Translator and Editor: Skye and Clisely

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Chapter 12

The appearance of Seirin and Cronos had all eyes on them.

Seirin’s eyes were on Lexion.

I looked at Lexion with anxiety.

He, too, is staring at Seirin.

My hands trembled when I saw Lexion and Seirin’s eyes met.

She came this way slowly.

Lexion clasped my hand tightly.

He seemed to feel my hands shaking.

Seirin and Cronos came out and stood in front of Lexion.

It was Cronos who spoke to him first.

He looked very uncomfortable.

“I wondered why you refused so coldly, there is a woman you have hidden.”

The blue hair of Cronos is particularly noticeable.

His emerald rusty eyes looked over me casually and turned to Lexion.

His wistful voice is aimed at Lexion.

Although they were close friends as children, the political interests between them alienated each other.

Cronos looked at Lexion high-handedly, not hiding his good enmity.

Lexion had a calm expression on his face.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince Cronos Adenberbel, the cub of the Aden Empire.”

“Heee.”

Cronos snorted with a pompous look.

Seirin smiled softly and said kindly.

“If I knew you already had a partner, I wouldn’t have put you in trouble. I’m sorry, Lord Lexion.”

“There’s no trouble from it. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

Cronos snorted once again at his thoughtful reply.

I’m just standing next to Lexion with my head down, unable to do anything at all.

I wanted to withdraw, but Lexion didn’t let me go.

Cronos scoffed at me, put his hand on my cheeks, perhaps because of my appearance.

“You’re a woman with bad manners.”

“…….”

“Raise your head if you’re not a bum.”

I looked up reluctantly at Cronus’ aristocratic command.

Cronos ruminated on my face for a long time and grumbled.

“You’re more of a little girl than I thought. Is Seirin behind a woman who is like this, Lexion?”

“She’s not just mince.”

“What?”

When Lexion spoke back, Cronos’ forehead wrinkled.

He looks even worse when he is angry all the time.

In between, I pulled Lexion’s sleeve, wondering what to do.

It was a sign not to, but Lexion didn’t back down.

“My partner has always been this woman.”

“I can’t believe it.”

Cronos gave him a cold look as if he didn’t even want to react.

Seirin’s gaze stayed on Lexion’s sleeve for a while and quietly shifted.

Cronos’ face showed signs of disapproval.

He looked furious because he couldn’t pick a fight.

On the other hand, Lexion’s expression is so serene.

That made Cronos even angrier.

Cronos’ attention went on me.

“I’ve never seen you before. Where are you from?”

With the words, Cronos’ big hands reached my face.

But he couldn’t reach my chin and just stopped.

Lexion shut him up and coolly spoke up.

“Don’t be so hard on my partner.”

“What?”

I couldn’t understand what was happening in front of me, so I raised my eyes wide.

Perhaps the same is true of Cronos, whose eyes grew like a flower lamp, and soon crumpled his face mercilessly.

Lexion held Cronos’ hand strongly.

There was silence.

Silent eyes.

His eyes grew deeper and darker than the abyss and looked through Cronos.

Cronos flinched and fluttered, then he soon retorted sharply.

“Why don’t you let go of me, Duke Sparrow.”

He roared, calling Lexion bitterly.

Seeing his arms tremble, Lexion seemed to be blocking it with force.

I took a step back.

Moments later, Seirin interrupted them by blocking them.

“Stop it, brother. Sir Lexion, please let go.”

Lexion gently let go when Cronus shook his hand roughly.

Cronos couldn’t make a slight impression because his wrist was stiff.

“It’s not like she’s going to get hurt, but why are you making such a fuss? If I touch her, will she die?”

“…….”

Lexion didn’t answer and hid me behind his back.

I laid my eyes on his back.

Before, as Tiarozety did in her previous life, she trembled with this familiar fear.

Lexion’s expression darkened when he felt my body tremble.

“Sir Lexion….”

Then Seirin talked to Lexion in a slow tone.

But that was it.

She hesitated about what she was about to say.

In response, Lexion gave her a celebratory greeting.

Though his voice is very dry.

“Congratulations on your coming of age, Princess Seirin.”

“Thank you…….”

Seirin responded heartlessly to Lexion’s indifferent response.

I watched the suspense between them.

The scene of the reunion was very stiff.

The atmosphere is too rigid to be called the fate of the main characters.

Lexion held my hand and bowed his head lightly and said goodbye.

“Now that I’ve seen your face, I’ll be on my way.”

“Oh….”

“Have a good time, Your Highness.”

Seirin stood helpless due to his blunt response.

Cronos growled, holding on to Lexion.

“You’re going just like that? Aren’t you here for the last day of the banquet?

“I haven’t recovered from my fatigue yet.”

“Oh, you have a lot of excuses!”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to look at you, so get the hell out of here.”

Cronos turned his head roughly.

Lexion bowed silently and left the banquet hall.

I looked back as I was being dragged away by Lexion.

Then me and Seirin’s eyes met.

Seirin is looking at me with a strange expression.

Next to him, Cronos is grinding his teeth and glaring at Lexion.

“There’s nothing to look at.”

Lexion spoke casually.

I looked at the back of his head and looked back and said.

“However….”

At the end of my gaze, I saw Gregory with his hair like a mess.

He is not Lexion when he is leaving the banquet hall like this.

Even I, not a nobleman, found this kind of behavior from him rude.

But why would Lexion do this….?

I thought it would be impossible for us to reach the royal palace garden, so I called him while walking.

“D-Duke.”

“Zion.”

He looked back at my face as if he didn’t like me calling him with his title.

He is particularly obsessed with pet names, so I corrected my appellation to him.

“Z-Zion, can we really go just like this?”

I let go of Lexion’s hand.

He then mumbled, wiping his mouth with his hands.

“I don’t think I should stay any longer.”

“Why? We just got here…….”

“You were shaking.”

“…… It’s my first time seeing the Imperial family after all…….”

“It’s your first time you say?”

Lexion looked down at me, grabbing me while I said those words.

At that moment, the moonlight shone on us.

The coziness of the garden looked like showing off its existence to us.

The way he looked down at me was so sweet and cold.

As if he knew I was lying.

He didn’t answer at the end of my sentence.

I turned my eyes away without saying a single word.

I thought Lexion knew something, so my heart pounded.

All I could say are excuses.

“I didn’t know you had signed up for partnership. Did I steal her seat because I wanted to go to the banquet? The Duke is in trouble because of me…….”

“You are not a bother for me.”

Lexion retorted, cutting my words.

He went on to say as I kept avoiding looking into his eyes.

“I wanted to dance with you from the very beginning.”

“……?”

“It wasn’t you who tried to take it away, it was the princess.”

“What do you mean………?”

Surprised by his unbelievable words, I looked up, but he had already looked at my eyes.

Lexion did not reply.

I just pulled my hand back.

He didn’t know when I told him it’s my first time, but I felt good inside.

I am so happy that he thought he wanted to do something with me.

“Let’s go back.”

With that, I took another step.

The cool wind went over the ball.

My steps that touched the floor fluttered.

It felt weird as if I was walking in a dream.

I pondered to myself.

‘From the beginning. It is you.’

His words filled my mind and touched my heart.

I just couldn’t stop my mouth from making a smile.

So I covered my mouth with my hands and hid my happiness.

I’m glad it’s dark.

If it had been bright, he might have caught my thoughts soon enough.

The nights that always mean to me, are on my side today.

I lowered my head to hide my reddened cheeks.

There has been no word between us since then, but the air is as warm as my heart.

* * *

The banquet is over.

Originally, Lexion was supposed to return to the North, but he was accompanied by the search for the Esol disaster, so he could not easily leave the capital.

The imperial family bothered him by asking him to come and go frequently, even though it was not a disaster.

Thanks to this, we were already in the capital for nearly 15 days.

The situation in which Esols had already been declared extinct in the capital.

People were terrified to hear the news of the evil dragon’s tragedy.

Fear came to the power of the evil dragon, which gets stronger day by day.

Everyone is so relieved because the capital city is the safest place.

The evil dragon has not been heard of since the Esol disaster.

The empire is quiet as the evil dragon- the scourge of the empire, who went into hiding.

As time went by, the tragedy of Esol, which had been sparkling and popular, has already been forgotten by people.

Lexion entered the palace in the morning, and did not return to the castle until evening.

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