Chapter 98
From the very first moment I saw Amelia, plans immediately began lining up in my head. And all of these plans had one single goal: to make the Emperor and Amelia face each other!
In the original novel, the two fell in love the moment they met. And Kyle, utterly soaked in love, became the most doting fool in the world, doing whatever Amelia wanted. Since Amelia was a righteous heroine, of course, everything ended in a happy ending.
So my job was simply to create a situation that would bring them together. That was the only key to turning this situation around.
But I couldn’t just reveal the truth as it was.
“Actually, this is inside a novel, and you’re the heroine, so you need to meet the male lead Emperor…” Saying something like that would never work, and even if I did, she’d think I was deceiving her.
So, just as I had done with Raymond before, I decided to mention a prophetic dream.
“I didn’t know you had foresight, Your Highness.”
Amelia and I were having tea alone. We had left the training grounds and gone into my room together. It had been a struggle to separate Raymond, but we had managed somehow.
Amelia sipped her tea absentmindedly, then fixed her gaze on me. Her eyes held both surprise and admiration.
“You have far greater abilities than I imagined. I’ve heard you also have healing powers—such versatile skills.”
“Ah, yes. Hahaha.”
Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my head.
I had only told Amelia that I possessed healing powers; I hadn’t mentioned the specifics. The source of my healing—the needles—was tied to my dignity as a human, so I kept it secret. I planned to continue hiding it as much as possible.
Because I concealed the method, Amelia truly treated me like a saint.
“Why did you want to see me alone?”
“You asked earlier how to overcome the current situation, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I’m here to tell you that method.”
“Oh. I see.”
Her eyes were full of anticipation, urging me to speak. But this story was just the bait.
“A few days ago, I had a dream.”
“Yes?”
“It said that if Amelia approaches Emperor Kyle and observes him, she’ll be able to find his weaknesses.”
“Really? Is that true?”
Amelia was fascinated by the story of the dream I shared. She said it was completely different from the prophetic dreams she occasionally experienced. Naturally—it was a fake prophetic dream I had invented.
If anyone else had said it, she would have dismissed it as nonsense. But since I claimed to be a prophet, my words instantly became the ultimate solution. Using divine power as an excuse really is the best.
I discussed with Amelia how we could approach the Emperor together. Afterward, we agreed to track Kyle’s schedule and move when he was alone. Of course, we reminded each other that this was a secret just between the two of us.
After parting from Amelia, I was immediately summoned to Raymond.
A subordinate was waiting outside the door. Seeing Amelia leave my room, he relayed the order and guided me inside.
“Aileen.”
Raymond, standing by the window, turned around the moment the door opened. Anxiety radiated from his face down through his entire body.
He must have been extremely curious about the conversation.
It would be impossible for the leader of the entire rebel faction not to know that a plan existed.
As I entered, Raymond strode toward me. He grabbed my arm and gently pulled me into his embrace. Holding my shoulders tightly, he buried his face in my hair. The sudden hug, along with Raymond’s rich scent, made my head spin for a moment.
“Raymond?”
“I don’t want to be apart from you. Just stay like this for a while.”
He snuggled into me like a lover reunited after a long separation.
“I want to stay by your side.”
“You’re always by my side, aren’t you? That’s why I came to Russ too.”
“I’m afraid of being separated. Afraid that one day you might just disappear without a word.”
Our Raymond… he’s perceptive, isn’t he?
Hearing that, I almost showed surprise. He wasn’t leaving entirely, but he probably planned to sneak out.
The secret method I was planning was not something Raymond would welcome. Creating a situation where Amelia and the Emperor would meet artificially would obviously be opposed if he knew.
But it was a path that had to succeed.
They say the best victory in war is a bloodless one. If the Emperor could fall for Amelia and end this war right here, nothing could be better.
“Don’t worry, Raymond. That won’t happen.”
I reached out and gently stroked him along his back.
Raymond didn’t ask about my conversation with Amelia. Apparently, he thought it would be rude to pry into something discussed while he was not present.
I was curious, but also relieved, so I chose to stay quiet.
Later, the Night Watch informed me about Kyle’s schedule.
The Emperor, feeling pressure from the war, had recently been going to the hunting grounds alone. This was unusual; he usually went with his nobles.
Perfect. I just needed to have Amelia meet him there.
I immediately shared this with Amelia, and we planned the operation.
The plan was for both of us to go to the hunting grounds and hide among the trees and bushes. Amelia initially suggested going alone to spare me, but I refused outright. I had another hidden agenda I couldn’t reveal.
We used Niyan’s teleportation to travel to the hunting grounds. Since we were following the Emperor’s schedule, it wasn’t a burden to come and go.
“Wow, this ride… teleportation can really be this comfortable?”
Amelia, experiencing a Grand Mage’s teleportation for the first time, could not stop marveling. Compliments rained down, making Niyan puff up proudly.
“Ahem. See? I told you I’m this good.”
I furrowed my brows at his overconfident posture, then turned to Amelia.
“Is this comfortable?”
“Absolutely. We have a magician in Kagomisle too, and I’ve ridden teleportation before.”
Amelia shared her experience. She explained that with her subordinate magician, she had felt dizzy, nauseous, and fatigued as if she had traveled ten hours by carriage, even though it was only a thirty-minute distance.
Seems like it would have been easier just to ride a carriage.
“Wow, then this is incredible. That magician must be very skilled.”
“He’s the next Head of the Mage Tower, so of course he’s skilled.”
“Wait, the next Head of the Mage Tower?”
She rarely gets surprised, but my words shocked her so much her feet nearly lifted off the ground.
“Why is the next Head using teleportation shuttles…?”
Amelia muttered to herself, clearly astonished. Judging by her reaction, being the Mage Tower Head was truly a formidable position.
“Amelia seemed really surprised, huh?”
“That’s a normal reaction.”
Niyan shot me a sideways glance.
After Niyan left temporarily, Amelia and I prepared for the operation.
Near the cliff where the Emperor might rest, there was a sturdy tree. We figured we could climb it to get close without being seen.
I positioned us carefully. I stayed higher where I wouldn’t be spotted, and Amelia stayed slightly below. The excuse was to observe the Emperor’s weaknesses, but in reality, it was to make her visible to him.
We held our breaths. Soon, the sound of a horse clattering arrived. Kyle. As expected, he came toward the cliff and stopped his horse just beneath the tree where Amelia and I were hiding. The crown of his head was visible from our vantage point.
Amelia was scrutinizing him carefully to fulfill my prophecy. And now was the perfect moment.
Now!
I took a small stone I had prepared and tossed it downward.
“Ouch.”
The stone hit the Emperor’s head precisely. Apart from success, I felt a slight thrill—like flicking a mischievous child on the forehead.
Kyle frowned and looked up. At that moment, Amelia’s gaze met his exactly. I could feel her holding her breath in surprise.
But for some reason, Kyle didn’t notice anything above. He lowered his head again, shook the reins, and led his horse away.
“Phew. I thought we were caught.”
Once there was enough distance, Amelia exhaled in relief.
“What should we do? I couldn’t see any weaknesses in the Emperor.”
“R… really?”
I barely processed her words. I was sure Kyle had seen Amelia, so why did he just pass by?
Even though we had set up the situation deliberately, unfortunately, the opportunity was wasted.
We couldn’t give up. We had to plan again.
But unlike the first attempt, the second attempt wasn’t easy.
The excuse I had given Amelia was losing power, and Raymond was watching our movements. Even if we had sneaked out once successfully, repeating it would surely give us away.
Still, we couldn’t abandon the plan. Frustration mounted.
What should we do?
As I mulled over it, a golden opportunity fortunately presented itself.
