Chapter 62
“Not really,” Reina stammered, feeling as if her heart had been laid bare.
Spinning around, she stood up. “I should get going.”
As she fled the scene, Kaiden, who’d been feigning calm, let out a heavy breath.
“Haa.”
She’s adorable.
How could such a woman exist?
He felt like the luckiest man alive.
If not for some stroke of fate, Reina wouldn’t have come to him.
He barely restrained the urge to shower her with kisses—her forehead, nose, cheeks, lips.
Even now, he fought the impulse to chase after her, reason holding his feet in place.
He didn’t want to kiss her under the pretense of circumstance.
Not when he wasn’t sure how she felt about him.
At the very least, he wanted their first kiss to be when she wanted him too.
“Should I have just done it?”
Kaiden muttered with a tinge of regret, clenching his fist.
Her delicate hand still seemed to linger in his grasp.
* * *
Days later, Michael arrived at Crensia Castle.
Kaiden was away on external duties, so Reina greeted him herself.
“Welcome, Sir Michael.”
“It’s been a while, Lady Reina.”
Michael offered a polite smile and a courteous bow.
Glancing around as if searching for someone, he prompted Reina to explain.
“The Duke is out for the moment.”
“I see.”
Michael showed no displeasure at Kaiden’s absence.
Had it been Scal, he’d have raged about being slighted by a royal.
Same as ever.
Michael had always been like this.
He was indifferent to anything that didn’t pique his interest, keeping a clear boundary and rarely letting anyone close.
Neither rude nor overly kind, his demeanor was neutral.
Despite being half-siblings, their statuses were worlds apart.
The From family was a leading noble house in the Mernie Empire, while the Eve family was an obscure rural clan.
Michael could easily condescend to her but didn’t.
Recalling how he’d reprimanded Scal for his rudeness at the Emperor’s banquet, he even seemed gentlemanly.
That made him all the more dangerous.
If only he were like Scal, wearing his emotions on his sleeve.
He was as difficult to deal with now as ever.
“You must be tired from your journey. The Duke will return by dinner. Until then, rest in your quarters…”
Michael interrupted softly. “Before that, since it’s been a while, I’d like to share a cup of tea with you.”
“With me?”
He nodded lightly.
Despite the fatigue of travel, he seemed to be seizing the opportunity of Kaiden’s absence.
Reina maintained her composure and instructed Celine.
“Celine, ensure the items from the imperial family are stored properly and check the number of attendants. Rose and Lily, prepare tea in the reception room.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
As the three moved swiftly to carry out her orders, Reina turned to Michael. “Follow me.”
In the reception room, Michael glanced around and remarked, “The temperature here differs greatly from outside. Magic tools?”
“Yes, rechargeable ones, I’m told.”
“Typical of the North—using rare magic tools just for heating.”
His tone was genuinely admiring, though it could sound sarcastic to some. Reina didn’t dwell on it.
“Was your journey comfortable? I heard you took the land route instead of a portal.”
“Portals are wasteful for a group this size.”
Portals operated on sacred stones, which were rare and costly for large groups.
Reina, aware of this, pressed further. “I just thought portals wouldn’t be too wasteful for someone like you.”
Michael stared at her. She held his gaze and continued, “So, did you enjoy sightseeing in the North?”
For the first time, a spark of curiosity flickered in his otherwise impassive eyes.
He smirked. “So that’s your angle?”
The From family controlled vast sacred stone mines.
For Michael, transporting a delegation via portal was trivial.
His choice of the land route was likely to spy on the North.
Reina’s question implied she knew his true intentions.
She couldn’t afford to seem naive in front of him.
Michael despised foolishness.
Catching her intent, he looked amused. “You’re not as clueless as you seem.”
“I only assumed His Majesty had a reason for choosing you as the envoy.”
Reina replied as if deferring to the imperial will, aiming to lower his guard while suggesting her marriage was purely in service to the Emperor, not the North.
“I wondered why you dismissed the attendants,” Michael said, scanning the empty room. “But it makes this conversation quicker.”
Her ploy seemed to have worked.
He produced a letter from his coat.
“His Majesty has a private message for you.”
Reina’s eyes fixed on the envelope, sealed with the imperial crest—used for secret orders to royals.
Likely the true reason for approving this marriage.
With a tense expression, she opened it.
Is the North’s chill treating you well?
I lost sleep worrying after sending you there.
My greatest wish in my old age is to hold a grandchild.
A child born of Mernie and Crensia will strengthen the Empire’s future.
Your only asset is your beauty, so I trust you’ll fulfill my wish swiftly.
I hope to raise your child as the next Emperor.
I eagerly await the day you prove your worth.
Hah. So that’s it?
Reina barely suppressed her disgust at the Emperor’s sinister intent to claim her child.
The Emperor was, as ever, a vile dog.
* * *
Meanwhile, Michael observed her keenly.
He didn’t know the letter’s contents—sealed by magic, only the recipient could read it.
The Emperor wanted to keep Crensia in check while maintaining close ties, so this marriage likely had ulterior motives.
Michael tried to gauge the Emperor’s intent through Reina’s expression.
But she remained composed throughout, her blank face revealing nothing.
She either knew the Emperor’s plans or harbored her own.
Either way, her guarded reaction was that of someone skilled at concealing their thoughts.
She’s not as easy as I thought.
After meeting her at the banquet, Michael had gathered information about her.
Reports painted her as weak, timid, and silent—a paper doll.
Yet the woman before him was entirely different, sparking his interest.
