Because I Was in a Hurry Today
"The ritual is over, Your Majesty," said the high priest.
But Regina could not focus on a word of it. A strange heat rose from her hand and began to spread slowly through her body.
Did the divine power from earlier affect the seal? For mana exchange to start so suddenly...
Holding back her ragged breath, Regina slowly directed the mana flowing through her body. It was far less than when her lips had touched Conrad’s before—but even this much was enough to be welcome.
Just then, as if the high priest intended to say another blessing, he reached for the hands the two of them were holding and tried to pull them apart.
Conrad slapped his hand away at once.
"Don’t do anything stupid."
With a scoff, he tightened an arm around Regina’s waist.
The high priest could do nothing as the two of them turned and walked straight out of the temple.
"Your Majesty, just one last thing…"
"I signed the marriage contract. As far as I know, the only thing left is the wedding night."
Conrad said it without even changing expression, then stopped walking.
"You still haven’t met the elder royals."
"Why would I bother with people who are practically plants?"
"B-but, Your Majesty…"
The old high priest looked troubled, but Conrad only shook his head, firm and final.
"I’ll make time later. I’m in a bit of a hurry today."
"...I understand."
At Conrad’s clear refusal to concern himself with such petty matters, the high priest could say no more.
When they passed through the temple corridor once again, the seal stirred and churned Regina’s insides, but this time it did not bring up blood as it had before.
The brief mana exchange with Conrad seemed to have helped.
"Then we’ll arrange another date for next time."
"Prefer it if I never saw you again."
"That hardly seems likely."
Still smiling to the end, the high priest disappeared back into the light. Only then did Regina finally ask the question that had been on her mind.
"Why is there only one priest?"
"Ah. Because I killed the rest."
Regina’s mouth fell open in disbelief. Conrad gave a shrug under her stunned stare, as though he were some tyrant of legend.
"It’s a long story."
Chaos erupted in the palace of the Dowager Grand Empress, which had until now been eerily quiet.
Crash—
The servants startled and ran about in confusion at the racket coming from Chloe’s bedroom—the bedroom of a woman who had never once shown her anger so openly.
"What are we supposed to do?"
They were not the only ones shocked by Chloe’s behavior as she ordered no one to be admitted, then remained alone in the room smashing everything within reach. Her attendants, who had followed her there to discuss what came next, were just as flustered.
Quick to grasp the situation, the Duke of Messer had at least managed to whisk them away before they had to witness anything too ugly.
"Haa."
After venting her fury for some time, Chloe let out a long sigh and swept her disheveled hair back from her face.
This was the first time Conrad had ever driven her into a corner like this. Who would have thought that the daughter of the obscure Madarin Barony would turn out to be so devious?
"I left them alone because they didn’t even have the power to rise to the capital…!"
The young ladies of similar age to Conrad had all died, married, or become engaged. One potential bride still remained, but Chloe had left her aside as a card to be played later, so she had not been concerned. And yet this had happened.
"From now on, I’ll have to dig through every family in every small city."
The shoulders that had been trembling with rage slowly settled. Even in the low, resonant tone of Chloe’s voice, the heat of her anger had vanished completely.
She straightened her back, corrected her posture, and recovered the dignity of royal blood.
This would be the first and last time she ever showed her feelings so plainly.
The first thing Chloe had learned in order to survive the merciless imperial court was how to hide her emotions.
And yet here she was, spitting out her fury like a child. Chloe felt nothing but disgust for herself.
"The children who inherit my blood must be the ones to ascend the throne."
Only a child carrying the blood of the Messer ducal house could sit upon the imperial throne and repay her for all the years she had endured. That was what Chloe believed.
It was for that purpose that she had lived until now, and she bit down hard on her lip.
Once she had steadied her breathing, Conrad’s little stunt suddenly felt like nothing at all.
"I can just kill them anyway."
Chloe murmured it to herself with a smile, then opened the bedroom door.
"Clean this up."
Her steps were light as she gave the order to the frozen servants.
Though matters were quiet for the moment, there had once been a time when Conrad and Chloe were locked in a fierce struggle for power.
In the early days after Conrad took the throne, Chloe had openly enlisted the temple and used it to threaten imperial authority.
Most of the priests, who still did not know Conrad well, had gone over to Chloe—and every single one of them had lost their lives.
The high priest who remained now was the only one who had refused to side with anyone at the time and had kept himself neutral.
"Then there are no successors?"
"The high priest is raising a few children, but none of them have even entered the temple yet, so they can hardly be called successors."
"Then..."
"I’d like to believe that, with enough time, the temple will simply fade away on its own, but the current high priest isn’t so easily dealt with."
Muttering that he would rather the whole place simply disappear, Conrad kept walking, and Regina followed beside him.
The day was clear, the breeze cool, and pale green buds had just begun to decorate the ends of the branches.
Before long, when more time had passed, the trees would blaze with full green leaves and sunlight would spill through them in dazzling streams.
Regina could not tear her eyes away from that radiance, and that was when she noticed two people with dark hair moving in the distance.
"How annoying."
Conrad’s brow furrowed, and he tugged Regina along with him.
It was a sudden movement, but she did not panic and simply followed him with graceful composure.
Yet one of the two people who had already recognized Conrad rushed forward and barred their path, bowing deeply.
"I greet Your Imperial Majesty."
"...Rise."
She was a female knight with hair a shade lighter than Conrad’s.
Regina glanced from her to Conrad and back again.
They look alike.
She thought she knew who the woman was.
"You must be Lady Madarin, who will one day become Empress of the Fredericks Empire."
The woman with the short bob extended a hand toward Regina.
When Regina offered hers, the woman bent and pressed a light kiss to the back of it before speaking in a low voice.
"I am Stella Fredericks, Lady Madarin. It’s an honor to meet you."
"I greet both of you. I am Kane Fredericks."
The man who arrived a beat later also gave the knightly salute before Regina and Conrad.
Conrad, who had clearly looked displeased only moments ago, now seemed to soften the corners of his mouth the instant Kane appeared.
The change was so strange that Regina tensed in response.
"That will do."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
When Stella straightened, Kane did the same.
There was no malice in Stella’s curious eyes. Turning her gaze to Kane with a faintly favorable impression, Regina’s lips twitched reflexively.
Kane’s eyes, slick and serpent-bright, slid over her with a nauseatingly lingering look.
Conrad, standing half a step in front of her, blocked Regina from view to some extent, but he could not fully shut out Kane’s stare.
"...A pleasure."
Regina greeted them with a mild smile. Yet her sapphire-blue eyes had already gone cold.
"Indeed, you are beautiful."
“……”
What the hell is wrong with this bastard?
The curse almost escaped her mouth, and Regina forced the feeling back down by holding her breath.
When she gave no reaction, Kane went on.
"I was wondering how someone from so humble a barony managed to stand at Your Majesty’s side. It seems there was another reason entirely."
He was insulting her, implying she had somehow seduced the emperor by luck. Regina knocked away his hand when he tried to take hers for a hand-kiss.
"Good heavens. So there really are nobles among the royal family who think this way."
"Ho? It seems the lady who will soon become Empress does not care for me."
Kane looked at her openly. At his brazen attitude, Conrad snorted.
Regina, too, found the provoking fool ridiculous.
"What is there to like or dislike? I’m simply giving you the courtesy you’re due."
Stepping away from Conrad’s side, Regina came to stand before Kane.
His smile was sly and delighted, as though he were looking at her as someone beneath him.