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Upon returning to the palace, both Sylvia and Felix quickly became engrossed in their busy lives. Felix first gathered the duke and the nobles to inform them about the changes in the territories and the incoming settlers.
Fortunately, Ethan had been a great help. While Felix knew Ethan had formed many connections through his long years with the mercenary corps, he hadn’t expected so many mercenaries to willingly follow Ethan to the Capitis Empire.
However, thanks to Ethan’s previous good deeds, many trusted him and moved to Capitis.
Now, the empire had only one task: to support these newcomers in adapting quickly.
Felix decided to grant Ethan a title. But the nobles, citing Ethan’s origin from the Corpora Empire, opposed the idea, and Felix dismissed their objections.
Tired of those who only looked out for their own interests, Felix decided to take a strong stance.
“If you oppose, then propose a solution.”
“Those who only oppose without offering alternatives are unfit for their roles and will be excluded from the council.”
Being excluded from the council meant they would be mere nobles in name only, inevitably leading to their decline in society.
Felix demanded that they show their abilities rather than clinging to titles, and then set out to find Sylvia.
Feeling frustrated and irritated, he didn’t want to attend another meeting or even look at the nobles. The recent journey with Sylvia only intensified these feelings.
He had been so happy when it was just the two of them.
“Where is the Empress?”
Hubert, who had been following, quickly answered.
“She is in the rear garden.”
Hubert replied as he put away the magical communication device connected to Barbara.
Of all the people, Hubert was probably the happiest about the advent of the magical communication device.
No longer would he have to run around in a panic whenever the Empress’s location was in question.
“In the rear garden?”
“Yes, working on… what was it again?”
“Oh…”
Felix immediately understood. Sylvia’s recent focus had been on one thing.
“Has she finished making the fish sauce?”
“Yes! That’s it, Your Majesty. I can never quite remember the name.”
Before Hubert could finish his sentence, Felix leaped out of the nearby window.
“Ah! Your Majesty! Please, a little decorum!”
Hubert’s words didn’t reach Felix’s ears.
Eager to see Sylvia, Felix flew straight to the small outbuilding at the far end of the rear garden.
This was the place Sylvia used for cooking by herself. The palace kitchen, with its head chef and numerous staff, made her uncomfortable, so Felix had created this private space just for her.
Her dark hair, similar to his, fluttered in the wind. When he spotted her busily making something, a deep smile curved on his lips.
Sylvia, having finally tasted the properly aged fish sauce, was now enthusiastically mixing up a batch of fresh kimchi.
As she worked, she was mentally listing all the dishes that would pair well with the fresh kimchi.
A white canopy fluttered in the breeze before her, and on the table below, fairies sat gathered, eating mangosteens.
Sylvia had already peeled them, so the fairies were holding the creamy white segments and giggling.
[Delicious!]
[So delicious!]
[Hehe!]
The fairies had started speaking simple words, often mimicking Sylvia’s phrases.
As Sylvia mixed the kimchi, she glanced lovingly at the fairies from time to time.
Felix landed precisely in their midst.
“You scared me!”
Sylvia shouted in surprise, and the fairies began chattering noisily.
[You scared me!]
[Sylvia! Sylvia!]
The fairies fluttered over and clung to her.
The way they did so, as if trying to protect her from him, made Felix scoff in disbelief.
“…I don’t like this.”
“What brings you here at this hour?”
She asked, surprised that he had come during a time when he would normally be working.
“I missed you.”
His words were simple, but his gaze was intense.
Felix, with an annoyed expression, used the wind to gently blow the fairies off her shoulders and head.
[Kyaa!]
[Sylvia!]
“What’s with you all of a sudden?”
Sylvia, who had caught the flying fairies again with her wind magic, asked in confusion. Instead of answering, Felix suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.
“I shouldn’t have brought them here.”
He knew how much she had missed the fairies, which was why he had suggested bringing them, but now that he saw them monopolizing her attention, he felt a surge of jealousy.
His possessive heart, like a second heartbeat, seemed to command him to get rid of the fairies.
Sylvia gazed quietly at Felix, who wore a menacing expression. By now, she had learned to roughly gauge his mood just by looking at his face.
Although she hadn’t fully grasped just how powerful their bond—their mark—was, she could tell by his expressions.
The fierce, almost predatory look in his eyes carried a subtle hint of fear.
At first, she hadn’t understood why he behaved this way, but now she knew what his fear stemmed from.
Using wind magic, Sylvia gently lifted the fairies and settled them on a nearby tree. After handing them some mangosteens, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Kiss me.”
Her bold request immediately softened the dark look in his eyes.
Felix quickly lowered his head. As he gently sucked on her soft lips, a wave of satisfaction washed over him.
Tilting his head slightly, he began to kiss her more deeply and passionately.
“…Hah…”
As they briefly parted, Sylvia took a deep breath. Even after being married, she still felt a flutter of nerves.
“A little more…”
Despite having kissed for quite a while, Felix still felt an insatiable thirst. The more he kissed her, the more he felt it wasn’t enough.
As if they were the only two people left in the world, they clung to each other for a long time, reluctant to part.
After what seemed like ages, they finally pulled away and asked the questions that had been on their minds.
“How’s work?”
“Did it turn out well?”
They spoke simultaneously, then burst into a shared laugh.
Felix was the first to answer.
“I got fed up and just left.”
“Huh?”
“They kept making noise about him still being from the Corpora Empire.”
Now she understood why he had been so upset. Why would it matter now that someone was from the Corpora Empire?
When the nation needed to grow, why would someone’s nationality be such a big deal?
Besides, if they were bringing in people of good standing, shouldn’t they be welcomed instead?
“That makes sense.”
Though her words were simple, Felix felt his heart swell with emotion. He knew better than anyone how blessed he was to have someone who was wholly on his side.
“And you?”
“Hehe…”
Sylvia chuckled with pride as she showed him the fresh kimchi she had made, seasoned with her newly perfected fish sauce.
“I did it!”
Sylvia proudly declared, already deep in thought about what to pair with the fresh kimchi.
“It’s not exactly kimjang, but it’s close enough. Maybe bossam? Or perhaps kalguksu would be good…”
Felix, well aware of her tendency to talk to herself and quickly get lost in other thoughts while cooking, chose to simply observe her silently rather than interrupt.
After much deliberation, Sylvia decided to commemorate her first batch of kimchi by making bossam.
She took out pork shoulder and belly, cutting them into suitable sizes. Then she prepared onions, apples, green onions, and ginger.
The bossam, cooked solely with the moisture from the vegetables and without adding any water, turned out tender yet firm.
She added soy sauce, pepper, and finally a bit of wine, as she didn’t have the right kind of liquor to remove any unwanted smell.
“I should buy some barley liquor next time.”
Remembering the barley liquor that tasted just like beer, Sylvia tightly sealed the prepared ingredients with a barrier of wind and began rolling them with water and fire magic.
As the pork simmered on medium heat, she also prepared chive salad, cucumber salad, dried radish strips, and dried persimmon salad, along with the essential leafy greens for wrapping.
Felix continued to watch her in silence. This time with her was incredibly precious to him.
Even without exchanging words, just being near her brought a sense of lazy warmth that he never wanted to let go of.
As he watched the meat turn beautifully in mid-air, Felix couldn’t help but swallow hard.
The rich aroma of sesame oil made his throat bob again. Sylvia, now moving quickly, began filling the table with her dishes.
Finally, she sliced the cooked pork into bite-sized pieces and placed them on a dish.
“…What is this?”
Having eaten various kinds of meat before, but never this type, Felix asked curiously.
“Hmm? Is this your first time having bossam?”
Now that she thought about it, Sylvia realized she had only ever made grilled meats or soups for Felix. She began explaining with a cheerful tone.
“Originally, it’s a dish where the meat is boiled in water, but I steamed it using the water from the vegetables.”
Noticing that he was listening intently, she continued.
“Instead of talking about it, let’s eat. You’ll understand once you taste it.”
She quickly placed a piece of bossam on top of some fresh kimchi and popped it into his mouth.
Felix eagerly opened his mouth to accept it, and his eyes widened at the tender texture and the spicy yet richly savory flavor that followed.
“Mmm!”
The meat, with no trace of gaminess, melted in his mouth, but the deep, complex taste lingered for a while.
“…Is this the fish sauce?”
“Yep, can you taste the fishiness?”
Sylvia answered while chewing on a mouthful of bossam and kimchi.
Nodding slowly, Felix quickly grabbed his chopsticks to eat more of the bossam and kimchi.
“Shall we have some alcohol with it?”
Though she regretted not having soju, wine would do. Sylvia excitedly brought out a bottle of wine.
Clink.
The two happily shared their first glass. As the pile of bossam and kimchi began to dwindle, empty wine bottles started lining up around them.
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