Chapter 51
“Think about it carefully.”
Grand Duke Ruphelan followed close behind me, practically trotting, spouting excuses while looking extremely frustrated.
“I’m a Grand Duke, remember? A man of my rank returned after completing an international mission—how would it look if I didn’t report to His Imperial Majesty?”
“Hmph, I don’t want to hear your excuses.”
“And you’re a hero. That damn dragon has been a nuisance for ages. Of course His Majesty would want to meet the one who captured it, don’t you think?”
“That nuisance dragon wasn’t me, I keep telling you.”
Gari, who had been dozing on my shoulder, responded groggily.
“Fine, whatever.”
I huffed, then suddenly stopped walking and spun around.
“Okay. Everything you said is right. So why am I so angry?!”
“Calm down, Jianna.”
“You could’ve just told me from the start that we had to go to the capital to meet His Majesty. I thought we were going straight back to the duchy! I feel like an idiot. It’s like I’m always dancing in the palm of your hand!”
“Funny, because I always feel like I’m the one dancing in yours.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
As soon as we landed, instead of going straight to his estate as I expected, the Grand Duke insisted we had to go to the capital to see the emperor first. Naturally, I was furious.
“And why aren’t we using the teleportation circle?”
“……”
The Grand Duke shut his mouth tightly, unable to respond.
I pointed sharply at the teleportation circle prepared for our arrival.
“I heard that thing could take us straight to the capital! And that installing a single teleportation circle costs an outrageous amount!”
“My mermaid has sharp ears. Who told you that?”
“Is that important? Why insist on a carriage when there’s a perfectly good teleportation circle right there?”
“…Because I don’t want to waste it.”
“What could possibly be more precious than a teleportation circle that’ll be discarded unused?”
“Every moment spent with you is more precious. If we teleport straight to the capital, we’ll go to the duchy after, and then I won’t get to see you anymore.”
The Grand Duke smiled faintly and tossed out his words.
“I just want to spend a little more time with my mermaid. Is it so wrong to be greedy? Or is it that you’re simply too noble for me to ever keep to myself?”
“You sure didn’t think I was noble when you were bossing me around every chance you got!”
I cut him off sharply. If he thought sweet words would melt me, he was very mistaken.
“I’ll let it go this time. Just this once. No next time. After we greet His Majesty, we’re going straight to the duchy. Got it?”
“…Got it, Jianna.”
“And there’s no other plan in between, right? Capital, then the duchy. That’s it!”
“That’s it. Even if I wanted to wander, there’s nowhere else left to go.”
Only after getting a firm promise from him did I climb into the prepared carriage.
A long journey began once again.
“The capital! We’re here!”
Ahh, how long has it been since I last smelled a properly developed urban environment?
“I swear, I prefer the thick, polluted scent of the city to that clean, fresh countryside air any day!”
Sticking my head out the carriage window, nose twitching, I inhaled deeply. The Grand Duke chuckled beside me.
“What? Never seen someone who loves the city before?”
“Most people prefer pristine nature to a bleak city.”
“They just don’t know any better.”
Our carriage sped toward the imperial palace.
A Grand Duke and a Hero traveling together—our arrival bypassed all formalities, and we were escorted straight into the audience hall. It felt grand and heavy in a way different from Tian’s palace.
“Truly, an empire is an empire.”
I mumbled in awe, busy looking around.
The hall, designed with white and gold, looked chic and modern—luxurious without being gaudy.
Then, from far outside the hall, came a thud-thud-thud-thud sound. The doors burst open.
“How long has it been?!”
A woman ran in, shouting a greeting in a high pitch like she was overjoyed, then flung herself at the Grand Duke and hugged him tightly.
“Marry me, Nox Ruphelan!”
The Grand Duke, clearly used to this, turned naturally and pushed her away.
“No, thank you.”
“Tch, rejected for the 205th time, huh.”
Her bright red, curly hair reached her waist. She wore revealing, wild clothing adorned with bracelets, necklaces, and all kinds of dangling decorations.
Her slightly yellow eyes and sharp, upturned gaze resembled a tiger—an intimidating presence. The Empire’s Emperor, Eveline Astria, laughed brightly.
“No one treats me like this but you.”
“And no one proposes to me like that but Your Majesty.”
“Kya-hahaha! Still hilarious, Nox.”
Emperor Eveline threw her head back and cackled, radiating so much pressure she looked like she could swallow the Grand Duke whole.
Yep. Definitely not normal.
I swallowed hard, watching them.
Eveline was terrifying.
In the original story, she constantly proposed to the Grand Duke, but the moment he returned married to Arines, she dropped all interest instantly.
She never wanted him romantically—just politically.
Someone to be wary of. I had no intention of giving her any reason to target me.
The Grand Duke kneeled before her respectfully.
“Your Imperial Sun, I have returned safely from the Kingdom of Tian. I have slain the dragon that threatened the empire, and I bring the hero before you. I hereby report.”
Only then did she turn to look at me.
I kneeled beside him.
“I greet the Imperial Sun. I am Jianna Hertin. I am the one who defeated and tamed the dragon that threatened imperial citizens in the Dragon Sea.”
“Oho, Jianna Hertin.”
Eveline’s smile vanished instantly. She examined me slowly, then spoke.
“So you are the Grand Duke’s 205th reason. How irritating.”
“That is a misunderstanding, Your Majesty. Please refrain from baseless assumptions. I would prefer not to ruin my marriage prospects with strange rumors.”
“Oh?’
I meant every word.
She stared at me, then suddenly asked,
“So where is the dragon you tamed?”
Instead of answering, I glanced to the corner of the hall.
Gari, who insisted on following me inside because the palace was shiny and fascinating, was now crouched in terror, trembling violently.
Apparently the emperor scared the life out of him.
That cow—my dragon is NOT normally like this.
For something to intimidate him so completely… this emperor was definitely no ordinary person.
“Oh, that’s the dragon? Cuter than I expected!”
As she approached, Gari shrank in real time like he might vanish entirely.
Before he evaporated from existence, I quickly intervened.
“Your Majesty, my dragon appears to be frightened. Please be gentle.”
“Tch. With fear like that, how did it ever claim the seas like they were its kingdom?”
Thankfully, the emperor clicked her tongue and backed off.
Her golden eyes returned to me and she fired off questions like arrows.
“Hero Jianna, where are you from? How old are you? Your parents? Oh, I heard you’re a mage—show me your magic! And how do you care for your hair? It shines so beautifully! What do you eat to grow that tall?”
If I let her continue she’d probably ask how many spoons are in my kitchen and how many blankets I own.
All her wariness vanished; curiosity sparkled in her eyes as she stared at me.
“My hometown is a small island in the Ruphelan territory, I just turned twenty this year…”
“Perfect age! Only two years younger than me! Hero, marry me!”
“I prefer handsome men, Your Majesty.”
I rejected her cleanly without hesitation. Eveline clicked her tongue in disappointment.
