Chapter 27: You’re speaking as if you’re a stranger.
The Empress’ Palace Drawing Room.
“I was just about to visit to thank you. I’m surprised you came to see me first.”
I said to Cedric, who was seated across from me.
“I’m relieved to see you unharmed.”
“It’s thanks to your help.”
“I only did what was necessary.”
Cedric gave a faint smile.
“I’m glad I could be of service to Your Majesty.”
“You were truly a great help. I was worried that you might have overexerted yourself using all that magic.”
“Magic… wasn’t difficult for me.”
Cedric lowered his gaze slightly as he spoke.
“Rather than the magic itself, restraining myself so I wouldn’t show an unsightly side to Your Majesty was more…”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. I meant to say it wasn’t the magic that was exhausting.”
He shook his head.
“More importantly, the situation seemed dire. Are you sure you weren’t hurt?”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“That’s a relief… Wait, what happened to your wrist?”
Oh no.
I should have worn something with longer sleeves.
The bandages on my wrist weren’t concealed by my short-sleeved outfit.
I quickly moved to cover my wrist as I answered.
“It’s nothing. The maids already treated it with medicine.”
“It might still leave a scar.”
Cedric’s brows furrowed slightly.
He was fretting over my injury as if it were his own.
I calmly reassured him.
“It’s just a light scrape. This kind of thing will heal in a few days.”
“…Excuse me for a moment.”
Then Cedric extended his hand toward me.
“Blessing of the Earth…”
He recited a low incantation.
At once, his entire body began to glow with a soft green light.
The light, like an aura, moved to his hand and then to his fingertips.
“It might sting a little.”
Cedric’s hand, now glowing with a mystical green hue, gently touched the injured area.
A cooling sensation, like dipping my arm into icy water, spread over my wrist.
By the time the green light completely faded…
Cedric carefully unwound the bandages.
My wrist was completely healed, with no scars remaining.
“Amazing…”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the miraculous sight.
“It’s truly incredible.”
I knew magic and magicians existed in this world, but…
This was my first time witnessing magic up close.
“How do you feel?”
“It’s perfect. Are all magicians this extraordinary?”
At my genuine amazement, Cedric gave a slightly bashful smile.
There was an unmistakable hint of pride in that smile.
Perhaps it wasn’t that magic was extraordinary but that he was exceptionally skilled?
“Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”
“Not at all.”
In fact, it wasn’t just my wrist.
The soreness from minor scrapes and scratches from the plants and trees was gone too.
It seemed his magic had affected my entire body.
“I’ve always been curious how you became a Royal Magician, but now I see that you’re truly exceptional.”
“Didn’t I tell you before?”
Cedric asked, looking a little puzzled.
“I never heard the full story. To be honest, when I first heard you’d become a Royal Magician, I worried you might be an imposter.”
At my candid confession, Cedric’s eyes widened in surprise.
“An imposter? Me?”
“Yes. To see the flowers.”
I nodded.
“Well, you have to understand. I’d never seen you use magic. And the first time we met… You weren’t exactly normal.”
Who would believe that a great magician had snuck into the palace just to look at flowers?
The suspicion had persisted even after he introduced himself as a Royal Magician.
Whenever I ran into him, he was either staring blankly at the flowers in the garden or handing me a flower he’d randomly picked up.
“That night, I was wasting my magic to secretly admire the flowers. Stealth magic is quite draining.”
“Ah, so that’s what it was. In any case, I’m relieved to know you’re a real magician.”
“You’ve been worried about me all this time…?”
He asked cautiously.
“I even prepared an escape plan just in case you were discovered.”
“So you truly doubted me that much?”
“It was just concern. Honestly, who would’ve thought someone so obsessed with flowers could actually be a magician?”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
With the misunderstanding cleared, Cedric and I burst into refreshing laughter.
“But I was truly surprised. I never expected to run into you there.”
“I was really surprised. I didn’t expect to see you there.”
“I was collecting herbs and flowers nearby,” Cedric replied.
Then, he asked, “Why were you in such a forest, Your Majesty?”
“Sir Leonard said there was something he wanted to show me. I didn’t expect such an incident to happen.”
“Are you close with the Knight Commander?” Cedric inquired cautiously.
“I owed him a favor, so I had no choice but to go.”
At my words, Cedric’s expression darkened.
“I hesitate to say this, but…”
“…?”
“Those bandits. They didn’t seem ordinary. I think you should be cautious.”
“They weren’t ordinary?”
“It’s hard to explain, but… it felt like they had someone backing them.”
Bandits with backing?
I tilted my head, puzzled, and Cedric leaned in slightly.
“Promise me, Your Majesty. Don’t do anything reckless again.”
He made his plea with a serious expression and held out his pinky finger.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
“Is this revenge for what happened before?”
“Promise me.”
The tips of his ears turned slightly red.
“Alright,” I said, hooking my pinky with his.
Only then did his usual smile return to his face.
That innocent look was unexpectedly endearing.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave, Your Majesty.”
“Call me anytime you need assistance.”
With that, Cedric bid farewell and turned to leave.
“Your Majesty.”
A chilling voice announced another visitor’s arrival.
“May I have a word?”
Why is it him now…?
***
What is going on?
Why has he come to see me?
I sighed internally as I looked at the man sitting across from me.
A man with radiant platinum blond hair, a symbol of the imperial family.
The Emperor, Jerome.
But once inside the reception room, Jerome said nothing.
As always, he wore an emotionless expression while sipping his tea.
‘Why come here if you’re not going to say anything?’
I wondered.
It wasn’t as though he came just to drink tea, like someone else.
‘Ah! Come to think of it, the maids mentioned it.’
While I was away, he had come looking for me.
Why? Could it be something important enough to warrant coming back?
Unable to contain my curiosity, I spoke first.
“I heard you came by when I wasn’t here. Is there something you needed?”
“…Where exactly were you?”
I asked a question but got one in return.
“What do you mean?”
“Your maids said you had some special errand and had to step out.”
Jerome continued in a cold voice.
“So, what was this special errand? It must have been quite important if you returned so late.”
His tone sounded oddly mocking, as though he already knew something.
In truth, I had no reason not to tell him.
I hadn’t done anything wrong or anything worth hiding.
But I didn’t want to tell him.
His sudden visit and interrogative tone annoyed me.
In the end, I decided not to share the truth.
“Do I have a reason to tell Your Majesty?”
“There’s no reason to hide it, is there?”
Jerome’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“Unless you have something to hide.”
“Even if I did, what does that have to do with you?”
“…You speak as though I’m a stranger.”
“Because this is between Your Majesty and me.”
“……”
Jerome furrowed his brows.
I smiled brightly and asked, “Do I ever ask Your Majesty about your schedule with the Imperial Consort?”
“…!”
My sharp remark left Jerome momentarily speechless.
As his silence became increasingly uncomfortable, he finally stood and said, “I’ll take my leave.”
Good. Please go quickly.
I gladly saw him out.
Just as he passed by me, Jerome paused.
“…That’s a relief.”
At his small mutter, I instinctively turned to look at him.
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
…Was it my imagination?
For some reason, it felt like he had been looking at my wrist.
—
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