“They say Cadenis spends more time in Your Majesty’s private office than any of the other lords—even more than my father.”
At Reina’s words, Agmund’s brow furrowed.
“Surely, that’s not jealousy I hear?”
“It’s not that…”
“If it were jealousy, it would be better. Don’t you think?”
Agmund took a sip of tea and twirled the cup in his hand, glaring at Reina.
“There’s a lot of talk among the lords. You should start distancing yourself from Cadenis.”
“I need Cadenis more than I need your father—my uncle, Sir Phileph Theonan.”
“What are you…”
“At least for now.”
Agmund murmured languidly and set the teacup down with a sharp clink. A crooked smile tugged at one corner of his lips as he looked at Reina.
“I heard you couldn’t resist and went to see Lukas.”
“He’s an old friend I haven’t seen in a long time.”
“An old friend… You’re going to be the Empress of Rodia, and you call him that?”
Agmund snapped sharply at her half-hearted explanation.
“Are you saying the Empress of Rodia isn’t allowed to have friends?”
“No. I’m saying my wife’s friend must not be a bastard like Lukas.”
“……”
“If you had stayed quiet, we could have met your dear friend together in my office. Along with that mute bought from Tehevia.”
Agmund feigned nonchalance as he sipped his tea, but the twist of his mouth was bitterly cold. Reina bit her lower lip as she looked at him.
She knew all too well how much Agmund hated Lukas, his younger half-brother. To Agmund, Lukas was the embodiment of envy and revulsion—feelings that had festered throughout his entire life.
And now, to discover that the woman he loved was in love with that very Lukas—even after being named as his empress—only deepened Agmund’s hatred.
His resentment swelled more and more, yet Reina could not give up her feelings for Lukas.
In the end, her love only poured fuel on Agmund’s seething hatred.
At the time, Lukas had gone to war in Tehevia alongside Emperor Xerses. So Agmund redirected his malice toward the next best target—Lukas’s mother.
Blinded by jealousy toward Reina and hatred for Lukas, Agmund used the opportunity of his absence to take the life of Lukas’s most precious person.
“Soon, your dear friend—and my half-brother—will become my sword and ride to war.”
“A campaign, Your Majesty?”
Reina, lost in thought, looked up in shock. Her surprise contrasted with the growing glint of amusement in Agmund’s eyes.
“My father hasn’t said anything about this…”
“Because I haven’t said anything to Sir Theonan.”
“How can you…”
“There will be many such cases.”
Agmund gave a sly chuckle as he replied.
“Your Majesty.”
“The Black Knights. Attacking Kenton Castle and Nelts Castle won’t be a problem for them. During the war with Tehevia, three million Black Knights took seven of their castles in just ten days—without the Golden Knights.”
“What about Rantschka?”
“That’s not something you need to worry about.”
“Your Majesty!”
“The one you should be worrying about isn’t Lukas!”
Agmund ground his teeth. The muscles in his jaw bulged with tension.
“That’s not what I meant, Your Majesty. I’m asking if this is truly necessary. War right after the funeral? And with only the Black Knights…”
“I’ll warn you once more, Reina. Don’t speak of Lukas in front of me again.”
Agmund’s gaze turned icy. Startled by the chill in his voice, Reina instinctively recoiled.
“The people of Rantschka are your subjects too. And Lukas is just like any other vassal of the Rodian Empire—your loyal servant.”
“Reina, do you really believe that?”
“Of course I do, Your Majesty.”
“My loyal servant, is he? Then all the more reason for him to go to war for me.”
Agmund gave her a twisted smile as he rose to his feet. Reina followed, unease prickling at her spine.
Something was going terribly wrong.
What is happening?
If the Black Knights were sent out, what would happen to Rantschka? Reina couldn’t calculate their exact numbers, but she was certain they couldn’t take Nelts Castle on their own.
“My half-brother and vassal, Lukas Ken Rahel, is a war god known as the ‘Black Mist.’ And those who follow him—the Black Knights—are no less formidable. I trust them.”
A trap.
Rather than eliminate Lukas outright, Agmund was choosing a cleverer route—using him for his own gain under the guise of duty.
“Black Knights don’t have the numbers. They might manage Kenton Castle, but Nelts will be too much.”
“So?”
Agmund scratched his ear with an annoyed expression.
“They’re still Rodia’s army. If, by any chance, they’re defeated…”
“Well. I don’t expect them to lose, but if they do, what of it?”
Agmund cut her off with a shrug.
“Your Majesty…”
“Reina, get some rest tonight. I’ll be up all night preparing for the coronation. There’s still much to be done.”
He swept past her without another word. Riele, the chief chamberlain, immediately followed behind him from the doorway.
____________𔒝 ࿆ ꫂ ၴႅၴ __________
On the night of the full moon, Adrienne couldn’t fall asleep. She tossed and turned restlessly, her thoughts in a tangle. At some point, Lukas, who she thought was asleep, pulled her gently by the waist.
“Can’t sleep?”
He sat up, his broad frame backlit by moonlight as he looked at her. His face filled her vision, bathed in silver light.
But sadly, Adrienne could not read his lips.
Did he say her name? Or something else?
“I can’t sleep either. Shall we go out to the garden?”
Lukas’s words, carefully enunciated, made Adrienne smile softly. She nodded in reply. His expression was calm, but a faint smile flickered across his face before disappearing.
As Lukas donned his cape coat, Adrienne followed suit, draping a fur-lined cloak over her chemise dress. Though perfect for Rantschka’s cold climate, winter had not spared this region either.
“It’s as bright as day.”
In the moonlit garden, Lukas turned to her and spoke, his hand gently resting on the back of her neck. Her entire focus narrowed to that touch.
“Learning sign language will probably take some time, won’t it?”
That depended on the person. As with all learning, it came down to how much passion one brought to the task.
But Adrienne was grateful just to know that Lukas was thinking about it at all.
“I’m not saying I’ll start right away. You don’t have to be so moved.”
He tapped her cheek lightly with a finger.
[That’s not it…]
“Your eyes—they don’t know how to lie.”
When Adrienne’s fingers faltered mid-sign, Lukas grinned and muttered playfully.
How many times had she seen this man smile?
Unconsciously, Adrienne stared at him in a daze.
“What?”
His smile faded. The focus in Adrienne’s eyes returned only when he questioned her, and she shook her head faintly.
She’d made up her mind to live a new life—but now, all she could think about was what would happen if he kept hating her.
She still wasn’t comfortable around Lukas. But it wasn’t as terrifying as it had been at first.
“Addie?”
He called her, catching her lost in thought again. His cool hand brushed her cheek. Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips.
“Addie. What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Her eyes widened.
Lukas had never called her that—Addie—while sober. He only used that nickname when they were intimate.
“Is it the name? That face you’re making is priceless.”
As she read the amusement on his lips, Adrienne blushed. Thankfully, the night concealed her reddened cheeks from him.
“When we’re alone, I’ll call you that. Names aren’t that important anyway.”
His brow furrowed faintly, as if he hadn’t just been smiling moments ago. Adrienne slowly nodded from where she stood, looking up at him.
What meaning that name held for her didn’t need to matter to him. Watching him clear his throat awkwardly, she lifted the corners of her lips.
“Let’s walk.”
Lukas took her hand in his large one and began walking at a slow pace.
Bathed in the misty light of the moon, the two of them strolled silently through the garden.
