Chapter 179

When Elise’s circuits realigned, Rezette looked less like a man than a storm given human shape.

Something like that, raging inside a body… How could anyone hope to remain sane?

She lifted a hand to his face. When her fingers brushed across his lips, breaking apart the currents of power streaming there, clarity flickered back into his eyes.

“Elise?” he murmured.

“I’ve finished the teleportation circle,” she said.

“Ah.”

Only then did Rezette notice the magic sigil glowing in the air. He let out a low breath of wonder. The golden script rotated with unhurried elegance, so beautiful that it was hard to believe it had been born from mortal fingertips.

As Elise smoothed the gathered power from his hand, she asked softly, “What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing much,” he replied. “Only that once you ride this spell home, I’ll be waiting to see when you’ll call me again.”

“Call you?” Elise blinked. “What do you mean by that? And—what is this wound?”

She had pushed back his sleeve without thinking and froze at the sight. Beneath the strong line of his hand, a wound lay hidden, something she had not noticed until now.

It was already healing, fresh skin closing over it, but it was clear the injury was only days old.

“You were scratched? Where?” she pressed.

“Nothing serious. Not worth your concern,” Rezette said, and gently pulled his hand away.

Today was the day Elise was to return to Riosa Castle. Once she departed, Rezette too would descend into the ravine and rejoin the allied army.

“I need you to know,” he told her quietly, cupping her cheeks in both hands, “that letting you go is no simple thing for me.”

He kissed her eyelids, the bridge of her nose, and finally the delicate curve of her brow.

“Are you certain you’re strong enough to draw the circle? No pain in your belly?”

“It’s fine,” Elise said. “I think the circuits are doing their work.”

Understanding the structure and arranging the array herself meant she no longer needed to force such torrents of power as before. Even Cherry—the restless life stirring in her womb—remained calm.

Elise’s chest swelled with quiet hope. “After the baby is born, I think I’ll be able to do even more. Like Andrei used to.”

If this battle in the ravine ended in victory, if the march on Argan’s capital followed swiftly, if the Imperial Palace were retaken—then she would descend into the tomb beneath the citadel and rekindle the barrier that held the empire’s borders safe.

She almost believed she could accomplish it with her own strength. The thought was exhilarating.

Once she stepped into the teleportation circle, she would be standing in Riosa Castle within moments.

“If anything happens,” she said, “I’ll leave the ravine at once. The carrier pigeon will reach me soon.”

Rezette had already released one. It had flown off toward the nearest homestead, and once it perched somewhere safe, coordinates would be fixed. That way, no matter the danger, Elise would have a path of escape.

Still, Rezette’s expression was troubled.

“Even so,” he said firmly, “do not use any spell besides teleportation. No matter what happens, or when.”

“But the circuits are perfect now,” Elise argued. “I can use magic without strain—”

“There’s always the what if,” Rezette cut in.

“…All right. I’ll try.”

“Not try, Elise.” His voice sharpened. “If you keep breaking your word, Cherry will suffer for it.”

He had learned quickly how to win an unshakable promise from his wife. All he had to do was invoke their unborn child.

And it was no mere trick. Cherry might be sharp and sensitive for a fetus, but it was still only that—unborn, blind, and helpless. When threatened, it twisted within Elise’s body, straining with primal instinct to grow faster, to be ready to survive. And when it would choose to force its way into the world, no one could say.

Elise’s resolve broke at once. “I won’t use magic. Not until the worst of the worst comes. I promise, truly.”

“If you find anything suspicious in the castle, you are not to face it alone,” Rezette continued. “Leave it to your knights. That’s what they exist for—to be their master’s sword and shield.”

Held against his chest, Elise only nodded. Rezette’s admonitions had grown longer of late, almost fatherly in their insistence.

“If you feel unwell,” he went on, “don’t endure it. Don’t pretend you’re fine. Release the carrier pigeon immediately. The moment I receive word, no matter where I am, I will come straight to you.”

“I understand,” Elise whispered.

Wherever you are, whenever you call me, I’ll come at once.

That one promise lodged in her heart like a stone island, unshakable.

Rezette lingered, his fingers tangled in the fine down of her hair. For an instant he wondered if he should warn her outright. But then the thought struck him as absurd. Hide something from Elise? From the queen who already ruled his world? What secret could he possibly keep?

He abandoned the foolish notion and looked into her eyes.

“You’ll see me again soon,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“When you return to the castle, you may hear something… unwelcome. It concerns Sameshita.”

Her brow creased at once. “Now that you mention it, Sameshita’s been oddly quiet. Andrei and I are both here, so it’s not as though he’s left Riosa. Where could he be?”

“He may have attached herself to your twin.”

“What?” Elise’s eyes widened. “Sameshita?”

Would he really have shifted his torment from Elise to Andrei? Judging by Rezette’s face, the truth was graver.

“Don’t cry too much,” he told her. “Don’t let your anger carry you away. None of this is your fault, so don’t blame yourself. And don’t be afraid.”

Elise kept quiet.

“If you ever want to walk away from it all, tell me. Whatever you wish, I will make it so.”

Elise narrowed her gaze. “You’ve spoken with Barnon, haven’t you?”

Rezette did not deny it. He kept his tone calm, steady. “When you arrive, he’ll explain everything. He’ll also tell you how you can call me, wherever you are. I don’t know the exact form it takes, only that the Emperor himself designed the magic for you. It will work.”

“…So something really is happening in the castle,” Elise whispered. She steadied herself with a deep breath, her expression hardening. Her decision to return had not been born of needless anxiety after all.

“Watch for a white dove,” she told him. “If I have anything to say to you, I’ll send it that way.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“And you—don’t take risks. If your plans change, promise me you’ll let me know.”

He smiled faintly. “You’re asking the obvious.”

“Then kiss me,” Elise said.

She drew him down, and Rezette’s lips met hers at once. The kiss was brief, but deep. When she turned away, it was in haste, as though lingering would unravel her resolve.

The teleportation circle swallowed her from head to toe.

Rezette remained where she had stood, silent, until the last fragment of light faded into the air. Only then did he turn, his waiting knights falling into step behind him.

He descended the sheer cliffs he had climbed with Elise only days before. Mist coiled around the ravine, but unlike her, he felt no fear.

As he moved, he recalled his conversation with Barnon Conrad five nights earlier.

“What do you intend to do with my blood?” Rezette had asked.

“We will create a passage between you and Her Highness,” Barnon had answered. “The Emperor has already devised the formula. Your blood, steeped in power, will serve as the coordinates. The princess herself will wield the spell.”

“A passage…” Rezette murmured.

“Our goal is to remove Her Highness from the ravine before the true battle begins,” Barnon explained. “The Emperor may have bound a contract with the dragon, but outcomes are never guaranteed. He has considered the possibility that you may need to enter the castle yourself and lead her out.”

Rezette had remained silent.

“You know as well as I do,” Barnon added, “that dragons are fickle. And Sameshita, in particular… has been mad for a very long time.”

Yes. That mad dragon had shifted its desire—from the sister to the brother. But that was no comfort.

That dragon cannot harm Elise, not with the bindings laid on it. But it will not help her either.

Which meant Rezette had to act quickly. The deranged creature, ensnared by the ghosts of the past, had to be driven off for good—before it could ever set her eyes on Elise again.

***

Elise opened her eyes to a deep breath.

The cool fragrance of morning forest air was gone. In its place clung the damp, heavy smell of stone.

She stood on the drawbridge of Riosa Castle. The barrier she herself had erected with Sameshita’s power only a month ago shimmered faintly before her.

The moment she stepped through, the gate creaked open. Knights were waiting.

“Your Highness,” they greeted, voices rising as one.

Word of her return had reached them already. Like a tide, the men bowed low.