Sylvia unfolded the letter from Felix again. It was a letter he had been giving her every morning since he promised to teach her the language of dragons. Although it was just a short sentence, Sylvia felt happy.
Because she felt his love.
“Ethernum Amor.”
She cooled her blushing cheeks with the back of her hand, blinking slowly with her large eyes.
“Eternal love, what do I do.”
Pacing back and forth, Sylvia buried her face in the letter.
“How can he say such things so easily? Isn’t it embarrassing?”
Embarrassed and at a loss, she grumbled immediately.
“Really. So different from the first impression.”
She recalled their first meeting. His stunning appearance was constant, but his aura was entirely different now. Thinking of Felix, who had been intimidating to the point of being fearsome, Sylvia moved on.
“Now that I think about it, what happened to my house? Have all the flowers I tended withered?”
It was supposed to be a short departure, but now she couldn’t return, which made her feel regretful.
“Were there bees? I wish a beehive had formed…”
Remembering Eryngium, who had gone to look for bees, Sylvia smiled bitterly.
“I miss the kids so much.”
As Sylvia entered the corridor, the bustling palace staff greeted her.
“Good day, Your Majesty the Queen.”
“Do you need anything?”
“The weather is pleasant. How about having tea time?”
The new staff awkwardly addressed Sylvia as the queen. Though Felix had proposed, they hadn’t had their ceremony yet, and Felix was busy preparing for the new empire.
“No, I’m fine.”
As Sylvia politely declined, the staff panicked and prostrated themselves. Seeing this scene often, Sylvia kept quiet.
“You shouldn’t use honorifics with us, Your Majesty!”
“Please retract your words!”
This was why such commotions occurred. Sylvia was embarrassed each time because her polite speech didn’t fade easily. But she couldn’t suggest changes to their culture, so she just slapped her lips with her hand.
Then, a large hand reached from behind and grasped Sylvia’s wrist.
“Why are you hitting your cute lips?”
Felix naturally kissed the back of her hand.
“Huh? Meus Eternum Amor.”
Sylvia’s face flushed at his murmuring while his lips were still on her hand.
“No! That’s not it! Why aren’t you working and here instead?”
It was supposed to be his working hours. Felix raised his head and his eyebrows drooped.
“I guess I’ve been working too much lately. I feel drained.”
Felix approached in a way Sylvia couldn’t refuse. Without knowing his true intentions, Sylvia was startled and inspected Felix’s complexion.
“Really. You have been working a lot. Should I make something tasty? What would you like to eat?”
Her face filled with concern pleased him. Felix reached out, caressing Sylvia’s face as he answered.
“It’s so hot, I hardly have an appetite. I’d be happy with just watermelon…”
It had been significantly hotter than usual these past days. Sylvia pondered what would go well with watermelon and then took Felix’s hand.
“Shall we eat it in the garden?”
“Anywhere with you is fine by me.”
Sylvia smiled back as she gazed into his softly curving black eyes.
The two made their way to a secluded corner of the garden, setting up a screen for privacy and placing a table. Sylvia brought out a jar of soaked soybeans she had prepared earlier for cooking.
She also took out soaked black beans and mixed them in a 1:1 ratio with the soybeans. As the water she had put on earlier began to boil, she cooked the noodles and added water, pine nuts, and sesame seeds to the bean and black bean mix, grinding it finely with wind magic.
She sliced cucumbers that had grown on the spot and cut ripe watermelons into bite-sized pieces, arranging them on a plate. After seasoning the bean broth with salt, she rinsed the boiled noodles in ice water and placed them in a bowl.
“What’s that?”
Felix asked, watching her cook something he had never seen before.
“This is cold soybean noodle soup. It’s delicious when it’s hot out. And it goes really well with watermelon.”
Sylvia explained with a bright smile, catching Felix’s attention as he looked at the word ‘watermelon.’
He felt a bit of reluctance towards the unfamiliar dish. Though he trusted Sylvia’s cooking, the thick broth wasn’t to his liking.
“Why?”
Seeing his unusual expression of discontent, Sylvia grew curious.
“Do you not like it?”
“No…”
Though not entirely to his liking, Felix wouldn’t refuse food she had made. He picked up his chopsticks with a blank expression.
“Shall I try it first?”
The cucumbers looked appetizing, but the thick, cloudy broth made Felix quickly nod in agreement.
“Let’s taste the pure flavor first.”
He drank the cool broth with ice in it. Sylvia’s exclamation of delight came naturally at the refreshing and savory taste.
“Ah, this is it!”
She wrapped the watermelon with noodles on her chopsticks. The sweet freshness of the watermelon and the savory coolness of the soybean noodle soup exploded in her mouth. Felix watched her eat the watermelon with the dish in surprise.
“Does it taste good with watermelon?”
He knew watermelon as a great dessert, but never thought to eat it with a meal. Curious, Felix watched intently as Sylvia picked up watermelon and noodles for him.
He opened his mouth to receive it without hesitation. Sylvia, who still had noodles in her mouth, squinted her eyes. Felix sucked in the remaining noodles, but one strand stretched taut.
Unaware of what was happening, both blinked in confusion. Discovering the noodle connecting them, Felix’s eyes crinkled with laughter.
Such simple joys were doubled in her presence. Without chewing the mouthful, Felix moved closer, sucking in the remaining noodle and pecking her lips.
“Mm!”
Startled, Sylvia pursed her lips and blinked. Soybean broth stained her lips. Watching this, Felix leisurely moved his mouth.
The explosion of watermelon’s sweetness and the savory soybean noodle soup in his mouth was delightful. Licking the broth from his own lips, Felix leaned down again. He quickly licked the broth from Sylvia’s lips and then pretended nothing had happened, picking up his chopsticks.
Sylvia, blushing redder than the ripe watermelon, couldn’t speak, only glaring at him with her expression.
The soybean noodle soup, initially met with reluctance, began to go down smoothly. Indeed, as she said, it paired wonderfully with watermelon. Enjoying their time together, Felix quickly finished his bowl. Then, from afar, came voices searching for Sylvia.
“Sylvia! Aren’t you in the garden? Strange… The servant said she went this way…”
As Sylvia, hidden behind the wooden screen, was about to respond to Naomi’s voice, Felix swiftly kissed her again, thinking it was time to send the Caudatium siblings back.
****
Lucino entered the kingdom of Capitis, where the royal palace of Niger was located, riding in the carriage of the duke’s house. The emperor of Corpora was furious due to the prince’s absurd strategy that led to a conference falling through and a mysterious magical attack that occurred in the middle of the night.
Of course, the target of his anger was the crown prince.
Even the broad range of magic seen for the first time was enough to guess who the culprit might be, but the crown prince had already committed mistakes that left no room for excuses, and even seemed justified.
Considering their ranks, Lucino had nothing to say, starting from talking down to Felix, who could be considered higher in rank than the crown prince, to using Sylvia as a pretext for his schemes.
Therefore, Lucino was sent to the Capitis royal palace on the emperor’s orders. Knowing that Felix was already with Sylvia, he couldn’t help but feel his heart tremble uncontrollably.
He felt pathetic for only realizing his feelings too late, but he knew it was far too late. Still, the thought of seeing her excited him beyond his control.
Upon entering the royal palace, Lucino got off the carriage. The person who came to meet him was Hubert.
“Lord Duke Visconti, you must be tired from your journey. Would you like to rest first?”
The palace attendants who came with Hubert were amazed at Lucino’s sparkling jewel-like hair.
“I would like to see His Highness the Crown Prince first…”
“Then I shall guide you. Please follow me.”
Hubert’s attitude was very hostile due to the crown prince’s twice disrespecting his country. Yet, Lucino could say nothing. Since a peaceful agreement was no longer possible, he had no choice but to convey his message well, ensuring no further incidents occurred.
Lucino followed Hubert to the king’s audience chamber. Felix was there, already handling the king’s duties, despite being only the crown prince in name.
“It’s nice to see you again, Crown Prince of Capitis. I am Lucino Visconti.”
Lucino gave Felix a formal greeting. Despite his jealousy, the work had to be completed safely.
“I’m not particularly welcoming, but you’ve had a hard journey nonetheless.”
Felix maintained decorum to a reasonable extent. Lucino started the conversation by suggesting methods of exchange discussed with the emperor.
***
Sylvia heard from Naomi that the Duke of Visconti had arrived.
“Sylvia. Are you not going to repair that ruined palace?”
Naomi pointed at the palace leading to the Dragon’s Lair and asked.
“Ah, Feri said he would handle it later.”
“I see. Oh, was it this evening?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe, I’m really looking forward to it!”
Carl and Naomi, who had stayed longer than planned, were leaving tomorrow. Sylvia mentioned the Duke of Visconti’s visit to Felix, so a meal had been prepared for this evening.
Naomi was excited as this was her first formal dinner invitation, despite having been treated to desserts and simple meals before.
“I’ll dress up beautifully. I’ll wear the prettiest dress I brought.”
Seeing Naomi’s eyes sparkle with anticipation, Sylvia also smiled.
***
Lucino took a brief rest in the room he was shown to before changing into formal attire. Fortunately, he successfully concluded the discussions on international exchanges and trade issues he had prepared. He also delivered a gift sent separately by the emperor to Felix.
The gift was a vast amount of gold, unimaginable to ordinary nobles, created through the unique magic of the Corpora imperial family. The fact that the crown prince had made this gold was not disclosed.
Lucino closely examined his appearance in the mirror. He had never cared about his looks before, but today, for some reason, he was concerned. Aaron approached Lucino as he neatly tied his long hair.
“My lord, let me help you.”
“Hmm…”
While helping with the attire, Aaron asked.
“But don’t we still have time? Are you not hurrying the preparations?”
“I heard the dinner is in the garden. I thought to go out early and enjoy the breeze.”
“I see.”
Lucino, dressed in a thin silver shirt suitable for summer, a gray vest with a hint of purple, a jacket, and black trousers, finished his look with a white cravat.
“Hmm…”
Aaron smiled bitterly as he watched Lucino checking his outfit in the full-length mirror.
“Then, I’ll be off.”
“Yes, please have a good time, my lord.”
The dinner, specifically invited by Sylvia, was to be attended by Felix, Lucino, Carl, and Naomi only, leaving their personal attendants and maids behind.
Lucino walked down the corridor, looking forward to the dinner as he knew Sylvia’s cooking skills, despite having not tasted much of it. Following a palace attendant’s guidance, he arrived at the garden and leisurely admired the flowers and trees decorated there.
While he saw flowers and trees that were also present in the Corpora imperial palace and his own garden, the deeper he went, the more unfamiliar the scenery became. Following an unknown flower, Lucino spotted Sylvia bustling about from a distance.
“Sylvia…”
Leave a Reply