The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud

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The emperor looked carefully at Lacius and sighed deeply.

“I have already conducted some investigations, but there have been no results. According to Rawiya, Fata-Morgana is in a place where it cannot be found.”

“That’s an ambiguous statement.”

“Yes, indeed. To find them, we ultimately need bait. I don’t feel comfortable sending Rawiya and Kiran, who have barely survived, out.”

Painting wizards were extraordinary, even apart from their rarity.

They were “weapons” that must be possessed whenever a great war occurs.

It’s common sense, as any country’s royal family knows. It implied that there was no need to waste valuable resources like ‘them’ to deal with existing but not yet significant threats.

“Lacius.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“When you go to the desert this time, investigate on your own. Someday, they might pose a significant threat not under my reign but under Dioles’s reign.”

Dioles’s reign.

Could there be any clearer indication than this that Dioles would become the next emperor?

The emperor spoke seriously.

“I am already a setting sun. I must prepare the most suitable sky for the rising sun.”

“Your majesty.”

“I won’t ask why you suddenly asked to meet the painting wizards.”

“… I understand.”

“Instead, do whatever it takes. Search the desert for signs of that organization.”

The emperor’s expression turned solemn.

This was an order from the ruler of Terran.

Lacius stood up from his seat and bowed deeply.

“Glory to the Lord of the Sun.”

* * *

On the way back from the palace, Lacius pressed his temples tightly and recalled what had just happened.

‘Fata-Morgana. It means ‘Against the Gods.’

Such individuals would surely wreak havoc outside of Terran. The purpose of their organization and the reason for imprisoning the picture magicians were still unknown.

However, the fact that their blades could be pointed at Terran in the future was a problem.

‘Rawiya, was it? She’s a very strong person.’

It was impressive that she broke through the solemn barriers and escaped. She even had to run away with Kiran, so it must have been difficult. They made every effort to elude pursuit and avoid being captured again, and finally arrived in Terran. Lacius couldn’t even begin to fathom the extent of the struggles she faced.

‘I feel bad for them.’

Previously, he hadn’t had the slightest interest in painting wizards.

However, it is different now.

After Shay came into his life, Lacius kept trying to learn more about the painting wizards.

‘It seems natural for their body temperature to drop. It must be some kind of payment in return for power.’

Lacius’ gaze turned to the evening sun beyond the window.

The sun is sinking, scattering its gentle light across the sky.

Observing it, Lacius expressed gratitude to the gods for the first time in his life. 

To be able to warm her with his warmth.

At least as long as he was by her side, Shay wouldn’t freeze to death.

Although she might collapse from using too much power, she wouldn’t suffer from hypothermia

‘I need more information about the Painting wizards.’

After listening to their stories earlier, there was one thing he was sure of.

If Shay had escaped from Fata-Morgana, they would undoubtedly be searching for her.

Shay seems to have surpassed the level of extraordinary, so there’s no way they’ll let go of her easily.

‘Then going to the desert with her…’

Perhaps it would be better not to proceed with it.

Lacius made a serious face and closed his eyes.

He remained in that state until they arrived at the mansion.

Then he must have dozed off for a moment. Lacius’s eyes flickered open at the sound of the window being tapped.

“Lacius!”

“… … !”

“Lashin, come out and sleep inside. It would be uncomfortable for you to keep sleeping there.”

It was Shay.

She was calling him with a bright smile on her face.

“Ah.”

He didn’t know when the sunset had passed and turned into the evening. Seeing the coachman next to her restless, he seemed to have tried to wake him up but failed. Lacius found this fact bewildering.

‘Did I really sleep so deeply?’

It was an unprecedented occurrence since he was twelve years old. Feeling perplexed by this absurdity, he first opened the door of the carriage.

“Are you tired? I thought you were supposed to have a day off today, then where did you go?”

“Just to the imperial palace for an urgent matter.”

“I took a nap and woke up, and you weren’t around, so I was surprised. Still, it’s fortunate that you came back before dinnertime.”

Shay said it in a sweet voice and smiled sheepishly. Her red hair flutters in the rustling spring breeze. A round face with tiny dimples. Light red lips. And the regal hand that was always outstretched toward him.

He admired everything about her.

In an instant, without realizing it, Lacius pulled Shay into an embrace. 

“Huh?”

“Please let us stay like this for a moment.”

“Uh, uh. Alright.”

Shay’s body felt delicate under his arms.

How could someone so thin be so energetic?

She was truly enigmatic.

He didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t chosen her that day at the auction.

A life without Shay. A space without Shay. A home without Shay.

What would be the point of all that?

She’s part of him now.

“Lashin? What happened?”

“… Nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing. You fell asleep in the carriage. What happened?”

Shay, who pushed against his chest, stared at him intently with her clear eyes.

Lacius suppressed the urge to steal her lips.

He just held her hand and brought it closer to his lips.

“Just… I’m just scared of not having you.”

“What are you talking about? Why would… I disappear?”

“So if there was someone after you, I wouldn’t be able to just overlook it.”

“Ah, come on. What is it? Don’t say strange things.”

Shay pursed her lips and grunted.

Lacius looked at her with a serious gaze.

A white forehead and slightly flushed cheeks.

The slight upturn of her eyes and the hint of embarrassment in her voice

Even the silver-blue eyes that are so beautiful that it takes your breath away.

Everywhere he looked, she was simply enchanting.

In particular, he liked Shay’s facial expressions.

Unlike him, she wouldn’t know how lovely a face with so many expressions is.

In fact, he could look at her all day and never get bored.

She was ever-changing and vividly alive.

‘Fata-Morgana. A potential threat.’

The order he received was only to investigate, but if he was convinced that they would come after Shay, he would take care of them himself, without leaving a single trace, without any sympathy or mercy.

He was fully capable of doing that.

‘It’s been a while since I had an enemy.’

Instincts for battle that had been dormant since the last war began to stir inside him.

He was a descendant of the Sun God.

There was a reason he didn’t react to the stalking and annoying attention being directed at him.

He couldn’t let his anger get the better of him.

The moment he gets angry, his thinly veiled composure will be overturned, and the blood of the Sun God will begin to rage.

That was acceptable on the battlefield, but not in the capital.

Therefore, Lacius had been restraining himself.

Until a new enemy and a new threat came to Terran, he had to remain dormant.

“I heard they’re roasting a whole pig today, and it’s the first pork belly I’ve had in a long time!!”

“Pork belly? What is that?”

“Well, uhm. It’s just delicious pork. I’m hungry. Let’s go quickly.”

Shay confidently took the lead.

With a swift turn of her body, her hair fluttered like flames.

Come to think of it, he also liked the way Shay walked.

Instead of moving quietly and modestly, she took big strides.

She was fast, so he didn’t need to shorten his steps.

“Come on!”

Shay, who had already gone four steps ahead, looked back at him and waved.

The light from the mansion settled on her, making her glow.

‘Since when did you become an indispensable presence to me?’

Lacius murmured to himself.

He recalled the advice Dioles had given him.

I don’t want to let you go. I don’t want to lose you.

That desire swelled up and covered his heart.

‘Continuing to wait is probably not a good solution.’

Now seemed like the perfec time to receive the 24 hours with Shay that he had obtained at the masquerade ball.

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