I looked at the Emperor for a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) moment, then gave a sly smile and said,

“No, Julian. That won’t do.”

“Huh?”

“You’re also the heir to the Noart Count Family. You have to carry on the line. From what I can see, Theo and Ethan are a lost cause.”

Julian had agreed to become both the captain of the Holy Knights and the heir to the Noart Count Family.

Since I had planned to lay low and stay safe in the Temple, it was considered possible for him to do both.

The Noart Count Family wasn’t some ancient house with mountains of responsibilities anyway.

There were no longer any direct conflicts with the Temple, and we had more than enough wealth—not enough to justify greed, but enough to be secure.

Besides, according to our family physician Peter, Grandfather was in excellent health and had no trouble continuing to lead the household for the foreseeable future.

“That means you’re the only suitable one left... So please, have lots of children. I’m counting on you.”

The Emperor’s expression changed again in an instant.

“Ahem! Ahem... In that case, Julian will need a healthy and strong wife—someone who can bear many children.”

As far as I knew, fertility and physical strength weren’t directly correlated. Still, the Emperor suddenly began flexing his muscles while muttering,

“To be honest, I want lots of kids too...”

As expected.

The mystery was finally solved, and I gave a small shrug with a crooked grin.

‘You’ve chosen a hard road, Your Majesty...’

Even though he was my brother, Julian was still lacking in a lot of ways.

Still, at least he hadn’t challenged Zahid to a duel, so I could say he’d matured... somewhat.

While I was feeling pleased, lost in my thoughts, Zahid said calmly,

“Now that I’ve seen Rosie, I’ll excuse myself.”

Then, with a warm smile, he looked at me and said,

“I’ll come again, Rosie.”

Immediately, Julian shoved himself between Zahid and me and grumbled,

“No, don’t come. Ever.”

“See you tomorrow, Rosie.”

Watching Zahid’s back as he left the room, the Emperor nodded with satisfaction.

“A lover who visits the sick every day... Julian, isn’t it heartwarming?”

“...I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Julian took a deep breath and gripped his knees tightly.

“I want to assassinate him right now, but I’m suppressing the urge while trying to recall my past memories. Sadly, I acknowledged that brat as Rosie’s fiancé for nine years...”

“Oh dear... Are you all right, Julian? If you’re having trouble breathing, you’re welcome to lean on me and rest a bit.”

“No, it’s not that bad. I apologize for the disgrace, Your Majesty.”

In the end, the Emperor failed to get Julian to lean on her. With a disappointed look, she turned her gaze to me.

“If you’re feeling well enough, it might be time to start moving around a little, Rosierosie.”

The Emperor, who could clearly see that my complexion had improved, cautiously offered the suggestion.

“Articles still say you’re bedridden, which isn’t ideal. And after all, your coronation is in a month.”

“That’s true.”

I nodded without hesitation.

“Actually, I already planned to go out with Linna tomorrow, within reason. That works out nicely.”

“Rosierosie, are you really all right? If there’s even the slightest strain—absolutely not...”

Julian muttered like he was about to faint, but I opened my eyes wide and shut down his overprotectiveness.

Ah.

It was only then that I remembered something.

‘I forgot to tell Zahid I’m going to watch a rowing match tomorrow.’

Since Zahid had said “see you tomorrow” as he left, I figured I’d better send him a letter telling him not to come.

* * *

The next day, at the Idra Duchy.

“...Linna, is this really okay?”

“Yup, it’s fine.”

I turned this way and that in front of the mirror, inspecting myself. The outfit was cute and lovely, but also subtly revealing.

“This is what’s trendy now. You’ve been holed up in the Magic Tower, so you wouldn’t know. Wait—actually, I’ve been wearing stuff like this for a while now.”

“I thought it was just your taste... But come to think of it, you haven’t worn skeleton-themed clothes recently, huh?”

“I got sick of them after seeing a real skeleton.”

The “real skeleton” Linna was referring to was Aietar’s remains.

“So I switched to a more normal taste.”

“....”

With all the ornate black lace and mesh, I wouldn’t exactly call it a “normal” taste... but still.

Anyway, Linna and I wore similarly designed dresses and matched our accessories.

Even if we dressed alike, our vibes were completely different. That was just how different our appearances were.

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

With that, Linna and I headed together to the rowing arena.

And sure enough, just like she said, the arena was full of well-built young men.

It didn’t seem like anything inappropriate would happen. The athletic young men were so focused on warming up, full of competitive spirit, that they weren’t paying any attention to the audience.

Well, except for one thing...

“Um... Linna, is it normal for them to do it shirtless?”

All the athletes had taken off their shirts.

“That’s the trend now. It’s gotten worse since more spectators started showing up.”

Linna grinned from the shade and added,

“But hey, not bad to look at, right?”

True. It’s just for looking, anyway...

The audience was mostly composed of noble young ladies, and there didn’t seem to be much direct interaction with the athletes.

‘Zahid won’t have anything to be upset about.’

Just in case Zahid planned to stop by, I’d sent him a letter this morning. It simply said I was going to the rowing match with Linna—nothing unusual.

As I sat with Linna, other noble young ladies started gathering around.

Linna didn’t remember their names well, but they still eagerly introduced themselves.

“I read in the papers that you’re recovering lately. Are you feeling better?”

Quite a few people struck up conversations with me as well.

“Yes, I’m almost fully recovered.”

There were more people concerned about my health than I expected. The Emperor had been right—showing that I’d recovered was a good move.

I wielded divine power, which had healing properties. It would look terrible if the future High Priest couldn’t even care for her own body.

“Looks like it’s about to start.”

One of the young ladies said, her eyes sparkling.

“I’m so excited. Isn’t this view just breathtaking?”

I replied cheerfully, caught up in the mood.

“Yes, the lake is so glittery and beautiful.”

“Ahaha, yes, the lake is breathtaking, and um, the people too... Ahaha, pardon my crude slip, dear future High Priest.”

Only then did I realize what they meant by “breathtaking.”

The men, bare-chested and flexing their muscles on the boats, did indeed look impressive.

Though if we’re talking breathtaking... Zahid’s body was still better.

“Do you remember me, Miss Rosie?”

In the midst of this, several noble young ladies came up to greet me.

“I was in Class 2, but we were Academy classmates...”

“Oh, I remember seeing your face here and there!”

This was a noble gathering, after all. I started recognizing some faces from the Academy, nine years ago.

“I’m sorry, Miss Rosie. Back then I didn’t even greet you properly because I was afraid of Nesha...” 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

I even got some long-overdue apologies.

I hadn’t made a single female friend during my time at the Academy. Probably because, from the start, Nesha had been gunning for me, and everyone avoided getting close.

“What? That damned girl—where is she now? Huh? Little brats doing school bullying? I’ll bury her myself!”

Linna snapped, her eyes blazing.

The young lady who’d spoken to me flinched and answered cautiously,

“She... went to the countryside. Things went badly with the Empress Dowager, and her family’s situation kept declining...”

Thankfully, she didn’t have to sweat any further.

“Waaaah!”

A loud cheer erupted right after the starting gunshot, ringing in our ears.

“Let’s bet on it!”

Linna, having already forgotten our conversation, giggled and hooked her arm through mine.

“Which team do you think will win?”

“Count me in too, my lady!”

“Shall we all place a little bet?”

Now that they no longer needed to worry about Nesha, the young ladies started warming up to me—though now they seemed to be gauging Linna’s mood instead.

I felt myself getting more and more excited.

Just like Linna said, watching a rowing match was surprisingly fun.

Chatting and snacking with girls my age was enjoyable, too.

‘Sure, they’re probably coming over because of power, not friendship—but I couldn’t even enjoy this much before!’

Spending those nine years in the Magic Tower had made me especially hungry for this kind of social energy.

And just as I was soaking in the joy of mingling—

“Aaaaaaaah!”

A loud scream rang out as one of the boats flipped over.