Episode 49
Moments later, Reina cautiously placed her hand on the sacred tree.
Kaiden’s words gave her courage.
If he said it was okay, it would be.
Seeing would indeed make helping him easier.
Knowing it was greedy, she couldn’t resist the tempting offer.
Before her regression, he never married, so his claim that the oath was useless wasn’t a lie.
Reina believed a duchess, even in a contract marriage, was obligated to perform it.
As the rightful Duchess of Crensia, she was qualified.
“I’m ready.”
Their eyes met, and Kaiden placed his hand over hers.
He slowly drew a magic circle with his aura.
As it completed on the tree, their names—Kaiden and Reina—etched within.
Mesmerized by the sight, Kaiden spoke.
“To fulfill the oath, repeat after me.”
Reina nodded, and he began.
“I, Kaiden Crensia, swear before the great Crensia to take only Reina Eve Mernie as my wife.”
It resembled a marriage vow.
At his cue, she followed.
“I, Reina Eve Mernie, swear before the great Crensia to take only Kaiden Crensia as my husband.”
A radiant light enveloped Reina.
Its warm energy made her drowsy, intensified by her rising fever.
As she swayed, Kaiden held her from behind, saying.
“The power’s strong, so you’ll feel sleepy. Don’t worry. After a nap, it’ll be over.”
“…Okay.”
“Happy birthday.”
“…”
“Sleep well, Reina.”
His voice grew distant.
Reina fell into a deep sleep.
He gently held her, kissing her forehead reverently.
With the final kiss, the vow was complete, and the glowing tree quieted.
* * *
Reina’s sleep wasn’t just from the oath.
When the fever began, she was trapped in a ritual to bond with the divine beast.
The beast tested its royal master, and in her past life, Reina struggled to pass.
The beast had fled, taking time to catch.
This time was different.
The elusive beast sat before her, bowing.
Its feathers had changed.
Once blue during awakening, they were now red, as seen before her regression.
It was as if it acknowledged her time reversal.
The beast’s golden raptor eyes met hers.
Urging her to touch it, she hesitantly did.
The moment they connected, the beast grew massive, enveloping her in its wings.
A fierce light surged around them.
Blinding but not painful, thanks to Kaiden’s aura.
The beast’s voice echoed.
“Congratulations on full awakening, one who saw the future and crossed the past.”
“!”
Reina’s eyes widened at “crossed the past.”
The beast flapped its wings, continuing.
“My name is Ritsi. My power is to see the future, cross the past, and change the present. You, who saw the future and crossed the past, are worthy to be my master.”
Ritsi.
The beast’s name had changed.
It wasn’t the one she first heard.
This was its true name.
“So, my regression was your power?”
She’d suspected it.
After expending her life’s energy, she returned ten years.
The red feathers confirmed it.
Her past power was only partial.
Only after dying and reviving did she truly become Ritsi’s master.
The beast nodded lightly.
“Can I return to the past again if I want?”
“No. Crossing the past is once only.”
“Good.”
If she could freely travel time, she might’ve lingered in the past with those she missed.
But she couldn’t leave Kaiden now.
It was a power better absent.
“You’re right. To live in the present, I shouldn’t look back. Thank you, Ritsi.”
Ritsi flapped its wings at her compliance.
“You, who gained the dragon’s heart and its blessing for your regression, never forget the weight of your power.”
The weight was her life.
“My foresight demands life force. Don’t repeat past mistakes or let evil harm you.”
With that, Ritsi shrank to a sparrow’s size, its light fading.
In complete darkness, the first foresight manifested as a sign of awakening.
Reina studied the vision and froze.
She saw the Emperor and Michael.
The Emperor handed Michael something.
‘That’s…’
Recognizing it, Reina clenched her fist. The Emperor spoke.
“Lead the delegation to the North yourself.”
“I obey.”
Michael, kneeling, accepted the item.
He was appointed head of the Northern delegation.
It included maids Reina left behind and her dowry.
She stared at Michael in the vision.
He was favored by the Emperor, later called his encyclopedia.
Sending him with the dowry wasn’t trivial.
It was to probe her abilities.
And that item confirmed his intent.
‘Not so easy, huh.’
She sighed softly.
Though a minor princess, she was royal.
If the Emperor deemed her power useful, he’d leash her.
Thankfully, she knew Michael’s abilities.
He didn’t know she did, giving her an edge.
‘I need to seem as useless as possible.’
The delegation’s arrival was still distant.
Her expression turned serious.
After one mountain, another loomed.
She’d never let the Emperor control her again.
Chapter 5: Hook Company
Reina’s fever broke at dawn the next day.
She awoke as the morning sun rose, just as the oath concluded.
“When the sun rises, the fever will break. No need for a doctor.”
Exactly as she predicted.
