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“Ugh…”
Sylvia slowly woke to the sound of birds chirping. She squirmed a bit, trying to escape the intense sunlight that was piercing through her eyelids.
Something then gently covered her eyes.
“…Felix?”
“Yeah…”
His drawn-out voice was unmistakably his, but the unusually raspy tone reminded her of the previous night.
After a long time, they had indulged in bossam, and the drinks had gone down too easily. The spicy, mouthwatering taste of the kimchi made it impossible to stop drinking.
Felix, who wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with, had tried to keep up with her, taking one drink after another, until he had far surpassed his usual limit.
The two of them had started drinking in the early afternoon and were eventually dragged to their bedroom by Hubert and Barbara, who had arrived late.
But they hadn’t gone straight to sleep. After the attendants left, they had pulled out more wine, pairing it with cheese, then with fruit…
And then, the night had taken a passionate turn that words couldn’t fully describe.
Sylvia groaned as the memories came flooding back. Her head throbbed, but the embarrassment was even more overwhelming.
Still clinging to his warm side, she wrapped her arm around his firm body.
Embarrassing as it was, she loved being close to him.
“…I think we drank too much. My head is splitting.”
“Ugh, I don’t even want to look at wine for a while.”
Felix was no different from her. The bright sunlight bothered him so much that he used wind magic to fully close the curtains.
Only then could he open his eyes a bit more comfortably. Turning onto his side, he pulled his wife closer, holding her tightly.
With a slightly flushed face, he whispered.
“Last night… was amazing.”
“!”
The sudden comment made Sylvia feel as if the alcohol was rushing back to her head.
She started recalling the things she had done the night before.
“Ugh…”
As she lay there, too embarrassed to say anything, Felix gently stroked her back, murmuring in a voice filled with bliss.
“I thought I was going to die…”
If he were really on the verge of death, he wouldn’t be able to say it like that. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Sylvia burrowed under his arm.
As if trying to hide from the world, she tucked herself into him like a mole seeking refuge in a hole.
“Heh, heh. Why are you getting shy now, darling?”
Felix found her utterly adorable. Not only was she cute, but she was also so lovable and, at times, irresistibly alluring.
Especially with the tattoos that adorned her body, which only heightened her charm.
“Stop talking…”
Clinging to the blanket and Felix’s body, Sylvia mumbled as she felt an overwhelming thirst. Reluctantly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
“I’m so thirsty…”
From her subspace bracelet, Sylvia retrieved the barley tea she always had prepared. She directed it straight into both her mouth and his.
Too tired to pour it into a cup, she drank the tea a few more times using wind magic before letting out a soft sigh and flopping back down.
Felix, not missing a beat, immediately rolled on top of her. With a bright, mischievous look, he whispered as if he had somehow avoided the effects of their drinking.
“I want to feel more, darling.”
Seeing the playful glint in his eyes, Sylvia instinctively placed a hand over her heart, as if to calm the sudden fluttering caused by his gaze.
“…Seriously. Stop using your face like that.”
Felix, who had been kissing her neck with soft, audible pecks, let out a breathy laugh.
And so, their morning, filled with love, slowly passed by.
◆
Thanks to Felix’s firm stance, the meeting proceeded smoothly. Ethan was granted the title of Count, while Jeremy and the entire Nakri Mercenary Corps were given the rank of Baronet.
Though baronetcies couldn’t be inherited, it was unprecedented to elevate so many commoners to nobility.
This move marked the beginning of an influx of not just people from the Corpora Empire but also others from different states to Capitis.
The promise of living in a beautiful land, coupled with strong support, inspired people to dream of new possibilities.
About four months later, Sylvia began to feel something strange.
“Oh my, Your Majesty, are you hungry?”
Barbara, who had just returned from handling some other tasks, noticed Sylvia.
“Hmm…”
It had been less than an hour since breakfast, yet here she was, devouring cookies, which felt a bit unseemly.
But…
“…How odd. I’m still hungry.”
“Then I’ll bring you something to drink. Please wait a moment.”
“Mm-hmm…”
Sylvia could have prepared it herself, but recently Barbara had been pleading for more tasks to do, so Sylvia decided to let her handle it.
In the meantime, feeling a bit peckish, she grew some mangosteens. Using wind magic to peel the skin, she ate each segment without touching them, savoring the fruit one by one.
When Barbara returned with a chilled tea, Sylvia drank it down, enjoying the refreshing coolness.
“Mmm, that’s refreshing.”
“The head chef made some new cookies today, too.”
The head chef, knowing he couldn’t surpass Sylvia in cooking, had shifted his focus to desserts, his specialty.
“He said he’s also making a cake.”
“Tell him if he needs any fruits, just to ask.”
Sylvia’s eyes lit up at the mention of cake. She had been craving something sweeter than cookies.
“Barbara, you mentioned that people from other countries have been flocking in lately, right?”
“Yes! It’s been quite the commotion. Apparently, the Emperor has even received letters from two different countries about it.”
“Hmm, they must want to stop it.”
However, as long as they weren’t slaves, commoners were free to migrate. And even slaves, except for those who had committed crimes, were nearly nonexistent now.
“Is that count… what’s his name… still building his walls?”
“He might as well be wishing for death.”
Sylvia turned her gaze to Barbara, who had spoken in a cold tone. The usually kind and gentle Barbara now stared into the distance with icy eyes.
Knowing the tragic story behind Barbara’s demeanor, Sylvia slowly nodded.
“At first, I didn’t understand why His Majesty kept someone like that alive… but now I see that his decision was right.”
Barbara clasped her trembling hands tightly as she continued.
“I hope he doesn’t just disappear easily in death, but rather that he suffers until the very end.”
“He will.”
Sylvia spoke calmly, but she was already wondering if the Dragon Grimoire contained any healing magic.
If it did, no matter how complex, she would inscribe a magic circle to keep that count alive, ensuring he couldn’t die easily.
Just like Felix had suffered in his childhood.
“Oh, that’s not what I meant to ask. Here, take this.”
Sylvia reached into a small bag on the table and began pulling out gold bars, stacking them neatly.
Barbara’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in shock. It wasn’t a typical reaction for someone who valued propriety, which made Sylvia chuckle as she explained.
“Give these to the Duke. Make sure he presents them as if he’s donating them to the empire, and keep the fact that they came from me a secret.”
“…Your Majesty, where did all this gold come from?”
At Barbara’s question, Sylvia flashed a mischievous smile.
“Are you curious?”
“…No, you don’t have to tell me.”
“Oh, come on, if you said you were curious, I was going to tell you…”
“I’m curious! Very much so!”
Barbara blurted out in a slightly raised voice before Sylvia could even finish speaking.
Her flushed face made her look endearingly youthful. Instead of answering, Sylvia infused her ring, which bore a gemstone engraved with a magical sigil, with power.
A tree began to grow right above the table. And just as she wished, instead of leaves, gold nuggets began to sprout.
The pure golden color shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.
“This, what on earth….”
Barbara couldn’t continue her words. Meanwhile, Sylvia began to pluck the newly formed gold nuggets from the pile of accumulated gold, just like picking fruit, and stacked them one by one.
“Put it in the subspace bag and take it with you.”
“…I will certainly carry out Her Majesty’s orders.”
“Yes, I trust you.”
At Sylvia’s words, Barbara’s eyes turned red. She felt the reward of enduring many harsh years.
Although her sins hadn’t disappeared, Barbara vowed to dedicate her life to the two of them until her dying breath.
While Barbara was putting the gold nuggets into her subspace bag, Sylvia made a hallabong (a type of citrus) grow.
Using wind magic, she peeled them and began to chew on them, one by one.
Leaning comfortably on the sofa, she ate hallabong, mangosteen, tangerines, grapefruit, strawberries, and so on, without a thought.
When the peels began to pile up on the table, just like the gold nuggets earlier, she realized something was wrong with her condition.
“…Why, am I still hungry even after eating?”
Even though she was constantly eating, she continued to feel hungry. Though she had always had a big appetite, she didn’t think she had ever eaten this much….
◆
Once things began to move forward, they flowed smoothly as if carried by a tailwind. Felix fully immersed himself in his work.
“Your Majesty, how would you like to handle your meal?”
He had been so focused on his work that he didn’t even realize how much time had passed. Felix hesitated for a moment before asking Hubert.
“Did the Empress eat?”
“She probably did, considering the time that has passed.”
It was an ambiguous time for lunch. Lately, they had been eating lunch separately due to their busy schedules, so Felix simply nodded in response.
Hubert hurriedly sent a secretary and had the servants prepare a meal in the office.
“Do you know how delighted the chef is that Your Majesty is now eating food other than what Her Majesty the Empress has prepared?”
Recently, Sylvia had also been eating food prepared by the kitchen, which was not made by her own hands.
Felix, who had been concerned that Sylvia, the Empress, was always preparing her own meals, now ate at least one meal a day prepared by the chef.
However, Sylvia still personally taught the chef how to cook for Felix, who continued to dislike steak.
“Excuse me.”
The chef appeared, pushing a trolley. As he opened the silver cover, he added,
“Today, I have prepared pork ribs as instructed by Her Majesty the Empress. The various side dishes were also prepared by Her Majesty this morning.”
The sight of the steaming white rice and large pork ribs was enough to make one’s mouth water.
It was Felix’s favorite food.
“Good.”
Felix, who was enjoying the pleasantly sweet aroma, suddenly furrowed his brow in discomfort.
It should have been a delicious scent, but strangely, it made his stomach churn.
“Ugh….”
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