“Y-Your Majesty the Empress! My deepest apologies! I was so nervous that I accidentally fainted while giving you the blessing!”
The young priest, who had been waiting in the bedroom, apologized tearfully. He still looked dazed, as if he hadn’t fully recovered.
“Well, that can happen. Don’t worry about it. How are you feeling now?”
I quickly sat on the red book, hiding it beneath me, while sneaking a glance at Xian.
Thankfully, he only spared the red book a quick, disdainful glance, as if to say, “You’re unbelievable,” but refrained from commenting further.
“I am unworthy of Your Majesty’s grace! I am perfectly fine now, and I shall immediately resume the blessing!”
“Get it over with quickly.”
Xian, standing with his arms crossed, urged the priest impatiently. I winced and hurried to stop him.
There was no way the blessing would work. If the priest started mentioning souls or alchemy again, it would be an utter disaster.
“W-Wait a second…!”
Whoosh—Flaaash—
“What?”
To my astonishment, a holy light immediately enveloped me the moment the priest closed his eyes.
“With the name of the Divine, I bestow the blessing of protection upon Her Majesty Leah Bermut, safeguarding both body and soul.”
The priest declared solemnly, reciting a passage from scripture. As a surge of vitality coursed through me, I was left utterly bewildered.
“Priest? Um, why is it working now when it didn’t before?”
Could the talk about souls and alchemy have been a lie?
“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. It’s shameful, but I must have overexerted myself earlier. I don’t seem to recall much of what happened right before I fainted,” the priest said hesitantly.
‘What? Did he forget everything about the alchemy and soul talk?’
His response, which sounded like memory loss, left me scratching my head.
‘I thought I put him to sleep with a lullaby, but he must have fainted from overusing his powers.’
After all, I’m no magician. How could I possibly put a perfectly healthy priest to sleep with a song?
“I shall redouble my efforts, Your Majesty!”
With that, the priest completed his mission and bowed deeply before leaving. Xian waved him off dismissively, and peace was finally restored to the empress’s palace.
“I’ll lift the lockdown, but you’ll continue your regular checkups. If you neglect your health, I’ll confine you again,” Sian warned after summoning the physician to treat my injured finger.
Pouting, I shot back, “Fine. But only if you get checkups too! It’s unfair if it’s just me.”
“What’s unfair about it? You’ve been weak this whole time and still have excuses left?”
“That’s just how you see it! Besides, even if you look fine, you might still need a checkup.”
According to the book, Xian and I were bound by an enchantment linking our souls.
If one of us got sick, the other could be affected. From now on, I had a solid reason to look after Sian’s health as carefully as my own.
‘Time to update my two-year survival plan to include Xian!’
Resolving to refine my strategy for surviving potential poisonings and other threats, I added Xian’s health to my checklist.
“Oh, and about those pregnancy rumors—can you do something about them? I was shocked when Eloise brought it up! You knew about this, didn’t you?”
“If you don’t give birth, the rumors will die on their own. No need to bother.”
“What?! And what about my reputation?”
“Hide that book first before you worry about your reputation.”
I hastily shoved the red book behind a pillow as Xian pointedly gestured at it.
“Fix those rumors right away! Or no more lullabies for you!”
“Let’s see how you behave first.”
It seemed he was becoming immune to my bedtime threats, and our bickering grew fiercer.
After a tumultuous night, a few minor incidents came to light the next day.
One of them was that the lullaby sheet music I’d left behind during the commotion had gone missing amidst the chaos in the empress’s palace.
Apparently, it had been kicked around and eventually mistaken for trash before being discarded.
While I hadn’t planned to sing it again, losing Eloise’s thoughtful gift left me feeling guilty enough to send her a replacement present.
In any case, the lockdown on the empress’s palace was lifted after that day. Though Xian remained obsessively concerned about my health, I could finally live a relatively normal life again.
I shared the details of the incident with Lindo, quietly reflecting on the events.
“The book said our souls hadn’t fully merged yet, but when the priest blessed me again, it worked perfectly this time.”
“Hmm. It mentioned emotion, physical connection, and touch, right? Perhaps the emperor’s feelings for you influenced your soul bond,” Lindo suggested.
“Really? Then as long as we keep this up, I shouldn’t have any more pain from the enchantment.”
I felt relieved, realizing that simply spending time with Xian and sharing emotions might be enough to avoid the enchantment’s negative effects.
Lindo nodded but looked slightly puzzled. “Still, it’s odd. Why did the priest forget everything that happened with Your Majesty?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he really did faint so hard that he forgot. Either way, it’s better this way—he might’ve exposed the book if he’d remembered the alchemy talk.”
The red book seemed to recognize me as its master, responding only to my blood.
While I had unintentionally earned the reputation of an empress with secretive hobbies, it was a small price to pay.
Occasionally, when Xian entered my chambers, he would glance at the red book and give me a pointed look, but he never pressed the issue.
Aside from those minor inconveniences, my upgraded two-year survival plan was taking shape.
*****
And so, amidst small, peaceful commotions, three weeks passed, and the long-awaited day of the hunting competition finally dawned.
“Wow, I can finally breathe.”
A vibrant blue sky stretched endlessly to the horizon. The fresh breeze swept across the running fields and vast forests.
Even with all the opulence of the imperial palace, being confined for so long had been suffocating. Missing out on this scenery would’ve been a huge regret!
Even though I looked perfectly fine, Xian still wasn’t convinced. He kept changing his mind right up until the last minute, insisting I shouldn’t come.
So, starting early this morning, I’d doggedly followed him around until I finally earned the right to join the majestic display of dozens of family banners fluttering in the wind.
“See? Aren’t you glad you brought me along, Xian?”
Feeling elated, I clung to Xian’s side as he greeted the participants and inspected the hunting grounds.
“What’s making you so cheerful?”
“Just… everything! Honestly, I’m pretty modest, optimistic, and a total pacifist, you know.”
“…Did you at least read the list of participants I sent to the empress’s palace a few days ago?”
Xian’s sharp gaze scanned me, his tone filled with disapproval.
The sudden topic threw me off, but I nodded with a beaming smile.
“Of course I did.”
Though honestly, I’d skimmed it. Yesterday, I’d been too busy hiding the blood I’d coughed up after testing the antidote Lindo had made.
“But Xian, why are you so tense today—”
“Your Majesties, it is an honor to greet you both.”
Before I could finish, a stranger’s voice interrupted.
Huh?
Turning toward the source, I saw a striking man with bronze hair bowing politely, dressed in a hunter’s attire.
“Cedric Sylvester,” he introduced himself, flashing a charming smile.
Ah.
I couldn’t help but think his name sounded familiar, though I couldn’t place why. Just as I was about to return the greeting—
“He’s here, Leah. The reason for your good mood,” Xian murmured in a low voice, leaning slightly toward me.
“Your fiancé from before you were born.”
