# 41
41
Hyperion Jervy.
As soon as Angelica heard that name, her face immediately lit up.
‘Finally!’
'He must have something to guide me...'
What happened in the dream, and what will happen later, this man must have had a hand in it.
"Really? Hyperion Jervy is coming?"
Angelica couldn't hide her smile as she asked, which made Cyril's reaction a little confused, as she wasn't expecting this enthusiasm.
“Yes… and it seems that he is coming specifically to see you.”
“I think so too.”
Angelica shook her head enthusiastically, then took a bite of the cookie.
Its taste was so sweet that it made her forget the headache that had been hammering her head moments before.
Cyril watched her silently, then asked her hesitantly, with worry in her eyes:
“Angelica… I don’t think so, but… isn’t it possible that you still have feelings for him?”
“Huh?”
Angelica stopped chewing, her mouth hanging open in surprise.
Although she realized that this was inappropriate behavior, she quickly swallowed what was in her mouth, but the confusion remained stuck in her throat.
She hurriedly waved her hands.
“Of course not! Never! I just want to make sure of something.”
“Right? I mean… you like Hugo very much.”
“Of course! There is no one in my life except him!”
She felt angry that anyone might think otherwise, so she shook her head forcefully to confirm her denial.
'What made her think that in the first place?'
She almost scolded Cyril, but before she could say a word, Isabelle stepped between them, interrupting the conversation.
“Miss Angelica, His Majesty summons you to the laboratory.”
“Ah...it looks like tea time is over then.”
Thus, Angelica was taken to the Emperor's private laboratory.
'He always picks a weird timing…'
Every time, he interrupts an important moment in an annoying way.
However, she swallowed her uncomfortable feeling and followed the escort until she entered the laboratory.
❈❈❈
“Wow...”
'It's like I'm deep in a forest...'
Even though she realized it was a closed building, the sensation was strangely realistic.
As she looked around, her eyes fell on a second door and she opened it.
The creak of the rusty metal door echoed around, revealing an unexpectedly simple room.
‘Oh…’
A room dominated entirely by wood, with nothing like a palace atmosphere at all, yet it seemed strangely in harmony with the surrounding nature.
“Oh, lady, you arrived?”
Cain said without looking up from what he was working on.
As for Angelica, she did not pay much attention to him, but merely responded with a distracted response:
“Yes...”
Then she slowly walked towards the surrounding shelves.
“What an enormous amount of material!”
“When the emperor himself is a great magician, it is normal.”
He said it indifferently, as if it was not worth mentioning.
Angelica did not show any hesitation as she touched the various tools and materials, while Cain remained occupied with what was in his hands.
After a while, she began to focus on her turn.
‘Well… I need Milunka root from the Frozen North… And also Vorulun leaves…’
She started choosing the ingredients one by one and placing them on the table.
After a while, all that remained in the room was the sound of her light steps and Cain's mysterious moans.
'Hmm… I found the dried fruits of the San tree, all that's left is…'
She muttered, recounting the ingredients in her mind.
“Where's the little wyvern?”
She looked in every corner, but to no avail, so her eyebrows frowned.
At that moment, a faint groan sounded from Cain, as if something had suddenly gone wrong.
“Ah… Shit, I miscalculated.”
“Your Majesty…isn’t there a small wyvern horn?”
"That? This time of year wyverns are preparing to hibernate, so it's hard to get. Do you really need it?"
“Yes, it must.”
“Hmm… I don’t even think the workshop I usually deal with has it.”
Kane paused for a moment in thought, then let out a soft sound as if he had remembered something.
“Ah, it might be in the temple. They often use it to treat young priests when they have a fever, so they keep a fair amount.”
“Can...can we get it from them?”
"naturally."
Angelica thought she should go herself, and sat down on the nearby chair with a slight sigh.
For work to stop due to a shortage of just one material... is truly frustrating.
When she had nothing left to do, her gaze automatically slid towards Cain.
'A few days ago, he was treating the doses as if his life depended on them...'
But today he seemed too calm, as if his interest in research had suddenly faded, making her even more nervous.
Cain felt her eyes fixed on him, so he suddenly raised his head, then showed her what he was working on.
"What do you think? Isn't it perfect?"
“This… a handkerchief?”
She was wondering what exactly he was doing, when she found him embroidering the shape of a red weasel with fine, elaborate thread with his hands.
Angelica blinked in astonishment, and he said, looking away slightly, his cheeks turning red:
“The Hunting Festival will be held soon, right? I wanted to present it to Cyril… as a token of my feelings.”
“But...isn't it customary for a woman to give a man a handkerchief?”
“It seems that being from Ratlay has made you cling to somewhat old-fashioned ideas.”
“…….”
She couldn't answer; She cannot say that she is from a world where such norms do not exist at all.
Cain looked at her, caught her wary look, and shrugged, smiling.
“At the hunting festival, Cyril is the heroine. As for me, all I can do is wish her victory.”
“This is… cute and weird at the same time.”
“By the way, would you do me a favor, lady?”
“Call me Duchess Bernstein, please.”
She responded spontaneously and was in tune with his pace. Cain smiled lightly, then adhered to her nickname as she requested.
“Okay, Duchess Bernstein. How about you accompany me to the temple to get the materials?”
“Why should I go with Your Majesty? I am a married woman, you know.”
“So, how about we finish the embroidery together?”
He handed her another embroidery frame that he had prepared earlier.
“Looks like that guy is finally getting his handkerchief.”
Whether he had prepared it in advance or not, the canvas had the Bernstein family crest on it: the tiger with red and black stripes.
She looked at the threads lying next to him, then, reluctantly, picked up the needle.
“Your Majesty… How exactly do I do this?”
“Don't you know? I thought all women were good at it.”
“And it seems that Your Majesty is also clinging to his old ideas.”
“……”
She smiled with slight victory, but it cost her dearly.
She quickly turned a simple lesson into chaos.
"Yes!"
"brother!"
The room was filled with intermittent moaning sounds, unrelated to research or study.
With half a full day gone by, Angelica was finally able to leave the lab.
“Oh...oh my God.”
Her hands were full of red pricks, swollen from frequent acupuncture.
She shook them in the air, trying to relieve the pain. The cold breeze touched her skin, and she felt an even stronger tingling sensation.
“In this case… can I even eat dinner?”
Just a light touch was enough to make her scream.
However, she couldn't back down; I promised Hugo.
“I'll bear it...”
She extended her trembling hands in front of her, and at that moment—
“What are you trying to endure?”
A deep voice rang out in the stillness of the Imperial Garden.
At the same moment, a familiar hand reached out and took hers.
Normally, she would have smiled right away… but not this time.
"Yes!"
She gasped, quickly pulling her hand from his rough grip.
“Angelica?”
Hugo froze, all trace of a smile gone from his face.
He saw tears gathering in her eyes, and he felt as if his heart had fallen to the ground.
He immediately knelt down in front of her, staring at her hands with nervous eyes.
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