Chapter 64

“It’s okay. Are you alright?”

“Of course.”

“Your hair was cut off.”

Only a slight touch of the blade, and it cut off two or three strands of Nina’s hair from under her ears.

“That’s very sharp.” (Nina)

Adrian snatched the sword from the admiring Nina and snapped it into the scabbard.

“Adrian, are you angry?”

When Nina asked carefully, Adrian said.

“If you will be the sacrifice, I’ll definitely be torn and indecisive until the end.”

The moment our eyes meet, I’ll surely forget the sharpness of the sword or the chief priest’s duty, I’ll surely forget everything in that instant.

“Will we run away together holding hands?”

Adrian smiled as Nina ran her hair down with both hands.

“I thought of giving my heart instead.”

“Ah, I think Adrian would really do it, so that’s a big no. I’ll choose to run away with you instead, holding hands tightly.”

When Nina spoke with a serious face, Adrian looked at her for a moment and answered quietly.

“Yes.”

When Nina got satisfied with his answer, she flopped back on the sofa. The long pigtails were scattered all over but Nina didn’t care much as it was so smooth that it doesn’t get tangled whatever she does.

“Nina, I was invited to a summer ball this time.”

“What? Adrian, are you making your social debut?”

Nina giggled and asked playfully, Adrian asked.

“You’re coming with me, aren’t you?”

“Of course. You’d better be prepared if you leave me alone this time. The capital is a lair of devils.”

Adrian nodded as Nina grimaced and said seriously. He agreed with the words, ‘Lair of Devils.’

“For your information, the Emperor doesn’t seem to have many days left.”

“Hmpf, serve him right since he treated Adrian like that.”

“It’s due to old age.”

When Adrian made corrections, Nina queried her lips and Adrian smiled.

“And as you know, the Empire······.”

“I know. All the Emperor’s children have the right to succeed the throne, right? So the capital must be in complete chaos right now.”

“No, the owners of the ring were lessened to two candidates.”

“Explain in detail.”

Nina got up from the sofa and asked while straightening her posture. Adrian explained it gently.

“It’s a token of succession to the throne. They wear a ring with their initials on their little finger, but not all of them were capable enough to wage a war of succession.”

Adrian tapped her finger and said.

“Give a ring to the royal family member that you support. In that way, as the rings are given and received, taken and stolen, the battle of succession to the throne has come to pass. Until only one successor was left.”

“Wow, they should be called the Lord of the Rings. Then who are the two candidates?”

“Currently, there are a total of six children. Among them, the ones who are still battling for the throne are; Princess Vialentel and Prince Faradiv.”

“Which side do we support?”

“I don’t want to do either. We’re so busy with the Violet Forest as is, I don’t want to step on it.”

Adrian grinned.

“I want to maintain this neutral position in the future using that argument.”

“You’re going to take a step back? Is it even possible to keep doing that?”

“I will. For the time being.”

“Then what if the Emperor dies before the heir is decided?”

Nina asked in a tone that not even a drop of respect existed for the emperor.

“There will be an immediate fight. Should a fool who can’t prepare for the situation be crowned emperor?”

To Adrian’s words, Nina agreed, “That’s true.” Knowing when the emperor will die is also a victory in the information gathering war.

“But it’s really amazing. The position of the emperor is decided with a succession battle, but why are the nobles below him decided with the first-born succession system?”

“They say it’s for stability. It’s a kind of tradition that says the Empire works well only when the Emperor is smart, and that’s why the nobility is constantly changing.”

“I really didn’t know.”

Nina shook her head.

“Anyway, you’re saying we can all meet them if we go to the capital this time, right? I’m looking forward to it.”

It’s the Royal family after all.

This is the first time she will see the Royals with her own two eyes. It’s true that they’re also just human beings like her, but still, thinking about meeting some royals was quite amazing.

Adrian lifted the gold box Nina was using as a pillow and placed it on the desk.

“I’d better have the townhouse fixed before we go.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough if it’s habitable?”

“That’s why I will have to fix it.”

“It’s that bad?”

Nina opened her eyes round.

“It’s that bad.”

Nina nodded at Adrian’s answer. Well, Adrian will take care of it since it’s his house.

“Then I’ll pick the elites before we go up to the capital······.”

Nina got up from her seat, saying, “I’ll have to get a lot of work done by then.”

“Then I’ll get going”

Adrian nodded lightly. Nina came out of the room and touched her neck.

‘Adrian must have been surprised.‘

She felt like she was bewitched by the black blade.

Just like on impulse.

‘But I didn’t think I was going to be cut.’

Even if she accidentally cut her throat with the blade, she doesn’t think she would get hurt.

Nina gazed at her wrist. Looking at the two lines of spirit sentences, Nina whispered.

“What do you both think? What did the Spirit of the Darkness want to say to me?”

Nina sighed when there was no response from the spirits.

────── •❆• ──────

Nina decided to go back to the commander’s office, and heard a call as she crossed the corridor.

“Nina.”

Looking back, it was Randell. When he met her, he carefully took off his glasses, put them in his pocket, and strode toward her.

“Randell.”

Nina smiled.

“What’s the matter? You suddenly went out of the lab and walked around. Has ‘Nina’s effect’ been working already?”

“I’m quite not sure. Perhaps after the day we went to catch a trout, fell into the water, and lost all the fish we caught?”

“When did······.”

“Or when you offered to take some honey out of a bee-hive, but when you dropped it, you just ran away alone?”

Randell jokingly pointed his finger out and asked back. Nina shrugged her shoulders.

“That was fun.”

Randell blinked and laughed, “I can’t deny it.”

The act of taking off the glasses has now almost disappeared. It was because he realized that not only his anger but also his joy was eroding due to it.

Even the excitement of wearing glasses faded away like fog and became a calm feeling.

That’s also why he couldn’t wear his glasses that day.

There was intense anger and hatred, but at the same time, there was intense joy and happiness.

However, it was because it was held down for so long that he couldn’t put a label on his emotions. Each one was so intense that it was difficult to distinguish the spectrum of emotions he felt as if listing the colors of a rainbow.

Even now.

When he takes his glasses off in front of Nina, new emotions always pop up, but he doesn’t know what it is even if he asked.

Randell pushed the unsettling emotion to one side and said.

“I got a letter from Blue Stone Island.”

“Really? What did they say?”

“Come back and report. It doesn’t seem that what I sent is enough.”

Besides, they must’ve disapproved of leaving a Grand Sage outside the island for a long time.

Nina thought so and nodded her head.

“Come to think of it, you’ve already been here for quite some time. I think I’ve somehow been holding onto you for too long.”

“I······.”

Randell interrupted Nina.

His polar blue eyes were trembling as he looked at her. Nina asked carefully.

“Randell, are you okay?”

At Nina’s words as if she’s worried for him, and asked so tenderly and gently, Randell closed his eyes tightly.

“What’s wrong? What did Blue Stone Island say?”

“I······.”

He regained his breath. He didn’t even know what these emotions were.

“I want to stay here.”

Then Nina responded to what he said with a smiling face as if it was not a big deal.

“Then you can stay, right?”

He blinked surprised and asked carefully.

“Don’t you mind if I stay?”

“Of course. I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to have you here? It’s also good for the Duke.”

The word ‘Duke’ made his expression darken once again. He shook his head.

“No, it’s not that. Not for the Duke, but for you, Nina.”

“Me? It doesn’t matter to me.”

Her answer was so simple that Randell even wondered if the meaning to his words had been delivered properly.

“Really?”

“Well, Randell, I don’t really know why you’re finding it difficult to decide. If I go on a trip and tell you I’m staying at Randell’s house, wouldn’t you be happy to let me stay?”

“Yes······.”

“Though it feels like my home······. This is also not my home. Is it my house? No, it’s the young master’s house.”

Then Nina suddenly said, ‘Am I supposed to buy a house?’

“Anyway, what’s all this between friends? It’s not even as if we’ll incur any losses when you’re here. And rather than having losses, it’s not burdensome for Randell to be here. Should I say it’s not a big deal?”

Nina shrugged her shoulders.

Then she asked carefully, looking into his blue eyes.

“That’s what I think but······. Is there anything I misunderstood?”