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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 37: A Husband's Visit
Evading the guards at the Arsene County mansion was no challenge at all for Janus. As a seasoned warrior, he could move undetected even among the most vigilant soldiers on the battlefield.
He stealthily reached Selina's balcony in the Central Wing and gently knocked on the window.
At first, Selina dismissed it as her imagination. But when the knocking persisted, she forgot she was in her nightgown and opened the blackout curtains to see who it was.
"Your Grace."
"It's Janus."
"Ja... Janus. People might see us, come in quickly."
Selina hurriedly opened the window to let Janus in.
As the window opened, Selina's scent filled the air. Janus stepped inside and enveloped her in his arms.
They had been avoiding each other since returning to the capital, not wanting to provoke the Emperor.
Now that Selina had confronted the Emperor, surveillance had loosened, but they weren't completely free from prying eyes.
"Aren't you opening the door a little too easily?"
"Pardon?"
Selina, startled by the sudden embrace, asked back.
"What if it had been someone else, not me? Would you have opened the door for them?"
Janus grumbled as he released her from his embrace. Selina couldn't help but chuckle at his disgruntled expression.
"At this hour, there aren't many who would dare knock on my window. Especially not many who could easily bypass our guards."
"Still, it's too dangerous. You have no one to protect you, and yet you open the window like that..."
Janus trailed off, unable to continue as he saw Selina in her nightgown. He turned his head away, his ears turning red.
Seeing Janus's flustered state, Selina tried to lighten the mood.
"Do you know what I did while I was confined? I asked Cathy to gather books about dragons and read them diligently. I even have some theories I've been thinking about. Would you like to hear them?"
Selina gently guided Janus to the sofa and continued.
"The source of your power is ultimately a dragon, right? There must be a connection. So I gathered information about dragons and formed a few hypotheses. First, dragons have mates. It seems their mates live a life connected to them as long as the dragon lives. That might mean we too..."
Selina trailed off, approaching Janus and taking his hand.
"We might be connected to each other."
Janus couldn't resist looking at her, drawn in by her closeness and her scent.
"Selina, you're wearing the necklace."
Her nightgown made the leather cord necklace stand out.
"You haven't forgotten what's inside, have you?"
Selina pulled the necklace out from under her nightgown.
Inside the small leather pouch was the pebble-like marriage token and the wedding ring Janus had given her.
"I don't know what it means yet, but I keep it close to me. If it has power, it might protect me when I'm in danger."
"Good thinking."
Janus took both of Selina's hands and kissed them gently.
"Selina."
Selina looked at him, curious as to why he called her name.
"I received the message you wanted to convey to me. I also understand it's part of your plan to make His Majesty acknowledge our relationship publicly, even if he doesn't like it."
Despite his words, Janus's expression showed his dissatisfaction with having to keep their relationship hidden.
'If it were before, that expression would have scared me. But now, it's so adorable.'
Selina wrapped her arms around Janus's neck.
"I'm glad you understand our plan. You'll cooperate, won't you?"
Though his face flushed slightly, Janus didn't take his eyes off Selina and gently stroked her cheek.
"Selina, this isn't something to be brushed aside so lightly. I want to announce to the entire empire right now that you're my wife."
Selina smiled faintly at him, then released her arms and took his hands in hers.
"I feel the same way."
"But Selina, you told me to spread the rumor that I'm searching for a wife."
"That's the only way to get the palace to move according to our wishes. It's unavoidable."
"But what if the palace hears this rumor and doesn't designate you as a participant?"
Janus said worriedly.
"That would actually be the wise thing to do. A rational person without greed would naturally try to block my path to becoming a candidate. But you know as well as I do, Janus. He's greedy."
'Greedy enough for power and the throne to kill all his siblings.'
Having said that, Selina rose from her position close to Janus and stood before him, recounting her conversation with the Emperor at the palace that day, even acting it out.
* * *
"You want to revive the event that my sister abolished. Do you think that's as easy as it sounds?"
"It's a traditional event that has been carried on until now. Its continuity was briefly interrupted due to an unfortunate incident, but it hasn't lost its legitimacy. Nor its symbolism. It can be an event to console the citizens of the empire who are weary from the war. The Arsene County will spare no expense in providing financial support."
Hearing that they would also contribute funds, the Emperor's expression visibly softened.
An event supported by the Arsene County was different.
Whether it was goods or money, they never spared any expenses, so events sponsored by the Arsene County were always popular.
Recently, due to Selina's reputation, their popularity had waned a bit, but their fame remained.
"Alright, that's good. Restarting the event right now isn't difficult. But we don't have the Red Jewel ruby, which holds legitimacy."
"The ruby is the jewel symbolizing Sephia. But does the ruby given to the winner of the Red Jewel have to be that specific one? Doesn't the imperial family possess rubies with a greater history than the one Christa disposed of? And there are many other meaningful jewels besides rubies."
Hearing that, the Emperor slapped his knee.
"Right, we can use a jewel with a greater history. If necessary, we can even replace it with a jewel containing mystical power."
"If Your Majesty bestows a meaningful jewel upon the winner, everyone will understand how much importance the imperial family places on this event."
The Emperor nodded in great satisfaction at Selina's words.
"What would be good?"
"When I was young, Crown Prince Eric used to boast about something to me. I was so envious that even now, I have a strong desire to see that treasure."
"Which treasure are you talking about? There are countless famous and precious treasures in the imperial family."
"I heard there's a brooch made of processed magic stones. Wouldn't it be the perfect imperial treasure to replace the missing ruby brooch? I heard it possesses mystical power and shows different illusions depending on who holds it and where."
"Are you talking about the treasure imbued with power by the previous Emperor?"
"Yes, I heard its nickname is 'Memoria.'"
The third successor and the current Emperor's father was a master of illusion magic.
In the end, he couldn't find his mate and met an unfortunate end, but before being consumed by power, he divided and stored his power in magic stones. The imperial family processed those magic stones and designated them as treasures.
Such treasures, being imperial possessions, were not easily handed over to noble families.
'Is she implying she'll marry into the imperial family to have it? That's right. Selina isn't that foolish. I was the fool for taking what Ruth said at face value. This is what I learn from hearing it directly from her.'
The Emperor smiled generously and said, "Alright. The treasure brooch you so desperately want to see will be the new symbol of the Red Jewel, given to the winner of this competition."
* * *
"So the new symbol of the Red Jewel will be the treasure brooch made by the previous Emperor."
"That's right."
"What kind of treasure is it that you wanted to see it so much? If you had told me, I would have found it and brought it to you immediately."
Hearing the sweet words, Selina's face softened.
"It's okay, I'll see it anyway when I participate in the competition."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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