Chapter 22
“That’s not what I meant by kissing!”
It was a woman standing face to face with Evelyn.
She laughed brightly and continued speaking.
“I’ve never seen someone take care of others like this before.”
Her red hair and wide smile reminded Evelyn of Vanessa.
The woman introduced herself to Evelyn.
“I’m Camilla Bell, the Imperial Court’s Chief Mage. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Evelyn Hart. I work at the Imperial Historical Research Institute, Department of Ancient Studies and Interpretation.”
“What an intelligent person.”
Listening to their conversation, the Emperor smiled kindly.
“I suppose there’s no need for me to introduce myself, right?”
At his joke, Evelyn let out a polite social laugh.
“Haha… hahaha…”
“Let’s skip the greetings and get to the point.”
Theo cut off the warm atmosphere. Though the atmosphere had only seemed gentle on the surface.
“It would be better if you explained.”
At the Emperor’s suggestion, Camilla began.
“The pendant Miss Evelyn discovered during her last expedition is no ordinary item. Especially the stone embedded in the center. Because of that, the imperial mages began a deep investigation.”
“Did you sense magic from it?”
If so, it might simply be a magic crystal.
No… if that were the case, everyone wouldn’t be gathered here.
Evelyn recalled that moment.
The pendant had released the ancient language on its own after breaking its seal.
She had assumed it wasn’t an ordinary object, but it seemed the matter was far more serious than she thought.
Camilla continued.
“All the mages tried to uncover the identity of the stone, but in the end we failed. Eventually we even had to involve the priests.”
“And that’s when we discovered something,” the Emperor interrupted.
“That the stone possesses not only magical power… but divine power as well.”
His red eyes gleamed with fascination.
Camilla resumed her explanation.
“After analyzing it for a long time with the priests—based on the Duke’s account of the situation—we discovered that it is the Stone of Yulia.”
“The Stone of Yulia?”
Yulia was the goddess who protected the continent.
Hearing such a sacred name, Evelyn almost doubted her own ears.
Camilla took a sip of tea before continuing.
“The Stone of Yulia is a divine treasure. It is said to foretell the future that is yet to come.”
“Then what I read was…”
“A prophecy written in the ancient language. One concerning the future of the continent.”
Evelyn nodded blankly.
Who would have thought that something she casually picked up during an expedition would cause such a massive wave of consequences?
Did I accidentally trigger something…?
Is that why I’m being summoned like this?
Camilla continued.
“For now, it’s being treated as a holy relic. However, since it contains magical power, I—the Chief Mage—took responsibility for researching it. We also informed the High Priest in the Holy Nation. He sent us records about the Stone of Yulia.”
“I see.”
Then came something unexpected.
“The High Priest said that there are only two people who can open this pendant.”
“The Duke of Ashford… and you.”
“…What?”
What kind of nonsense is that?!
Seeing Evelyn’s stunned expression, Camilla chuckled softly.
“The Stone of Yulia engraves itself upon the first people it encounters. The conditions for that engraving are two things: blood and voice.”
When they first discovered the relic, Theo had picked it up with an injured hand.
The Duke’s blood had awakened the holy relic.
Then Evelyn had interpreted the ancient language that the pendant released.
The Stone of Yulia had engraved Evelyn’s voice—the voice that perfectly read its words.
After that, it never revealed itself to anyone else.
In other words, only Theo and Evelyn—the two who were engraved—could handle the relic.
Evelyn felt as if she were wandering inside a cloud of thick smoke.
The words she heard seemed to float around her without settling properly.
At that moment, the Emperor set down his teacup.
The light clink of porcelain against the table snapped Evelyn back to her senses.
She turned toward the Emperor.
He smiled.
“Miss Evelyn Hart, it seems you have been entrusted with a very important mission.”
A very important… what?
His voice was solemn despite his gentle face.
“From now on, you will continue to observe the holy relic.”
“With Duke Ashford.”
It was something she absolutely did not want to hear.
Hmm… I want to leave this place immediately.
But there was only one answer she could give.
“…I will obey, Your Majesty.”
“For the details, speak with Camilla. You may leave now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And Duke, stay a while and chat with me.”
The Emperor invited Theo to remain with him.
For some reason, the way he looked at the Duke of Ashford seemed slightly uneasy.
Evelyn bowed according to proper etiquette.
Camilla was about to follow her out.
“I will also take my leave.”
A calm voice echoed through the reception room.
Theo lightly brushed aside the Emperor’s invitation and continued speaking.
“This concerns the future of the Empire. It would be best to establish countermeasures immediately.”
“With Miss Evelyn Hart.”
At the same time, Theo stood.
After giving the Emperor a formal bow, he walked toward the door.
Although he wore a gentle smile like a mask, Evelyn could tell.
He was different from the Theo she had met yesterday.
Despite the curve of his smiling lips, his violet eyes were cold.
He walked toward her.
The reception room was large. He didn’t need to pass so close to her.
Yet Theo approached her.
His long strides didn’t slow as he passed by.
For a brief moment, their sleeves brushed against each other.
Rustle—
It felt as though she could hear the fabric sliding across her arm.
That fleeting moment felt strangely vivid.
He opened the door without hesitation and looked straight at Evelyn.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
Camilla disappeared, saying she would leave everything to the Duke.
In the end, Evelyn was left alone with Theo.
Without knowing where they were going, she quietly walked beside him.
What should I say first? Ask if he’s been well…?
But they had seen each other less than a day ago.
Besides, there was no way he had been well.
At that moment, a languid voice sounded above her.
“There’s no need for you to feel anxious. Or guilty.”
Evelyn looked up and met his gaze.
“You only spoke your true feelings. It’s my responsibility to deal with them.”
“….”
“I’m not foolish enough to force emotions.”
Theo bent slightly so their eyes met.
They were close enough that she could feel his breath.
“I listened to your advice.”
“My advice…?”
“That next time, I should take things slowly. Give it time. Let it seep in little by little.”
For some reason, the way he looked at Evelyn felt unusually intense.
It must be my imagination.
“Next time” surely meant a new relationship.
Evelyn nodded, and Theo straightened again.
“Let’s be comfortable with each other. We’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”
Unlike in the imperial palace, his gaze was gentle.
His consideration calmed Evelyn’s heart.
She couldn’t show this discomfort. It wouldn’t be polite to the Duke—and it would make their work difficult.
“Thank you, Duke.”
She smiled softly.
Theo returned the same smile and walked beside her.
“We’re heading to where the relic is kept. Apparently we must observe it every day.”
“Every day?”
“They say the Stone of Yulia signals that a great crisis is approaching. Since we don’t know when it might deliver another prophecy, it must be watched constantly.”
“So it appears to warn us of an approaching danger.”
Wait… does that mean she has to ignore her own work?
And the Duke must surely be far busier than she was.
“They said that if it shines again like before, it means the prophecy is about to be delivered. Since we don’t know when the light will disappear, one of the engraved people must check it immediately.”
What an unreasonable stone.
Evelyn asked urgently,
“Does that mean we have to stay beside the relic all the time? Both of us?”
“Probably.”
She was speechless.
Who would have thought the pendant she found by chance would end up putting chains around both of them?
