Chapter 17
【 An Unexpected Adventure 】
Good news arrived. Permission had been granted to enter the Forest of Mages.
The requirement to be accompanied by a magician had also been lifted—just as Leto had promised.
How on earth did he persuade the Guild Master? Whatever he did, it must have been impressive.
Then, around the afternoon, Lady Mare came to my office.
“Your Majesty. Are you busy?”
“I always am. What is it?”
“I was thinking of going to the chapel to offer a prayer for a bit.”
Lady Mare was an ordinary devotee of the Goddess—someone who prayed only when she felt the need.
“All right. Please go ahead.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
She turned to leave with a smile, then asked me,
“Um… would you like to come with me?”
“To the chapel?”
“Yes. Working too much isn’t good for your health. If you’re not too busy, let’s go together.”
She had a point. Sitting for long periods did put a strain on the body.
The Goddess’s chapel… To be honest, I didn’t feel entirely comfortable about it. At the same time, I was curious—what kind of appeal drew people into faith?
I set down my pen and stood up.
“Then let’s go.”
The chapel was located deep within the imperial palace’s inner corridor.
A vast, cave-like chamber crowned by a round dome. Angel statues lined both sides.
And at the very back stood a colossal statue of the Goddess. She gazed down at people with her arms spread wide.
A gentle yet cold smile, calm, sunken eyes. It was undeniably imposing.
Several members of the imperial family were already praying. Lady Mare and I took our places.
“What will you be praying for, my lady?” I asked.
She smiled shyly.
“My daughter will be making her debut soon. I wanted to ask that it goes well.”
How could someone be so perfectly motherly? Warm, affectionate.
Lady Mare clasped her hands and closed her eyes. I quietly looked up at the statue.
I’d never believed in religion. The only thing I could rely on in this world was myself—no, I had lived as though that were the only option.
‘Still… a simple prayer should be fine.’
I clasped my hands and closed my eyes. It felt awkward. Even so, I prayed sincerely to the Goddess.
‘…Please, let me leave the imperial family safely.’
That was when—
—Save me……
“Huh? Who—?”
A woman’s voice echoed, as if reverberating through a cave.
I looked around. Everyone else was absorbed in prayer.
—Livia.
She knew my name.
—Livia.
I focused all my attention on where the voice seemed to come from.
And there—
The Goddess statue.
—Save me……
“Your Majesty?”
“…Ah.”
I snapped back to myself. Lady Mare was looking at me with concern.
“Are you all right? You suddenly seemed dazed.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Are you finished praying?”
“Yes. Shall we go?”
We rose quietly and left the chapel. I looked back several times, but the statue remained silent.
‘…Was that just an auditory hallucination?’
“Your Majesty.”
A familiar figure approached us in the corridor.
“High Priest Dante.”
“I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
Dante bowed properly. I nodded once and was about to pass him by. He wasn’t someone I wanted to get involved with.
Then he spoke, as if stopping me.
“You heard it, didn’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
“The voice.”
I had no choice but to stop.
I signaled to Lady Mare with my eyes. She withdrew quietly. Now there was no one else around.
“You heard the voice as well?”
“I hear it always.”
I’d heard Dante possessed exceptionally high divine power. If he could hear it too, then…
Was it really the Goddess?
I was surprised, but I didn’t show it. It would be strange for a resurrected empress to be shaken by such things.
“How did you know that I heard it?”
“I was on my way to the Grand Temple when I heard the voice and rushed here. And there you were, Your Majesty.”
That was a leap. There were plenty of people here.
“You couldn’t have been certain from just that.”
Dante looked slightly taken aback, then smiled calmly.
“As expected, you’re perceptive.”
“……”
“I can sense the Goddess. I hear her voice, and I can smell her unique fragrance. You could call it an innate gift.”
Hearing her voice. Feeling her power.
If true, his divine power surpassed even the High Priest’s. No wonder he had become Chief Priest at such a young age.
“Did you sense something from me?”
“You carry the same fragrance as the Goddess, Your Majesty.”
“A fragrance?”
“Yes. It’s difficult to explain.”
I stared at him. There was no way to prove that scent. Was he trying to deceive me?
I couldn’t trust Dante blindly. He was, after all, on the High Priest’s side.
“It’s certain that you are connected to the Goddess in some way.”
“I see. Thank you for the explanation, Priest Dante.”
He understood my dismissal and stepped aside. Just as I was about to pass him—
“But why would the Goddess ask you to save her, Your Majesty?”
I was the one who wanted to know. I could barely protect my own life—what on earth was about to happen?
“That, I wouldn’t know.”
I left the corridor and climbed the stairs. Without thinking, I glanced down over the railing. Dante was still standing there.
He gave me a slight nod, a faint smile on his lips.
My thoughts grew tangled. It felt like an unexpected obstacle had appeared—the Goddess, and Dante.
A few days passed.
Today was the day we were heading to the Forest of Mages.
I had been put through an ordeal since morning. Lady Mare and the maids brought out dress after dress—hats, gloves, shoes, jewelry included.
A tightly cinched corset. A green velvet dress that showed off the waistline. Even high heels. Once I was fully dressed, the maids made a fuss.
“You look absolutely stunning!”
“Oh my goodness… His Majesty will love it!”
‘…No. He’ll probably frown the moment he sees me. This outfit completely misses today’s purpose.’
I took off the hat and said to Lady Mare,
“This outfit is too flashy. I should wear something more comfortable.”
“Flashy? For a date with His Majesty, this is the bare minimum. Shall we try a different color?”
I froze.
‘A date?’
Did people really see our relationship as that romantic?
“That’s not it.”
“Oh? It’s not a date? We had no idea…”
Lady Mare looked flustered. The maids couldn’t hide their disappointment. Just how much were they looking forward to today’s outing?
The maids’ shoulders drooped. Honestly… there was no helping it.
“…Sigh. No, you’re right. It is a date.”
I was weak to people like this. How could I burst those ballooned hopes? It felt like I’d be hurting them.
“I knew it!”
“It was worth preparing all this. You’re truly beautiful.”
The maids brightened again. Lady Mare seemed relieved as well. Yes, smiling faces were nice—but I still needed to change clothes.
“We’ll be walking for quite a while, so please bring me something comfortable.”
“Oh, I see. Then how about this? The weather is warm today.”
Lady Mare pulled something from the wardrobe—a sky-blue chiffon dress. At least it wouldn’t be cumbersome.
“Is that the most comfortable option?”
“Among dresses, yes.”
“All right. I’ll go with that.”
I changed dresses and chose new shoes. The low-heeled leather shoes were quite comfortable.
Once everything was ready, I left the imperial palace. A carriage was already waiting.
“Livia!”
Sean pushed past an attendant and came over. Now that he was unemployed, he showed up at the palace all the time.
“Did you come to see us off?”
“Yes. Sending you there without a single mage makes me terribly uneasy.”
“I’ll be going with His Majesty.”
“That’s exactly why I’m uneasy.”
The same thing Leto had said.
“Here. I came to give you this.”
Sean held out something—two small stones with a purplish hue.
“They’re magic stones that repel monsters. Even if you run into one, carrying these should keep it from attacking easily.”
“Thank you, brother. Is one of these for His Majesty?”
Sean let out a deep sigh.
“I hate the thought… but yes. If it’s to protect you, I have no choice.”
“Thank you. I’ll be careful.”
I gave Sean a light hug. No matter what, he was still my brother.
“Livia.”
Leto approached as he called my name. He was dressed in a neat black jacket and shirt.
“You’re here?”
“I’ve been here. It’s time to depart.”
“All right. Oh—this. Sean gave it to us.”
I handed one of the magic stones to Leto. He accepted it and muttered,
“Doesn’t look very useful.”
He said it loudly enough for Sean to hear. Sean bristled, glaring. The corner of Leto’s mouth lifted slightly—he seemed to be enjoying the reaction.
“Then let’s go, Empress.”
He held out his hand. I took it and boarded the carriage. Leto gave an order to the captain of the guard outside.
“Move out.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Let’s go!”
The coachman flicked the whip lightly. The carriage began to roll.
“Have a safe trip, Your Majesty!”
“Enjoy yourselves!”
Lady Mare and the maids waved with smiles. I waved back. We were clearly going to work, yet it felt like a pleasure outing.
Leto rested his elbow on the window frame, his chin propped on his hand—legs crossed out of habit. Come to think of it, he really did have an intimidating air that made him hard to talk to.
That aside, he looked thinner. I’d heard he’d been overworked lately, even setting aside today’s time with difficulty.
“It seems you’ve been very busy. You didn’t have to come with me.”
“The empire won’t fall just because the emperor takes one day off, Livia.”
I show concern, and he grumbles. I could never quite read him.
Leto stared at me for a long moment—more precisely, at my outfit.
‘Did I dress too much like I’m going on an outing? Maybe he wanted something even more practical.’
“Who picked out your clothes?”
‘As I thought—he doesn’t like it.’
“I did my best. Please overlook it—I know we’re not going out to play.”
“It suits you.”
“…?”
“That’s what I wanted to say.”
So it was a compliment. He said it so seriously that it made me a little embarrassed.
“Thank you. Your outfit suits you as well, Your Majesty.”
One of Leto’s eyebrows lifted slightly. He leaned closer to me, mischief creeping onto his face.
“Oh? How so?”
“Pardon?”
“Specifically. How does it suit me?”
Was he fishing for more praise? I didn’t mind—everything I was about to say was true.
“You’re handsome.”
“…What?”
Leto froze. Did he really not know he was handsome? That would be impressive in its own way.
“You’re handsome, so anything you wear looks good on you. That’s always been true. If you’re asking about today specifically… the colors are well chosen. Was it Sir Yuton’s work? The blue shirt matches your eyes. And with your height and straight frame—”
“Stop.”
“Anything you put on—”
“I said I get it! That’s enough, stop!”
Leto’s face suddenly turned red. He flung the window open. The wind sent his hair flying wildly.
Staring out the window, he muttered,
“This is driving me insane.”
