The second way to see Elise was even easier. Using Jin and Nerade to reach the room hidden in the emperor’s office, Valletta stepped inside.

At the sound of clattering metal, Elise turned her head. Her eyes widened slightly. Eventually, seeing the happy curve of her eyes, Valletta approached Elise.

“You came early.”

“I’m going to leave here tomorrow. So I came to tell you what I promised.”

“Did you hear….?”

Valletta nodded at Elise’s expectant gaze. She didn’t have a lot of information, but she decided to tell Elise and believed she would do well.

“Yes, Lagris is the representative of the imperial wizards. I haven’t been able to meet him in person, but there’s someone who saw him recently.”

“……he’s safe, but a representative of the Imperial Wizard…”

Elise’s brows furrowed. That meant that Lagris was working for the Emperor. Why would he work for the imperial family? Why didn’t he go back to the Tower……

“In the meantime, I passed on the letter I had written to inform him about Lady Elise. I don’t know if I can get the password right, but if it’s delivered safely, he might be able to help.”

“Yes, safely… he’s alive.”

Elise slowly buried her face in her hands. She only thought Lagris was dead. She had never thought that he was alive. The reason she asked Valletta to find out information about him was because she had a glimmer of hope that he might be.

“I was worried because Cainus said Lagris had disappeared since that day, but thank God…”

Elise exhaled.

Valletta observed her closely. Her skin was pale, her breathing unsteady and labored. The injection marks on her arms showed she was getting regular checkups, but that was it.

‘Her condition is very serious….’

She should have known even if Jin didn’t tell her about Elise’s condition. She felt like an idiot for not knowing. Valletta clenched her fists and sighed.

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“It used to hurt a lot, but now it’s slowed down and I’m used to it.”

That was not good. Getting used to the pain was not a good thing. It meant that she was losing sensation in her body.

Valletta pondered, but eventually gave up the idea. She didn’t have the materials and no time. Tomorrow morning she had to meet Milord, take the bead from him and remove the choker. Because Elise told her how to break the seal.

“Thank you for telling me that Lagris is still alive.”

“No, I’ll stop by again when I get a chance.”

“And please don’t hate Milord too much.”

“I don’t hate him.”

She didn’t like him either.

Valletta greeted Elise, then turned back with a faint smile.

* * *

“…I thought you wouldn’t eat again today.”

“I must, unless I want to starve to death.”

Valletta replied calmly, breaking the bread in half and dipping it in the soup. The bread, full of butter, was indeed savory and tasty. The corn soup was also quite thick.

“Valletta.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you want to be my person?”

“No.”

Milord became speechless at the determined answer without any contemplation.

Valletta looked at Milord’s neck. The bead was hidden from view, but the string was definitely visible.

“Why?”

“Do you want me to love you?”

“Can’t you do that?”

“No, that’s up to you. But you can’t force me to do it.”

Valletta got up from her seat and circled the table with neat steps to approach him. Then Milord turned his body to the side. She grabbed Milord by the shoulders.

She bent down and slowly placed her hand on his chest, bringing him closer.

“I…..”

Reaching into his slightly opened shirt, Valletta smiled as she brought her face close to his.

Milord swallowed his breath as he tightened his hips at the hand that touched his skin.

“Even if I do this, I have no interest in the Crown Prince.”

Valletta said as she straightened herself up. She hid the bead in her sleeves as she circled around and returned to her original seat with an unconcerned expression. Then she took a sip of her drink.

“So, please reconsider.”

“…Valletta.”

Milord clenched his fist and gently raised his gaze.

Valletta, who was standing next to her chair, put down her glass and sighed.

“You would make a good emperor, but I don’t know why you are trying to dye yourself into some strange place. Put aside your prejudices and look around.”

“…….”

“I can’t promise you anything else, but I can promise to be your friend if you become a good emperor.”

Milord’s eyes grew surprisingly big. Looking at his shaking gaze as if in a panic, Valletta turned away. She grabbed her sleeve tightly and walked towards the door.

“I hope you will be a good emperor.”

‘So, please, let yourself be free. If that crazy emperor continues to keep his throne, I should probably leave this empire myself.’

“Sincerely.”

That was really troublesome. So she was really serious. She felt sorry for Elise too. Valletta left without hearing his reply.

Milord sat frozen for a long time after Valletta left the dining room.

* * *

Once outside, Valletta put the duplicate necklace on her neck, pretended to head for her room, and hid behind a pillar. As she stepped into the garden, avoiding the eyes of the soldiers, Reinhardt appeared as if he had been waiting for her, his robe fluttering.

“Good morning, Master.”

“I’m tired. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Reinhardt reached out and lightly patted her choker.

With a puff of blue flame, the choker quickly turned to ash and disappeared. The burning blue flame wasn’t hot at all, oddly enough.

“Can you make it go away?”

“I learned yesterday that the sealing magic circle also has dispel.”

Smiling, Reinhardt pulled her to his robe. Suddenly being trapped in the robe, Valletta frowned slightly.

Reinhardt put more strength into the arms that held her waist.

“Oh, we can finally be together.”

“I’m really tired.”

“Yes, go to sleep.”

Valletta pressed her thumb against her throbbing temple while listening to his low voice. Tiredness consumed her whole body. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly for the past few days, but she had also been using her head too much.

She didn’t even eat properly.

It was as if her body had been overloaded by the slight panic of trying to get out of the Imperial castle.

A magic circle was drawn under Reinhardt’s feet as he wrapped his arms tightly around Valletta’s waist.

“I’m going to bring Master’s things, too. Wait a minute, Master.”

“Okay.”

Reinhardt stood Valletta on the magic circle for a while, and then disappeared in an instant. When he came back, he had Snorta and a bag in his hand.

Gyaan!

Snorta took off from Reinhardt’s arms and flew straight to Valletta. Valletta patted the furball that was hugging her, though she looked tired.

Reinhardt, who stared at Snorta with jealous eyes, held Valletta tightly with one arm again and activated the magic. The magic circle on the floor lit up, and the two disappeared without a trace.

* * *

– Second village in the east, Espel.

Cough. Cough.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes…..kakkak.”

Light sky-blue hair scattered in the wind. A young man with a pale complexion and dark eyes was busy covering his mouth and coughing. The girl standing beside him took care of the man as she was used to doing.

“I’m sorry. Lynn.”

“It’s okay. We need to get an inn nearby. I’m going to have a look around, so please stay here for a while.”

Lynn said, patting Desilian on the back as he coughed dryly. The brown hair tied together shook near the shoulder blade.

Desilian nodded slowly.

“Yes, I got it.”

A cracked voice finally answered. The girl asked anxiously again and again before running off. When Desilian saw Lynn running at full speed, he covered his mouth and coughed.

“Kaakakak….”

His lungs hurt and he felt like he was going to stop breathing. Desilian grabbed his chest as he breathed in and out as if the wind was leaking. His trembling face was full of fear.

“Master, are you alright?”

“Yes, the inn, …….”

“Are you sleepy?”

“My head hurts a little… ….”

Maybe it was because the tension had dissipated. Reinhardt nodded at Valletta’s muffled voice. He held her in his arms and looked around slowly.

“It looks like the inn is over there.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s crowded with people.”

Valletta meekly buried her forehead into his shoulder with a hazy mind. She blinked and her eyes met with the man sitting at the fountain table. He was a young man with light sky blue hair and dark indigo eyes.

“…… Oh, hello.”

As soon as their eyes met, the young man greeted her with a smile as his eyes bent slightly.

Valletta nodded in the awkward position in which she was being held by Reinhardt.

“If you know this area well, is there an inn over there?”

“…….?”

The young man asked.

Reinhardt glanced at the young man and ignored him cleanly. Desilian smiled still, despite Reinhardt’s ignorance.

“My companion has gone to find an inn as well. If you don’t mind, do you want to wait and come with me if you’re sure it’s over there?”

“Master, do bugs talk these days?”

“Oh, he’s not a bug…!”

“I was happy to hear that it was just magic. Are you a wizard, too?”

“You’re …… ‘ too’?”

It was Valletta who asked back with a strange expression. The answer finally came back, and Desilian’s face bloomed like a flower in full bloom. He nodded quickly.

“It’s not me, but …… I heard that my father is a wizard too! Kakakakk. ……!”

Valletta’s eyes widened at the sight of Desilian, who suddenly coughed loudly.

Her head felt fuzzy. She felt a strange sensation from the young man. Valletta’s brows narrowed as her skin felt tingling. It was like when she went to the Emperor’s office.

***