tehis stared blankly at Chloe as she hurled insults at the former head of the Escalante household. Even as he watched, her sharp words continued to spill out.  

“And then, after going through all the trouble of changing it, they didn’t even celebrate it? What kind of mindset is that? Was the Escalante family so poor? Did the former head of the household ruin the North even before the Emperor started his madness? If they were rich but just didn’t celebrate the sole heir’s birthday, then they really threw away the family’s prestige themselves.”  

Chloe clasped Tehis’s cheeks with both hands and stared intently into his bewildered face, her eyes sharp.  

“Abusing such a brilliant son like you is just foolish. Did you see the way the young ladies looked at you today? If you could just smile properly, there would be a line of women willing to support the North just because they’re enchanted by your face…”  

Was it just his imagination, or was her argument starting to veer off-topic?  

Tehis didn’t know how to respond. All he could do was speculate whether her previous insistence that he smile had something to do with this.  

“Still…”  

Chloe gazed at Tehis quietly. Her fingers unconsciously kneaded his cheeks, and he, without resistance, patiently let her.  

It was the complete opposite of how he had acted in the banquet hall, where he had avoided people within a certain distance or exuded a faint killing intent to keep them away.  

Now, this moment was entirely hers. Chloe found satisfaction in the simple arrangement of those words.  

“I like the fact that you were born in spring and grew into winter. But I’ve thought about it, and I don’t think I’d like it if others got to experience your kindness.”  

“What does that mean?”  

Was she saying she was jealous? No, before that—what did she mean by saying she liked me?  

Tehis couldn’t be sure of anything. Yet, without realizing it, his heart began to beat faster.  

Chloe blinked for a moment, then deliberately dismissed the thought lightly. At times like this, she had a convenient excuse she could use even for herself.  

“At least for now, you’re my lover.”  

A gift given as a lover, actions taken as a lover, and even feelings held as a lover—she considered them all to be part of the contract.  

So, the fact that Tehis seemed adorable, the fact that she kept wanting to help him, the fact that kissing him was addictive, and the fact that she recognized him as her ideal type—all of it, she attributed to the contract.  

It was a comedy in every sense of the word. The tragedy was that Tehis had no idea.  

“…I see.”  

This, too, was a mirage that would disappear when the contract ended. Tehis lowered his gaze, feeling a vague sense of emptiness.  

Since she wouldn’t leave the Mage Tower, they couldn’t marry anyway. It was a relationship destined to end.  

He had prepared himself for this from the beginning, and yet, every time—every single time—he found himself wanting more and being disappointed. No matter how often he reminded himself of the reality, it was the same.  

A woman he could never have. A relationship he was bound to lose.  

Eventually, eventually…  

‘If we’re going to part ways anyway, can’t I just be greedier now?’  

Tehis suddenly raised his head, struck by the realization.  

It wasn’t just about enjoying their relationship as lovers while it lasted. It wasn’t about making the most of their time together without regrets.  

It went beyond that—he felt like he could want more than he’d originally intended.  

This didn’t mean he wanted to destroy their relationship or force anything on her. He simply found himself willing to ask for anything without fear of rejection.  

“Anyway, your birthday is coming up soon. I’d like to see you on the day and celebrate it, even if it’s something small. Is there anything you want as a gift?”  

“Chloe.”  

“Yes?”  

And so, Tehis did something reckless. He clearly met her gaze as she answered his call.  

There was only one thing he wanted as a gift.  

“Chloe, I want you.”