Chapter : 76
“Was there ever mention in the novel of who’s behind the dark wizard?”
Teo asked, fiddling with the shoulder that Liriope had hit when he’d asked her to help him get dressed.
Eventually, Teo, having put on his own shirt, met Liriope’s gaze and continued speaking.
“They say the same events from the novel are happening here. So, if that’s true, the novel must have mentioned who supported the dark wizard too, right?”
Liriope blinked her eyes and stared at him.
She had heard him say he believed her, but a question like that, born purely from trust, made her heart flutter in a strange way.
“You really believe me…?”
Murmuring to herself, Liriope’s words made Teo raise an eyebrow, half in disbelief.
“That’s a natural question.”
Liriope had assumed that even if she said she trusted him, there would be some doubt—after all, there wasn’t really anything entirely trustworthy to begin with.
Yet Teo simply said it was natural. And he truly thought it was.
Hearing him say it in that way, Liriope couldn’t help but bite her lip and look at Teo, feeling an indescribable happiness.
“Why?”
Teo raised an eyebrow at Liriope’s oddly intense gaze.
“Well… yes. The novel did mention it. But…”
He hesitated, thinking whether it was appropriate to tell her that the whole affair had begun with the Empress’s scheme, when the word “Empress” slipped out of Teo’s mouth first.
“The Empress?”
Liriope’s eyes widened as if they were going to pop out. Seeing her expression, Teo nodded slightly.
“So it seems.”
“Y-You knew?”
Flustered, Liriope asked. Teo flopped onto his back, resting his head on his pillow, staring at the ceiling.
“Who else could it be? Someone who hates the North that much.”
Liriope cautiously turned on her side to look at him. Thinking back, even in the original story, Teo had immediately recognized that the events in the North were part of the Empress’s scheme.
Whether he was now investigating the dark wizard and the Empress’s connection, she didn’t know. But in the end, the Empress was deposed by Teo.
However, the final villain in the original story wasn’t the Empress.
Liriope told Teo this.
“In the original story, the Empress wasn’t the final villain.”
“Then?”
Teo turned his head to look at Liriope. Even in the dark room, the moonlight streaming through the window made his face shine so brightly it was almost blinding.
Liriope stared at him for a moment, lost in thought, before moving her lips to speak.
“It was the dark wizard. The final villain.”
“…I see.”
“The scheme began because the Empress disliked you, Teo. Before Prince Cadin ascended the throne, she tried to ruin the North so badly using the dark wizard that it couldn’t be rebuilt. She thought you were an obstacle to Prince Cadin’s future.”
Teo exhaled a low, thoughtful sound.
“It seems she’s planning something similar this time, starting from the hunting festival. Of course, unlike the original story, there’s also her desire to bring me into the Empress’s position…”
“That foolish one owes it to you for saving him.”
“I couldn’t just pretend I didn’t know, even though I knew the outcome.”
At that time, she had intended to slightly twist the episode where Cadin falls for Rose Arin, but in the end, Cadin ended up liking her.
“That’s your problem. You help others without caring about your own safety.”
“What… another problem?”
“That personality will put you in danger. So remember—nothing is more important than your life.”
Liriope let out a small, amused sigh. She knew she could be a bit meddlesome at times.
“I know my life is important too.”
“Sure you do.”
Teo snorted.
“But even if you discover that the Empress is behind the dark wizard, you can’t really do anything about it right now, can you? You can’t just throw her in prison.”
“If there’s evidence, it’s possible. Of course, His Majesty’s decision is crucial.”
“I see.”
“What happened in the novel?”
Liriope blinked, thinking, then answered after a moment.
“The dark wizard ends up claiming her soul.”
Teo’s face stiffened.
“Once the dark wizard has her soul, he covers the entire empire in darkness. Ah, don’t worry too much—Rose and you save the empire from the dark wizard in the end.”
“Why does she have to give her soul?”
Teo asked, clearly not understanding.
“The Empress was deposed for attacking the North using forbidden magic. With nothing left to lose, she sells her soul to the dark wizard, determined to kill you, Teo, who deposed her.”
Teo recalled having asked Adil to investigate the dark wizard’s backers. Just like the original story, the Empress’ deposition would involve him in some way.
Eventually, the deposed Empress would sell her soul to empower the dark wizard, putting the empire in danger.
“So… to avoid that outcome, I shouldn’t investigate the dark wizard’s backers?”
Teo muttered to himself. Liriope turned to the ceiling and replied.
“Then probably the Empress won’t sell her soul to the dark wizard.”
But the North would also escape punishment for the devastation it had suffered.
“You’ll have to choose—either prevent the empire’s future danger or ensure the North pays for its crimes.”
Neither option would be easy, especially for Teo, who loved and cherished the North.
Liriope turned to him, speaking softly.
“Choose whichever you want. If you don’t choose the empire, innocent citizens may suffer, but since I know the story, I can intervene so that no one loses their life.”
“…”
“So if you want the Empress to pay for her crimes, you can. I’ll help you from behind the scenes.”
Teo’s gaze shifted subtly as he looked at Liriope. With a tender yet somewhat dangerous look, he asked her.
“May I kiss you?”
“Regarding the dark wizard who attacked the North, it doesn’t seem to be a group. At most, two or three, probably just one.”
Adil reported, while Teo, unable to sleep much, pressed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.
Still rubbing his eyes, Teo asked Adil,
“Location?”
“Zendelion Village.”
“Zendelion?”
Teo released his eyes and looked at Adil.
“Yes. There’s a record of a large outflow of dark magic from there. I sent a dark magic detector to Zendelion Village this morning.”
“Good.”
Teo nodded once. Zendelion Village was right next to a monster habitat, making it frequently vulnerable to monster attacks.
Because of this, there were no permanent residences in the village, only temporary shelters for people gathering herbs or minerals in nearby mountains.
“A perfect place for using dark magic,” Teo muttered with a crooked smile.
“We’re also tracking the backers. Recently, places producing soul stones for dark magic have increased. It shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out who’s hiring them.”
Teo nodded at Adil’s words. Adil bowed slightly and began to turn away.
“Wait, Adil.”
Teo called him back.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Well… um…”
Teo hesitated, trailing off mid-sentence.
Adil looked at him curiously.
“Go ahead, Your Highness.”
Teo stared at him for a moment before asking calmly.
“Is there some kind of rule that you can’t kiss in bed?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I mean, is there some common sense or rule that says men and women shouldn’t kiss in bed?”
“Is there?”
Adil looked puzzled.
“None?”
“Is there?”
“I’m asking you.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
Teo raised an eyebrow.
“Really?”
“Yes. If the couple kisses naturally, wouldn’t it be better in bed?”
Teo rubbed his chin, slightly troubled.
“We’re not exactly a couple who kisses naturally, but we are going to marry.”
“Don’t you kiss the princess?”
“I do. But when I tried in bed, she refused, saying that’s not something to do in bed.”
Teo rubbed his nose, remembering. When he leaned in to kiss, Liriope had seriously smacked his nose, saying it wasn’t something to discuss in bed.
“Why…?”
Adil tilted his head in confusion, then suddenly understood.
“Kissing in bed is usually a precursor to what comes next, so she probably refused.”
“Hm?”
“It seems the princess isn’t ready yet.”
Adil nodded, finally understanding.
“Ready for what?”
“To become one with you, Your Highness.”
Teo stiffened at those words. His ears burned red at the phrase “become one.”
He wondered if, when Liriope was ready, it would feel like heaven. But then the phrase “pre-marital purity” came to mind, and his heaven crumbled.
“That preparation can’t happen before marriage.”
“Eh?”
Teo muttered, letting out a short sigh, looking at Adil. He then whispered under his breath.
“She said… pre-marital purity.”
