chapter_0077

77 – Together

77 – Together

On the most luxurious night at the inn, Calix and Lily spent a passionate evening together.

After enjoying that moment of happiness and pleasure, which felt both fleeting and eternal, Calix and Lily fell asleep in each other’s arms, completely naked.

The first to wake was Lily.

As she gently stroked Calix’s sleeping hair, she recalled their earlier intimacy.

When Calix entered the inn, he had first asked her to release her transformation magic.

“Lily, please undo the magic.”

“Why?”

“I want to hold the real Lily.”

Lily unconsciously kept her transformation magic intact.

Understanding her feelings, Calix truly desired the real Lily.

At his words, Lily felt something warm stir within her.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Lily undid her transformation magic.

Her dark skin returned, and Calix embraced her, saying,

“No matter what the world says, I think Lily is beautiful.”

With those words, Lily felt something snap in her mind, and she suddenly pounced on Calix.

Her face flushed as she recalled her embarrassing appearance.

‘Am I… really such an easy woman?’

She had thought there was nothing to fear in the world, except for her master.

Now, she feared being hated by Calix.

She felt both fondness and resentment toward Calix, who had captured her heart.

How could he sleep so peacefully, unaware of her true feelings?

As she glared at the sleeping Calix with a fierce gaze, he murmured in his sleep.

“Lily…”

Though still half-asleep, Calix seemed to be searching for her, and Lily couldn’t help but laugh at his adorable state.

Just moments ago, her emotions had vanished, but now she slipped back into Calix’s embrace.

Tightly—

“Really…”

Feeling Calix’s warm touch and presence, Lily drifted back to sleep.

In that moment, she felt happiness for the first time in a long while.

Ah… I’m happy.

Meanwhile, outside the inn, a heated guard detail was underway.

Cron’s guards and Lily’s maid squad were on alert near the inn, preparing for any potential incidents, while Lumiel and Leo watched from a distance.

Ding ding♪

“With this, the Crones Family and the Princess Faction will be united.”

“That’s still uncertain. The Princess Faction is not swayed by personal feelings.”

Leo played an instrument while gazing at the inn, and Lumiel, dressed in maid attire, stood beside him, keeping watch.

At Lumiel’s words, Leo smirked and replied,

“Because they are not swayed by personal feelings, they will unite.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

Lumiel questioned Leo’s assertion.

The direction of power was not something to be spoken of lightly.

Even if he was a renowned genius strategist, Lumiel felt a slight discomfort at Leo’s careless words.

Ding ding♬

“The Game of Thrones is approaching, and the Prince will begin to move. And the ‘person’ I know from there will force us to fight together.”

Leo’s explanation was laden with implications.

Who was that person? Why was the Prince moving?

Watching Leo speak in riddles, Lumiel coldly remarked,

“You don’t have many friends, do you, Leo?”

Ding ding—

“Lumiel, you really know how to hit a sore spot.”

True, Leo was clever, but he had very few friends.

Having been caught off guard by Lumiel’s words, Leo was momentarily at a loss, and Lumiel responded coldly.

“I won’t apologize.”

“How about a meal instead of an apology?”

At Leo’s suggestion, Lumiel looked at him.

His face wasn’t bad, but his minstrel attire was a bit off.

Suppressing her inner stylist from rising, she said,

“I’ll consider it if you wear proper clothes.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Ding ding♫

After some time, Calix and Lily, having awakened at the inn, got dressed and prepared to leave.

Lily then spoke to Calix.

“Calix… there isn’t much time left.”

“What do you mean?”

Calix asked, surprised by Lily’s sudden statement.

With a serious expression, Lily replied,

“Father doesn’t have much time left.”

“The Emperor!?”

Everyone knew that the Emperor’s health was poor.

However, since he hadn’t shown his face, they didn’t realize how dire the situation was… Could it really be as serious as Lily implied? Calix felt a bead of sweat form.

Because the Emperor’s death would mean something significant.

“If that’s the case…”

“Yes… that will be the beginning.”

A fight for the throne.

Until now, there had been minor skirmishes, but now many would begin a fierce battle royale, risking their lives and families.

Holding Calix’s hand, Lily said,

“Let’s do this together. If we join forces, we can surely win.”

Calix was conflicted.

He liked Lily, but he also had the Crones territory and the people to take care of.

He had to choose the best course of action to save their lives.

As he pondered, Calix asked Lily,

“Then… just tell me this.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you want to become the Emperor?”

At Calix’s question, Lily’s face darkened.

But steeling herself, she answered,

“I’m not trying to become the Emperor to rule; I want to become the Emperor to stop him from becoming one.”

“Who shouldn’t become Emperor?”

Calix felt a headache coming on at Lily’s words, which implied she wanted to become Emperor to prevent someone else from doing so.

Was that really the reason she wanted to become Emperor?

Having quit the game before reaching this point, Calix found all this news shocking.

And the next revelation was equally shocking.

The person Lily wanted to stop was none other than…

“Brother…”

“The Prince?”

Calix was astonished.

How could a Prince, not even a Duke of the North, be allowed to become Emperor? Having progressed a little through the Prince route in the game, he knew the Prince wasn’t a bad person, which left him confused.

“Yes, my brother must never become Emperor, absolutely…”

There seemed to be some unspoken reason, but Calix couldn’t bring himself to say more due to Lily’s sorrowful expression.

Lily held Calix’s hand and said,

“So let’s win together in the Game of Thrones. After that, honestly, I’ll help you become Emperor.”

“No, I don’t plan to become Emperor…”

“You don’t have to answer right now. Whatever you say now might not be your true feelings, but… I want you to know that I’m sincere.”

Lily’s eyes were earnest.

Calix had no intention of becoming Emperor, but to survive in the Game of Thrones, he had to win.

And to win, he needed trustworthy allies more than anyone else.

Calix took Lily’s hand.

“Alright, Lily.”

Understanding the meaning behind his touch, Lily’s face brightened.

Calix embraced her and said,

“Let’s do this together. Let’s survive in this Game of Thrones.”

“Yes, let’s survive together, Calix.”

That day, an unofficial alliance between the Princess and the Crones was formed.

The balance of power in the Empire began to shift.

The day after talking with Lily, I announced to everyone,

“I will stand with the Princess.”

The next day, the vassals gathered in my office looked slightly surprised but quickly composed themselves, as if they had expected it.

I continued,

“There are rumors that the Emperor may pass away soon. Before that, we need to firmly choose our faction and prepare. I believe the Princess is a good choice for that faction.”

In fact, this had been discussed previously with Noah, Hart, and Leo.

Which faction should we ally with to survive?

I constantly sought advice from my vassals, and they all provided counsel from their perspectives.

When I compiled their advice, my options boiled down to two main choices.

The first was to rely on the Prince Faction.

The Prince was the largest faction and had the highest probability of winning.

However, there was a problem with aligning with the Prince Faction.

It was my policy towards my own people.

There were various powerful lords within the Prince’s faction, and my policies would be an eyesore to them.

They would demand that I retract those policies, and while the Prince would mediate to some extent, he would also require many concessions from me.

I could survive, but the likelihood of being left with nothing was high.

The second option was to become an active supporter of the Princess Faction.

In the case of the Princess Faction, there were fewer powerful lords opposing my policies. Moreover, they were a smaller faction among the three, which meant they would likely welcome us more.

Having the most influence and contributions within the Princess faction would be the best way for me to survive.

At the same time, I concluded that it would be impossible to ally with the Duke of the North.

The Duke’s extreme favoritism towards the strong was incompatible with me, like oil and water.

Considering all of this, my conclusion seemed to be somewhat anticipated and accepted by everyone.

At that moment, Leo spoke up.

“My lord.”

“Do you have something to say, Advisor Leo?”

“I recommend waiting a bit before announcing your alliance with the Princess.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Leo’s words were always enigmatic.

In response to my frustration, Leo explained.

“The stage has not yet been set. I would prefer you to announce this news on a more splendid stage.”

“And where is this stage you speak of?”

Leo pointed to a map.

It was the capital of the Empire.

“In about four weeks, at the archipelago of ‘Novalesia.’”

“Novalesia, you say?”

Everyone present was taken aback.

Leo’s sudden suggestion to announce that the Crones would join the Princess Faction at Novalesia was something no one could comprehend.

And exactly three weeks and six days later, I would make an even more explosive announcement at Novalesia, declaring that we were joining the Princess Faction.

A storm was approaching.

A word from the author (Author’s note)

Thank you for reading today as well.

Everyone, please be careful of the rainy season.

( ˵•́ ᴗ •̀˵)