TPGV Ch# 11

A grand table was lavishly filled with exquisite dishes. It was clear the chef had put extra effort into the meal for the master of the house who had returned after a long absence.

But Elice could hardly eat. Sitting face-to-face with her husband was overwhelming. The pressure was too much for her to swallow anything.

All the attendants seemed shocked that Lexius was dining with Elice. The maids bringing in the food glanced at her with visible confusion and unease.

“So, where did you manage to find all those herbs?”

Calix, who had been chatting with Lexius the whole time, now directed his question at Elice.

In the heavy atmosphere weighing down the dining room, Calix was the only one managing to keep a conversation going. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have been able to touch anything on her plate.

“I had the seeds. My mother passed them down to me.”

“The Third Empress did?”

“Yes. Most of them can’t grow in this empire. She said they were herbs native to her homeland.”

Calix looked genuinely skeptical at her answer.

“Where in the world is her homeland…? Those herbs don’t grow together naturally. Some come from cold regions, some from the desert.”

“That’s why I built a greenhouse. I use magic stones to regulate the temperature and environment.”

“That’s not what I mean. No matter where her homeland was, those plants could never have grown in the same place.”

“Is that so? You might be right. But she was very clear—she said people from Tuleang always carry seeds with them. So they can sprout them anywhere, anytime. Every year, she hung a new pouch of seeds around my neck.”

“Tuleang?”

“Yes. That’s the name of her hometown. I don’t know where it is, though.”

“Must be a small village or remote region. Even I, who have traveled across three continents, have never heard of such a place.”

Elice’s eyes lit up at that.

“You’ve traveled that much? Then is there any name that sounds remotely similar?”

“There is a place called Toluhen. But it’s an arid desert where crops hardly grow.”

Hearing that, Elice looked disappointed. If even someone like Calix didn’t know of Tuleang, finding it would be even more difficult.

Just then, her eyes met Lexius’s.

He had been staring at her intently. And then, he spoke—cold and blunt.

“That necklace is quite beautiful.”

His words were completely unexpected.

“…Sorry?”

Elice blinked, stunned, looking at him in confusion.

“The blue of the sapphire suits you.”

Unsure how to respond, she awkwardly explained,

“Ah… It’s a keepsake from my mother. It’s not sapphire—it’s a gemstone called Heisia. It comes from her homeland.”

“You look elegant today.”

His remarks were growing stranger by the second. Delivered with no expression at all, she didn’t know how to take them.

“Me? Elegant?”

She didn’t feel elegant in the least. Her stomach was in knots from the tension. She might’ve even gotten indigestion.

“Yes. Beautiful. I wonder why I never noticed before.”

Gulp.

Startled, Elice accidentally swallowed her water the wrong way and began coughing. The tightness in her chest worsened.

“Ah. I must have surprised you.”

Lexius handed her a napkin, and his large hand—sharp and merciless, just like the rest of him—brushed hers.

“Thank you.”

Elice took the napkin and quickly looked away.

Was the dark magic truly affecting him? Never had she imagined this man would say such things.

If he ever truly began to desire her…

That thought terrified her even more. She would be forced to spend the night with him—and who knew how many nights it would take until she bore a child?

“I’ll excuse myself now.”

Elice wiped her lips gently with the napkin and spoke carefully. She needed to escape this suffocating scene.

“You’ve hardly eaten. Stay and have a bit more.”

“No, I’ve had enough. I’m not very hungry.”

Lexius furrowed his brow slightly. His already dangerous-looking expression grew more severe.

“I’ll have the chef prepare something different tomorrow, then. Seems nothing suits your taste.”

“No, that’s not it. I just don’t have much of an appetite today.”

When Elice quickly explained, he asked again, more seriously,

“Is your illness not fully healed?”

“Perhaps not.”

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

Lexius stood up and walked toward her.