The Return of the Female Knight

CHAPTER 78

He immediately lowered his head before her.

"Greetings Your Majesty the Emperor. Eternal glory to the Ruford Empire. ”

“Ho ho, such official greetings among us. ”

Sullivan spoke casually and pointed to the chair opposite him. He looked more sick than a ball, but his eyes were gentle and his gentle aura did not change.

“You must be tired from your trip, so please, sit down. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty. ”

Elena quietly sat down at the spot she showed.

The landscape architecture of the annex gave the impression of a building floating in a pond, and the table before it was burdened with various foods, steam rising as if it had just been prepared. He had no idea how far the kitchen was from here, but he knew it was not easy to arrange this enormous amount of dishes in such a short period of time. This would be unthinkable in a typical noble family home. This only made Elena feel a little uncomfortable, as Sullivan seemed to be paying close attention to her.

"I asked the chef to prepare a variety of dishes, but I'm not sure what will suit your taste. I don't have much, but please eat. ”

"Thank you . I don't even know where to start because everything looks so delicious, Your Majesty. ”

"What'sthis? This was nothing to the members of the Imperial Family. ”

There were implications to her words, but Elena smiled innocently.

And the uncomfortable eating begins. There were all kinds of rare and exotic dishes, but his mind was so preoccupied with other things that he could not concentrate on the taste. Sullivan, on the other hand, was having fun.

"I heard you saw Carlisle, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty . ”

“I want to know what kind of woman my son sees. Didn't he? Is my son good? "

Sullivan's question was more mundane than he had expected, but it only made him even more nervous. He would not send out invitations to ask about trivial matters.

“Yes, he is very generous to me and I am very happy. ”

"That sounds good . ”

He took a slow sip of water, then brushed it off with a more serious expression.

"I heard Carlisle was considering marrying you, right?"

"Yes . It is an honor for me to be his first wife, with your permission. ”

"With your answer, I assume you know about divination, and that your father supports marriage as well?"

"Yes that's right . ”

Elena immediately nodded. However, despite the confidence of his answer, Sullivan's expression turned dark. In contrast to the friendliness of his appearance when he first greeted him, his face gradually turned into that of a ruthless emperor, as if to reveal his true intentions.

"I understand . I've got to commend you for your trust in Carlisle. But there are other families who are bidding for a match with my son. ”

Elena's eyes widened in surprise. He remembered what Carlisle said. She had already told her father that she intended to marry him and that she had nothing to worry about. Does Carlisle know about this? He wondered which family offered the match, but what was more concerning now was that Sullivan seemed to be impartial of his side.

“You don't have to worry. I'll talk to your father Lord Blaise again. As you know, the crown prince's wedding cannot be rushed. ”

"…of course . ”

"I've called you here not only because I wanted to know about the woman my son met, but because I wanted to ask you something. ”

Sullivan's tone was gentle, but there was a blade beneath his words. So far, he wanted to ally with Carlisle with a strong family. Although House Blaise was nothing short of, their names were unreliable. The Emperor did not openly oppose him, but he could accept the subtle advice he had drawn. He understood a little why Carlisle called his father a cunning old fox.

"I have a question . Have you ... Have you received anything from Carlisle? "

Elena remembered the blue bead ring she had received since childhood from Carlisle. He wouldn't tell Sullivan that, because he knew he had to say the words Carlisle had given him. He slowly tucked his hair behind his ears with his left hand, deliberately flaunting the ring.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm not sure what you mean. ”

Elena remembered the blue bead ring Carlisle had given her as a child, but she knew the words she had to say to Sullivan. He slowly tucked his hair behind his ears with his left hand, deliberately displaying the jewel.

As expected, Sullivan's eyes began to tremble as his eyes fell on that plain piece of jewelry.

"The ring…"

"Oh, this one. It was a gift to me as a sign of his proposal. ”

"…Is it so . ”

Sullivan's expression changed as he looked at the ring. He could not help but notice that his eyes looked like the fierce one Carlisle had.

"Did Carlisle say something when he gave you the ring?"

“He gave me the ring, then a word of blessing that the person who married me would become the emperor of the Ruford Empire and bring great revival. ”

Sullivan's pale face suddenly flushed red with excitement, and Elena knew that her words had the desired effect.

"Does the emperor really believe in such a myth?"

She still had a lot of questions, but she had to focus on arranging her marriage to Carlisle first of all.

"Is that what he said …"

Actually Carlisle had already made a wish with the Dragon Orb to protect Elena from death, but when Sullivan heard Elena's story, he couldn't help but think that the man who was going to marry her would become the emperor. Moreover, this man would awaken the rise of the empire. It was a perfect reflection of Sullivan's ideals.

Sullivan suddenly looked at Elena with a very sweet expression. The shadow of doubt within him seemed to be completely swept away.

“You must be a noblewoman to Carlisle who suddenly declared that she wanted to get married. I wondered where he kept the ring as well, and he had used it quite quickly. Ha ha . ”

“Your Majesty, does this ring have any meaning? When he gave it to me, it seemed like it was worth it. ”

Elena slowly began to act on her own personal curiosity. From now on, he would deviate from Carlisle's instructions.

"Of course . It is so valuable that you have to take care of it like you are taking care of your own life. ”

"Is it really worth it?"

"You might not believe it, but the ring allowed Carlisle to make one request. ”

Although his words sounded like nonsense, his gaze was extremely serious.

Elena could not hide her confusion. Carlisle said Sullivan thought the ring was a Dragon's Orb. Sullivan, on the other hand, said the ring would grant Carlisle's request. Although both sides claimed something different, they were subtly the same. Of course, it was possible that the ring was a Dragon Orb, but he realized the ring was only limited to one wish.

He quickly hid his thoughts and spoke again.

"It's unusual. That means whoever I marry will not only be crowned emperor, but also bring a great revival to the empire. It would be good luck if it could grant more than one wish. ”

"You will find more when you become a member of the Imperial Family. I was worried about finding a partner for Carlisle, but now I can feel comfortable. ”

Sullivan treated her as if she was already his daughter-in-law despite initially disagreeing, and Elena was more curious than perplexed by her sudden change in attitude. Indeed, the advice Carlisle gave him was correct.

"Isn't that weird?"

In fact, Sullivan was as intelligent as Elena thought. He directed the conversation in the way he wanted while expertly concealing his thoughts, as expected of an emperor who had long fought a political fight. He will not cling to myth for no reason.

Elena's suspicions grew even greater. There must be a secret about the imperial family that Elena did not know.

“My dear, I want you to do something for me. ”

The sudden change in title was really strange to her, but Elena replied calmly without a change in expression.

"Please say, Your Majesty. ”

"Don't tell anyone that you received the ring from Carlisle or what he said. At least until the wedding. ”

“It was a good story. Why doesn't anyone know? "

"Don't I say? The ring will grant Carlisle's request. You should keep it to yourself now, as there should be no suspicion of corruption. ”

"But…"

Elena stretched out her words and looked at Sullivan. After a short pause, he decided to ask her directly.

"I'm just curious, Your Majesty. The ring was a precious wedding sign given to me by the Prince, but could you tell me more about it? That way, I'll know how to be careful. ”

This kind of opportunity does not come easily. He wanted to know if there were any other secrets about this ring, and possibly Carlisle. However, Sullivan only gave her a strange smile.

“You must be curious, my daughter-in-law. But until you become part of the Imperial Family, you should hold back your curiosity a little longer. ”

"Well…"

"Instead, I will tell you more after you marry Carlisle and become the crown princess. ”

Elena's expression lit up because of Sullivan's promise, and she smiled with satisfaction at his reaction.

"You look happy . ”

"Yes, Your Majesty . Please keep that secret from the Prince as well. I want to surprise him later. ”

"If you like . You should know soon. ”

Elena's heart jumped at the fact that this mystery would be solved sooner or later. Not immediately, but if her marriage to Carlisle was successful, she would eventually learn about the strange black scales that appeared on her arms.

"If you want to know, then you should have a wedding as soon as possible. ”

Sullivan recently said such an imperial marriage would not be decided quickly. Elena continued with a shocked expression.

"That means…"

"I have to talk to your father again, but what about next month?"

"…!"

It was faster than he expected, and his eyes were wide open. He knew that Sullivan's impression of him was gradually changing, but he didn't realize it would be this big.

"Why so fast, you ask?"

“O-oh no. If it's about marriage with the Crown Prince, then the sooner the better. ”

“Yes, I like your answer. Attack while the iron is hot. Let's get married soon. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty . ”

Elena could not hide her satisfied smile. Everything went much more smoothly than expected. It felt like a long time ago that she and Carlisle arranged their contract marriage, but now it felt like it was close.

From noble families to imperial families. He had hoped there were still some mountains left to climb, but that had been resolved quickly. Now all that is left is to prepare for the wedding in no time.

Sullivan continued with a faint smile on his face.

"Listen carefully to me, my dear. ”

He was still unfamiliar with his sudden change in attitude, but it didn't matter anymore. Elena replied with a smile.

"Yes, Dad. ”

*

*

*

After he parted ways with Sullivan, he quickly headed straight to where Carlisle said he would wait. His steps are as light as his heart. Although her dress was long, she could not help but walk faster.

Finally, Elena saw him. He could recognize his figure leaning against the wall even when he was in the shadows. Carlisle gazed into the distance, giving off a distinctive arrogant air. Elena called.

"Norris!"

His blue eyes shifted towards the voice of the woman. Surprisingly, even in this simple scene Elena was overjoyed. He quickly approached her and grabbed her hand.

"The emperor gave us permission to marry. He wants us to have a wedding next month. ”

Carlisle did not seem surprised, as if he was expecting it. He looked down at the hand he was holding, then looked up again.

“You must be very happy. ”

"Of course . Are you unhappy too? We are close to our wedding now. ”

As she looked at Elena's bright face, Carlisle smiled faintly.

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

His blue eyes shone in gloom with a strange heat. It was a sad color filled with longing.

“You'd be surprised if you knew what I was feeling. ”

Elena looked at Carlisle curiously. Then, he realized that he had taken her hand without even realizing it.

"Oh forgive me . ”

Elena released a grip on him, and Carlisle's wide hand slipped from her slender fingers. The situation flipped in an instant. When Elena looked at Carlisle with shocked eyes, she saw that her eyes were darker than before.

“It's okay for you to feel a little happier. But rather than my hands, I'd rather just hug. ”

As if telling her to quickly jump into his arms, Carlisle quietly beckoned on his wide arm using his eyes.

Her face was so grim that Elena laughed. If it had been just a moment ago, he might have actually jumped at her happily. He would become a member of the Imperial Family, and could face Paveluc equally. It means a lot to him. From now on Elena could act more influential.

"If you become emperor, then I will really embrace you. ”

"Then I had to become emperor, one way or another. ”

Even with her cute words, Elena nodded with a determined expression.

"Yes, just wait. I'll make it for you. ”

Elena will be king-maker. Carlisle would ascend to the throne with his own hands, and no one else.