# 11
“I have no one but you!”
Her voice was more condescending and stubborn than an expression of sincere feelings.
But it was not entirely devoid of sincerity, so Hugo could say nothing in reply.
“…….”
“…….”
The silence between them lasted for a long time. But Angelica didn't expect an answer from him, so she waited quietly for him.
“Hmm, I'm a little sleepy...”
When was the last time silence seemed so comfortable?
After exhausting herself with anger over the knights' trivialities hours ago, she felt her body's energy fading even more.
Her eyes blinked under the influence of the soft texture of the bed, and she quickly fell asleep.
Her body tilted to the side and then sank completely into the bed.
At the same moment, Hugo felt himself breaking free from the stifling silence that was closing in on him.
“…Angelica.”
He said her name, which he had been saying unconsciously for some time.
Every syllable that slid from his lips felt natural, like it was made especially for him.
Ah, only then did Hugo Bernstein realize how ridiculous his decision to try to avoid her was.
He ran towards her without thinking when his back was turned, feeling extremely disturbed just by seeing a small pimple on her hand.
He was not even able to address her as “Miss” because the title seemed so foreign to him.
“Um.”
She fidgeted, pulling his hand intertwined with hers, making him feel a sudden slack in his heart.
“Angelica.”
He couldn't control the curve of his lips as he whispered her name again.
His voice was gentle, not sure if he was trying to wake her up or get her to sleep more.
“Um…”
She responded to his voice with a fidget, burying her face in the bed.
It was curled in on itself, making the bed appear larger than it was.
He looked at her with a mixture of astonishment and contemplation.
When he was lying on it, he could barely find room for it.
“Is it possible for someone to be that small?”
Hugo always made sure she got her full meals despite the harsh conditions.
However, she was never gaining weight.
Or perhaps it has increased, but it is barely noticeable... like trying to add one feather to another and expecting it to become heavier.
He took off his soft-lined jacket and threw it over her, instead of the rough covering.
Even in her sleep, she seemed content, as her lips relaxed slightly.
He gave her a warm look, then extended his hand to brush away a strand of hair that was sticking to her cheek.
At that moment—
-Wooom...-
The magical instrument on the desk vibrated, uttering a message.
Hugo furrowed his eyebrows anxiously, afraid the noise would wake her.
Then he quietly got up and picked up the letter.
The paper was thinner than the previous one. As expected, the first thing his eyes fell on was the Emperor's seal and a word of greeting.
He ran his eyes over the content carelessly, until he suddenly stopped at a certain line.
[Did you read the message carefully? Did you really succeed in building a close relationship with Angelica Ratlay?
You, Hugo Bernstein, who hardly speaks personally to anyone but Cyril? This is a really unexpected result.
Hugo, if this continues, I can't help but raise my expectations.
As you know, the only way to ensure that the Eye of the Sage will remain in the empire forever... is to marry.
The best candidate for the tightest shackle is one of my trusted men.
What is your opinion? Once you return, we will begin preparing the wedding…]
“Nonsense.”
He gripped the paper so hard that it wrinkled.
He had asked the Emperor to find a workable solution, but he did not expect him to resort to such a dirty trick.
“Huh...”
But in truth, he was well aware that the Emperor's plan was the most foolproof of all.
However, how could he put someone as fragile as her on his side so easily?
It's impossible.
He clenched his jaw as he spread the worn paper out in front of him again.
But then—
[Hugo, only if you agree.]
“…….”
He froze for a second, as if his breath had been caught in his chest.
This time, he couldn't simply dismiss the idea as "nonsense."
He kept staring at the letter, rereading the Emperor's words over and over.
However, he could not find within himself a single answer that said: “I don’t want to.”
He remained like this until the night passed and the first thread of dawn emerged.
❈❈❈
“Is he very tired?”
Early in the morning, Angelica gave Hugo standing next to her a searching look, deep in thought.
She remembered that she had asked him yesterday not to run away from her anymore...
But when she regained consciousness, it was already morning.
'And not even in my room, but on the bed in his room!'
It would have been better if he had gone to my room to sleep, but the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was his back, sitting on the chair.
Whenever you ask him if he is tired, he simply answers:
“I'm fine.”
'But his way of speaking seems a bit stiff.'
He was not completely cold, but more like an absent-minded person, or a clockwork puppet whose gears had run out of momentum.
She opened her eyes half-open, tilting her head in confusion, as Hugo added, reluctantly, “Nothing.” Then he slowly led her outside.
❈❈❈
On the fourth day, they finally arrived at the empire, and got off the ship.
Their destination was the south of the empire, but to reach the southwestern capital, they needed to travel by wagon for at least twenty days.
“It is said that traveling by carriage causes severe dizziness...”
She didn't suffer from it much, but she was worried nonetheless.
Especially since the trip this time would not only be accompanied by Hugo, but also with the knights, which made it even more tense.
“Oh, it would be so stuffy.”
She would have preferred to stay attached to Hugo the whole way, but she knows that is not possible.
She sighed deeply as she surrendered to the feeling of distress, then lowered her head slightly and walked slowly behind him.
“Angelica, from now on, you will feel a little dizzy.”
“Huh?”
She quickly raised her head when she heard his voice, only to find that they were no longer with the knights.
The place around her was empty, and there were only Hugo and Isabelle Cotton.
“Where did the rest go?”
All you could see was the blue sky in the distance.
While she was blinking trying to comprehend the situation, Isabelle answered instead of Hugo:
“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered you to be brought through the transfer gate. He wants to see you as soon as possible.”
“Transition portal?”
She tilted her head slightly as she tried to recall the meaning of the term, then nodded when she remembered a rough picture of it.
“Uh, some kind of teleportation?”
I've seen something like this before in the novel .
Yes, a fantasy world is not complete without the magic of teleportation!
When she showed her delayed reaction, Isabelle added, apparently because she had misunderstood her:
“As you know, operating the teleportation gate requires huge resources… The knights will follow us in the chariot. As for me, the Emperor has assigned me a special mission.”
"Huh? So, you won't travel with us?"
“Unfortunately not, I have to find Her Majesty the Empress in the capital.”
“Ah, I see... Wait a minute!? What?!”
Did I hear that wrong?
Who are you looking for exactly?
“You will be looking for Her Majesty the Empress?!”
“Yes, I snuck back out of the palace without anyone knowing.”
Isabelle sighed as if she had gotten used to it.
Since Hugo didn't show any reaction, it seemed like it wasn't really anything out of the ordinary.
“So then...”
‘Am I the only one who finds this weird? '
She couldn't find anything to add, so she just smiled.
But when Hugo started moving towards the transfer gate, she quickly followed him.
“Hold on tight.”
“Yes~.”
Despite Angelica's relaxed answer, Hugo tightened his grip on her hand.
The moment she felt the warmth transfer to her palm, a white light exploded in front of her eyes.
“…!”
The light was so intense that it almost penetrated her eyelids before she closed them.
But before she had to, another hand wrapped around her eyes, protecting her.
“Don't worry, Angelica.”
Just one sound was enough to quell the tension that swept through her body for a moment, as if she was falling into a dark sea.
She leaned silently into his warmth, accepting the blackness surrounding her.
When the voices began to gradually get louder around her, he removed his hand from her face.
Although the view was still blurry, the place seemed alive and vibrant.
“Engel, where are you going?! I barely got a ticket to the Colosseum, I can’t miss the final! Hahaha!”
“Come on, why do you ask? I'm going to go watch that damned Millbahn, I want to see if he gets the title of Great Craftsman or not!”
“Ah, men only think about fighting and making swords... Hmm, who should I go to see the play with?”
Men and women were talking freely, joking and laughing without restrictions.
“Ah…”
“Is this because of the memories left by the body’s original owner?”
Involuntarily, the Duchy of Ratlay, where women were not even considered human beings, came to her mind.
This realization made her feel strangely uneasy.
Then, as if Hugo sensed her thoughts, he slowly began to rub the back of her hand with his thumb, whispering in a low voice:
“Welcome to the Selene empire, Angelica.”
__________________________________________
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