Chapter 100

He wasn’t ready yet.

Ianheart wanted to have Riana’s entire day to himself. He wanted all her glances and thoughts to be directed solely toward him.

He wanted to cover her completely as his own. He wanted her fair skin to carry only his scent.

But Ianheart wasn’t yet prepared to wrap up those raw feelings into tender, affectionate words and present them to her.

It was at that moment he realized—

‘……I really have gone mad.’

A chill washed over him, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

Drowning in the flood of these unfamiliar emotions, he had momentarily forgotten who he was.

He had briefly forgotten the horrifying love etched into his bloodline.

Had he not witnessed firsthand what kind of love his father and mother had?

He knew all too well how love could turn filthy, ugly, and obsessive.

He had grown up watching it unfold, and so he had always thought, I will never be like that.

But could he trust himself?

The blood that made him was the blood of the insane.

‘And yet I’m thinking of confessing?’

What a madman’s foolish thought.

What if he confessed—and Riana rejected him?

Could he be certain he wouldn’t follow the same path as the former emperor?

Ianheart couldn’t be sure.

As reality rushed back into him, his expression hardened terribly.

He forced himself to manage his face, remembering he was not alone, but it wasn’t perfect.

“……Your Majesty?”

Riana noticed something strange and called out to him, puzzled.

“Lord.”

Suddenly, a man dressed entirely in black dropped into view, as though he had simply fallen out of thin air.

Even with Riana’s skills, she hadn’t detected his presence until he revealed himself.

That meant, in stealth and presence control, he was one step above her.

“May I interrupt for a moment? It seems there is an urgent report.”

“Ah, yes. That’s fine.”

Riana nodded at Ianheart’s look, granting him permission.

She was curious about the man’s identity, but it wasn’t difficult to guess. He was probably one of Ianheart’s shadows.

“……”

The man in black leaned close to Ianheart and whispered something in his ear.

And when he finished, Ianheart’s face turned terrifyingly cold.

It was a look Riana had never seen before.

‘……What happened?’

Unbidden, worry filled her mind.

“Haa……”

With a deep sigh, Ianheart rubbed his face with both hands, then gave a slight nod to the man in black.

Just as he had appeared, the man vanished again without a trace.

Riana hadn’t sensed him leave either.

“What’s going on?”

“……Something’s come up that I need to check on.”

His voice carried a faint weariness, a hint of irritation, and yet—even now—an unshakable gentleness.

“I’ll take you to the palace first. We’re almost there anyway.”

There was no real reason he needed to escort her all the way, but looking at his face, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

If she said no, he would look wounded.

So Riana placed her hand onto the one he offered.

For the short walk that followed, neither of them spoke.

Soon, they arrived at the back gate of the Emerald Palace.

Riana wanted to ask what kind of report he had received, what matter he had to rush to so urgently that it put such a burden on his face.

She wanted to know what he had been thinking earlier, when he had looked at her with tender yet unsettling eyes.

“Thank you for bringing me back. And… thank you for going out with me today as well.”

But instead, Riana chose not to ask.

She instinctively knew that either question would only trouble Ianheart more.

“……Please take care of yourself. And don’t stay up too late.”

After a brief hesitation, she lightly embraced him, hoping to give him strength—hoping to offer him at least a little comfort in his weariness.

His large, solid frame jolted slightly at the sudden hug.

Then, with the faintest smile, he returned the embrace.

Just for a moment.

“……Thank you. I’ll be back safely. And I won’t stay up late.”

With a soft, gentle voice and a kiss pressed to her forehead, Ianheart finally released her.

That night felt long for both Riana and Ianheart.

A few days later.

Chaaeng!

Tat! Tatat!

The clash of steel and the pounding of feet echoed.

Dust rose from the fierce movements, followed by a brief silence.

But only for a moment.

Kaang!

Two weapons collided, ringing out in sharp protest.

Several more exchanges followed.

Beeeeep—!

A loud alarm blared.

Immediately, the two fighters withdrew their force.

“Whew, it’s been a while since I worked up this much sweat.”

The first to speak was Kion, who shook his training sword to knock off the dust.

“Ha, come on. You hesitated once, didn’t you, Sir Raviel? You were holding back, weren’t you?”

Riana, who had retied her hair after the intense match, chuckled at him.

For a moment, they simply looked at each other, then both laughed and shook hands.

“Well, it was a good spar.”

“The honor is mine.”

Unlike their warm camaraderie—

“Hey, did you see our captain’s skill? This is the level of the Bellrum Knights!”

“Ha! You don’t get it. Our Lord didn’t even use magic. He’s a magic swordsman, you know?”

“Well, our captain didn’t go all out either!”

“Yeah? Well, neither did our Lord!”

Gathered in groups, the knights of Reteum and Bellrum began bickering—though it was less cheering and more like betting on a match.

It was childish.

But since they shared the same training grounds and quarters, the two knight orders had long since become like siblings.

That’s why they could argue so ridiculously.

Then one knight shouted—

“Fine, why don’t we have our own match?”

“Oh? Confident, huh?”

“Back out if you’re scared!”

“Hah, loser buys dinner!”

“You guys hear that? Steak feast tonight!”

“Then we’re eating premium sashimi with drinks!”

The fiery mood escalated as the two orders began selecting five representatives each.

The atmosphere was so heavy you’d think it was the duel of the century.

In truth, it had all started from a silly squabble that turned into a dinner bet.

“……Feels like they’ve completely forgotten about us.”

“Right? Unbelievable.”

Riana and Kion, fresh from their spar, looked at the knights with exasperated eyes.

Even Leon, who had leapt into Riana’s arms as soon as the spar ended, wore the same expression.

The whole process—from cheering, to arguing, to turning it into a dinner wager—was ridiculous.

What made it worse was that even the usually calm and composed Bellrum vice-captain and Reteum’s Kyle seemed to be taking the bet seriously.

“……Was Sir Dian always like that?”

“What surprises me most is seeing Sir Kyle in the middle of it all……”

“Well, people do have different sides.”

One thing Riana had learned recently: Kyle, surprisingly, was highly competitive.

Especially in group competitions or wagers like this one.

She figured it probably came from his affection for the Reteum Knights.

Just as the knights’ competition began heating up—

From the arched corridor, a young attendant hurried toward Riana.

“……Hm?”

Leon’s ears perked first, then Kion recognized the boy.

“Do you know him?”

Riana asked, and Kion nodded.

“Yes, he’s one of Bernian’s attendants. Also, he can’t speak.”

“Ah, I see.”

As Kion explained this surprising fact, the attendant had already reached Riana.

He was slightly shorter than her, with a youthful face and slender frame.

But his movements carried the stillness of someone trained to a high degree.

Without a word, he handed her a folded square of paper.

Had she not known, she might’ve been confused—but since Kion told her he couldn’t speak, she simply smiled and accepted it.

“Thank you.”

She unfolded the twice-folded paper and read.

[……Would it be alright if I visited you in a little while?]

It wasn’t long, just a request for a meeting.

From the way it was phrased—‘something to tell you and discuss’—it seemed to be an official matter.

“Tell Duke Delcaron he may come to the Emerald Palace in about an hour.”

After hearing Riana’s reply, the attendant bowed politely and swiftly left.

In the blink of an eye, he had vanished back through the arched corridor.