âHail His Majesty the Emperor. Eternal glory to the Ruford Empire.â
âHo ho, such a formal greeting between us.â
Sullivan spoke in an easygoing manner and gestured to a seat opposite of him. He looked more ill than he did at the ball, but his eyes were soft and his gentle aura was unchanged.
âYou must be tired from your journey, so please, have a seat.â
âThank you, Your Majesty.â
Elena quietly seated herself where he indicated.
The landscape architecture of the annex gave the impression of a building floating on a pond, and the table before her was weighted down with a variety of food, steam rising as if it had just been freshly prepared. She didnât know how far away the kitchens where from here, but she knew it was not easy to set this enormous quantity of dishes in such a short time. This would be unthinkable in a typical noble familyâs home. This only served to make Elena feel a little uneasy, as Sullivan seemed to paying a great deal of attention to her.
âI asked the chef to prepare a variety of dishes, but Iâm not sure what will suit your taste. I donât have much, but please eat.â
âThank you. I donât even know where to start because all of it looks so delicious, Your Majesty.â
âWhat, this? This is nothing to a member of the Imperial Family.â
There was an implication to his words, but Elena smiled innocently.
And so the uncomfortable meal began. There were all kinds of rare and exotic dishes, but her mind was so preoccupied with other things that she could not concentrate on their taste. Sullivan, on the other hand, was having a pleasant time.
âI hear youâve been seeing Carlisle, is that right?â
âYes, Your Majesty.â
âI was curious what kind of lady my son was seeing. So? Is my son good?â
Sullivanâs questions were more ordinary than she expected, but that only made her even more nervous. He wouldnât send an invitation to ask about trivial things.
âYes, he is very generous to me and Iâm very happy.â
âThatâs good to hear.â
He took a slow sip of water, then fixed her with a more serious expression.
âI hear that Carlisle is considering marriage with you, is that right?â
âYes. It would be my honor to be his first wife, with your permission.â
âBy your answer I assume you know about the prophecy, and that your father is in favor of the marriage as well?â
âYes, thatâs right.â
Elena immediately nodded. However, despite the confidence of her answer, Sullivanâs expression turned dark. Unlike the friendliness of his appearance when he first welcomed her, his features gradually morphed into that of a ruthless emperorâs, as if to reveal his true intent.
âI understand. I must commend you for your trust in Carlisle. But there is another family bargaining for a match with my son.â
Elenaâs eyes widened in surprise. She remembered what Carlisle said. He had already told his father that he intended to marry her and that she neednât worry. Did Carlisle know about this? She wondered which family offered the match, but what was more concerning now was that Sullivan didnât seem to favor her side.
âYou neednât worry. Iâll talk to your father Lord Blaise again. As you know, the crown princeâs marriage cannot be rushed.â
ââŚOf course.â
âI have called you here not only because I was curious about the woman that my son was meeting, but because Iâd like to ask you something else.â
Sullivanâs tone was gentle, but there was a blade beneath his words. So far, he wanted to ally Carlisle with a powerful family. Although House Blaise was not lacking, their name couldnât be depended on. The emperor was not openly opposing her, but she could pick up the subtle suggestion that she withdraw. She understood a little why Carlisle called his father a sly old fox.
âI have a question. Have youâŚhave you received anything from Carlisle?â
Elena remembered the blue bead ring she had received as a child from Carlisle. She wouldnât tell Sullivan that however, as she knew she had to say the words Carlisle gave her. She slowly tucked her hair behind her ear with her left hand, deliberately showing off the ring.
âWell, Your Majesty. Iâm not sure what you mean.â
Elena remembered the blue bead ring Carlisle had given her as a child, but she knew the words she had to say to Sullivan. She slowly tucked her hair behind her ear with her left hand, deliberately displaying the jewel.
As expected, Sullivanâs eyes started to tremble when his eyes fell on that plain piece of jewelry.
âThe ringâŚâ
âOh, this one. It was a present for me as a token of his proposal.â
ââŚIs that so.â
Sullivanâs expression changed as he spied the ring. She couldnât help but notice that his eyes looked just like Carlisleâs fierce ones.
âDid Carlisle say anything when he gave the ring to you?â
âHe gave me the ring, then a word of blessing that the one who married me would become the emperor of the Ruford Empire and bring about a great revival.â
Sullivanâs pale face suddenly flushed with excitement, and Elena knew that her words had the desired effect.
âDoes the emperor really believe in such a myth?â
She still had more questions, but she had to focus on arranging her marriage with Carlisle first of all.
âIs that what he saidâŚâ
In truth Carlisle had already made a wish with the Dragonâs Orb to protect Elena from death, but when Sullivan heard Elenaâs story, he couldnât help but think that the man who would marry her would become emperor. In addition, this man would bring about a revival of the empire. It was a perfect reflection of Sullivanâs ideals.
Sullivan suddenly looked at Elena with a very sweet expression. The shade of doubt in him seemed to have been completely swept away.
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âYou must be quite the noblewoman for Carlisle to suddenly declare that he wants to get married. Iâve been wondering where he had been keeping the ring too, and he had used it quite precociously. Haha.â
âYour Majesty, does this ring have any meaning? When he gave it to me, it seemed like it was very precious.â
Elena slowly started acting on her own personal curiosity. From now own, she would be straying from Carlisleâs instructions.
âOf course. It is so precious that you must care for it like you care for your own life.â
âIs it really that valuable?â
âYou may not believe it, but the ring allows Carlisle to make one wish.â
Although his words sounded like nonsense, his gaze was intensely serious.