TTOSS 138

Chapter : 138

After her meeting with Rosearine, Liriope returned to the Grand Duke’s castle and widened her eyes when she saw Theo, who had arrived before her.

“Did you set up all the defenses in the outer villages already?”

“Yes.”

Theo nodded calmly.

As expected, the huge difference in their magical power meant that both the efficiency and speed of work were strikingly different.

“This… this is from that girl. She said to give it to you.”

Theo handed Liriope a flower ring, noticing her wide-eyed surprise.

The white flower had slightly wilted, but the ring, made by tightly and firmly wrapping the stem, clearly showed the effort of the person who made it.

“She said she found the flower among the ruins. Seeing it survive the chaos with its head held high, she felt it carried luck, so she made it into a ring.”

Liriope’s eyes glistened as she looked at the flower ring. She felt a renewed sense of gratitude for Miriel’s thoughtfulness in giving her something so precious.

“It’s really well made. I didn’t know Miriel had such skill… It would be a shame if it wilted.”

As Liriope murmured in quiet delight, Theo responded calmly.

“I froze it. It won’t wither until I die.”

At that, Liriope’s eyes widened.

Theo had frozen the flower ring that Miriel had painstakingly made for her using his own powers, even without being asked. She was surprised to see such thoughtfulness in him.

“Thank you.”

A flower ring that wouldn’t wither until Theo’s death—it held its own special meaning.

Liriope slipped the slightly oversized ring onto her index finger.

“I’ll keep wearing it.”

Though humble compared to gemstone rings, the significance of the flower ring was immense.

As Liriope smiled brightly, gazing at the ring on her finger, a gentle smile appeared on Theo’s lips as well.

He hadn’t expected her to be this happy when Miriel gave him the flower ring to pass on to Liriope.

After all, Liriope had always worn the most precious and luxurious jewelry.

Still, seeing her joy now, he was glad he had frozen the delicate flower with ice magic so it wouldn’t wither, even layering it with wind magic to prevent it from feeling cold, though he didn’t mention these details.

“Oh, by the way. Did you know that His Highness Cadin will soon become acting emperor?”

“Yes. Usually, the crown prince becomes acting emperor before ascending to the throne.”

“Ah, I see. Anyway, Rose said she’ll discuss building protective facilities with His Highness Cadin too.”

“Yes. She’s already mentioned it.”

Theo nodded calmly, and Liriope’s eyes widened.

“You told His Highness Cadin too?”

“Yes. Since he’ll soon be emperor, any reports to the emperor will be shared with him as well.”

“I see.”

Liriope nodded in understanding.

“The emperor has already approved it. After going through official procedures, we’ll proceed as planned.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So, I’ll be counting on you.”

Theo smiled, and Liriope returned the smile, nodding brightly.

“Leave it to me.”

The flower ring, wrapped in ice and wind magic, sparkled as it caught the light when Liriope raised her clenched fist.

Liriope began traveling through the north with Theo, creating defensive walls made of unextinguishable flames.

Whenever she came into contact with him, Theo’s fire abilities were amplified, so he would frequently approach her while building the walls, stealing quick kisses before returning to work.

The northern citizens, unaware of their abilities, saw this as affectionate moments between the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, and rumors about their relationship spread throughout the north, even appearing in newspapers.

‘What was the headline again? Something like The Grand Duchess and Grand Duke’s Fateful Love After Crossing the River of Death.’

Even though the headline was ridiculously cheesy, it included a large photo of Theo giving a light kiss to amplify his fire magic. Seeing it that morning, Liriope had chuckled.

‘Well, at least Theo officially became the Grand Duchess’s admirer across the empire, so that’s satisfying.’

As Liriope smiled, Theo quickly approached her from afar.

“What were you thinking? If it’s something to laugh about, laugh with me.”

He naturally kissed her as he spoke.

Liriope shook her head, smiling.

“It’s nothing.”

“What is it then?”

“I said it’s nothing.”

“If only I could peek inside your head, I’d sell my soul to the devil…”

“Don’t be crazy. Stop saying things like that.”

As Liriope glared at him, Theo pressed his lips against hers again, then pulled away.

“Then tell me. What were you thinking about when you laughed?”

Feeling his obsessive aura as he persistently asked why she laughed, Liriope recalled the keywords from the novel: possession, jealousy, obsession.

Realizing these traits were directed at her, she finally understood what it meant to be his partner.

She let out a small, wry laugh.

“I just remembered the article about the cold and strict Grand Duke of the north becoming the Grand Duchess’s admirer.”

Theo shrugged as if it were obvious.

“It’s true.”

“Exactly. It just made me happy, so I laughed.”

Hearing that she laughed because of him, Theo’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“There’s not much left to do in this village, so you should return to Grey first. I’ll finish the rest.”

Kissing her on the head, Theo spoke.

Since Liriope started working with Rosearine on protective facilities, Theo had always sent her back to the palace a little earlier.

Liriope, who still had much to discuss with Rosearine, gladly nodded.

“Yes. See you at the palace.”

“Good.”

As soon as Theo answered, Grey opened a teleportation portal on the side.

Leaving Theo behind, Liriope went through the portal with Grey and returned directly to Rosearine’s office.

“Rose.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

Rosearine, sitting at her desk and engrossed in her work, stood immediately as Liriope entered.

Smiling at Rosearine’s warm welcome, Liriope sat on the sofa.

Rosearine brought over the documents she had prepared about the protective facilities and sat across from her.

The documents were filled with the plans they had developed over the past week.

“First, regarding the education staff I mentioned a few days ago… There probably aren’t many commoners qualified to educate the children.”

Rosearine handed one of the documents to Liriope.

“But it wouldn’t make sense for nobles unfamiliar with commoner life to educate them either, so I’m looking for candidates with the right qualifications.”

Liriope took the document and nodded once.

“The butler of the Brantio family listed here is the perfect candidate after some inquiry.”

According to Rosearine, this butler had taught writing to children in the village since his youth.

Even among servants in the Brantio household who didn’t know how to read, he had found time to teach them. Liriope nodded approvingly.

“He’ll teach the children well.”

“Yes. But he’s currently serving the Brantio family, so bringing him here will take time. We can send a new servant to them, but the handover means we can’t take him immediately.”

“There’s time to build the protective facility anyway, so we can start now.”

Liriope asked casually, but a shadow crossed Rosearine’s face.

“The Brantio family rejected the three people we sent.”

Liriope frowned slightly.

“Why were they rejected?”

“Just because they weren’t satisfactory, no other reason.”

The frown on Liriope’s brow deepened.

“I’ll meet him myself.”

It seemed the Brantio family looked down on young Rosearine. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare reject someone sent by the acting empress just because they weren’t to their liking.

‘Once they know Rose will soon be the real empress, they’ll change their attitude immediately.’

Rosearine nodded at Liriope.

“Ah, could you do that? Then please. I’m still looking for other suitable candidates.”

Rosearine’s expression was heavy, apologizing for making Liriope handle matters in the empire while she was already busy with the northern facility.

Liriope shook her head.

“Don’t say that. We’re doing this together. The northern facility is just my responsibility because it’s my territory, but this is a facility for the entire empire.”

“…Yes.”

“And the teachers we gather will still receive proper training. Even if someone is talented at teaching, the difference between those trained systematically and those who aren’t is huge.”

Rosearine nodded at Liriope’s words.

“So, like the butler, it’s good if they have talent and heart for teaching, but if not, as long as they like children and have a good personality, that’s enough. What children need most is warm adult care and attention.”

“Alright, then I’ll focus on finding people who can protect the children well. Now, the next plan…”

Rosearine spread out a map of the empire on the table with the next documents.

“We planned to build a total of eight protective facilities across the empire. But considering the size and population of these areas, it might be better to add one more in each.”

Liriope looked down at the map, and the long discussion continued.