“Then I should say you’re beautiful, right?”
“…”
“Anyway, I’d like you to wear that dress and participate in this New Year’s celebration.”
When Aloken said so, Fanora nodded and said, “Thank you for the present. It looks expensive, so I’ll pay for it.”
“Don’t.”
She just said this because she thought she had to repay the favor. Aloken, apparently dissatisfied with something, came near Fanora and whispered.
“By what means does the poor Lady Celsius pay?”
Fanora returned the answer without batting an eye. “Did you forget? A new sun will rise next week. It’s time to extend our contract.”
“!”
“You’ll probably be very surprised to hear this information…”
As Fanora spoke in a meaningful tone, Aloken shrugged his shoulders. “I wonder if it has any meaning. I have no intention of breaking the engagement with you even if you say useless nonsense.”
“Does Duke not keep the terms of the contract like this even when doing business?”
“Hahaha.”
“Don’t just laugh it off.”
They quarreled like ordinary lovers. However, in fact, Fanora wasn’t joking right now. …He laughs and talks like this now, but I’m sure he’ll be surprised.
Another year passed. According to the terms of the contract in the beginning, this was really the last extension. And Fanora had pre-determined what information to bring out in this deal extension.
Soon, the border of Kasius will become a mess. What she would say was none other than the ‘Gamiel War.’
Originally, the war was triggered by King Balmong’s greed to own Io. However, after she regressed, the royal family couldn’t acquire the holy relic. It was because Fanora stole Io.
In this life too, the holy relic search team stopped by our estate. But there would be no harvest. There’s no way to know who took it, and if they had discussed it with my father, they would have split the share of the holy relic. That’s why they wouldn’t have contacted him separately.
Then, since Balmong didn’t own Io, would war not break out?
It would be nice if peace could come through my little theft, but…
It will happen.
The war will happen again.
Before she regressed, the King of Gamiel, Callisto, announced his intention to participate in the war under the pretext that the warlike Kasius was disturbing the world’s peace when the Kasius Kingdom started a conquest war. But later, it turned out that Gamiel had something else to do with him other than this just cause.
Gamiel was originally the largest kingdom on the continent hundreds of years ago. However, as history progressed and many wars were fought, many of the large territories they were proud of were lost to other kingdoms. Kasius was the one who owned most of the territories stolen from Gamiel. That’s why Gamiel tried to regain the lost territories with a new weapon. In other words, the old grudge related to the territory was the main reason for the outbreak of the Gamiel war.
In this life too, Kingdom Gamiel withdrew their traders and married the prince as a device to reassure Kasius. It’s the same as last time. Looking at how the world was going, it seemed that new weapons had also been made in this time.
Fanora pondered briefly in silence. If a war breaks out, will Aloken go again? For a moment, she glanced at her fiancé standing beside her. She already knew the future of his return from war. Nevertheless, she felt uncomfortable in a corner of her mind.
If Aloken is in danger because I changed the future… Fanora quietly lowered her eyes. In this situation, she was concerned about the existence of Io, which she had stolen.
“Fanora, so the holy—”
“Yes?!”
“Aha, you haven’t heard what I’ve said so far.”
She was momentarily thinking about something else and was surprised when she heard a familiar word. Aloken seemed to have said something to her, but he frowned when he realized his fiancée hadn’t heard everything.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I was just going to tell you that I like being with you because every day feels new when I’m with you. It’s the first time I’ve been ignored like this.”
He told Fanora to be careful in the future. Fanora replied that she would. With this simple promise as collateral, Aloken began the next story.
“I asked earlier if we could go on a trip together before spring came.”
“Trip?”
“Because there are fun events in the neighboring kingdom after New Year’s Eve.”
“If it’s a neighboring kingdom… Are you talking about the Holy Kingdom?”
“It turned out that my fiancée had never been out of the kingdom before, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to take a break as well.”
She wondered how he knew that she never travels abroad. But Fanora didn’t bother asking.
“Out of kingdom…”
In the past, she was a timid person who was afraid to even step out of the mansion. Now that a lot of time has passed, her personality had changed, so there was nothing to keep her away from traveling abroad.
“What kind of fun is it even there?”
She threw these words with interesting eyes, and Aloken answered without difficulty.
“Of the three holy relics in the world… There is only one case in which the owner is revealed.”
“!”
“The bishop of the Holy Kingdom shows people the ability of ‘Ganimede’ every few years.”
This was something that Fanora vaguely remembered. Is that this year already?
Europa controlled time, and Io controlled power. The current owners of these two were unknown. …Of course, it’s only on the surface, but I actually have Io.
However, there was also a holy relic whose whereabouts was certain despite a long history. Its name is Ganimede. Everyone knew that the location of it was in the neighboring kingdom of Kasius.
What does Ganimede look like? Is it a necklace?
It was said that every certain year, the bishop of the Holy Kingdom gathered the believers in the plaza to reveal the power of that holy relic. The reason for such a performance was that the people’s faith and public sentiment were easily improved when they saw the miracle of god.
“I’m angry that a precious holy relic is only used that way.”
“Yes?”
“Ah, you may not know. They firmly keep the power of the god reserved for the situation that involved the fate of the kingdom. So I question how dare they use it for human desires. They should have kept it securely guarded,” said Aloken as if saying that he would use it more effectively than them.
Fanora also agreed on that part. If I had that, I would have already buried all my enemies on the ground. Since Ganimede was a holy relic that interfered with space, it was a more useful relic to me than Io. Anyway,
“Still, if we miss this time, we will have to wait for another few years. I’d like to go to see it with you if your schedule is free.”
“…”
“What do you think? Fanora.” Aloken suggested, with his signature foxy look.
Then Fanora, who had a calm expression in contrast to his smiling face, spoke. “I’m sorry. That’s too much.”
“Yes, then I will prepare the necessary supplies for the trip… Huh? What did you just say?”
You refuse this? Soon Aloken wriggled one eyebrow as if he had never imagined this.
“It’s a long way off. Since it’s already winter, the carriage road is rough, and a big fox will come down even to the private house.”
“Do you think I can’t solve even such a minor inconvenience?”
“Of course not. But.” She went on with an ambiguous look. “It’s because I heard the event wasn’t worth seeing.”
“Who said that?”
When Fanora came up with a name without much thought, Aloken’s eyes changed subtly while she wasn’t looking.
“Carl.”
“…”
“He told me. He went to the place where Ganimede was unveiled before, but it was really bad.”
It would be over in a second, and it was too far to even see. Fanora said she didn’t want to travel to a distant foreign kingdom just to witness such a thing.
“So that’s what Andras said.”
Aloken removed the smile he had made when Carl Andras was mentioned. What followed was sentences with a fairly aggressive tone. “You’re such a kind person. I’m worried about how you’ll get through society.”
“Yes?”
“You listen to your friend passing words rather than words from your fiancé, whom you should be closer to than anyone else.” He then asked if Carl advised her to break up with him, would she break up the engagement?
Fanora said no and lowered the corners of her mouth. “The comparison is too severe.”
“Are you denying I hit your sore spot?”
“Aloken…”
As time went by, the atmosphere gradually changed. The dressing room staff, who were noticing it, left the room, so only two remained there. But the argument continued.
“You said you were sorry for refusing. Aren’t you being too sarcastic?”
Was it so wrong to take Carl’s advice? Fanora asked Aloken. She was thinking of getting angry if he objected to this.
“It’s because you keep prioritizing other things.”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“I have nothing precious but you.”
However, Fanora was speechless at Aloken’s reply. Upon closer examination, Aloken had a subtly wounded expression on his face. How could she be angry at a man who spoke with such a face and voice?
“…”
As Fanora stood at a loss for words, Aloken smiled grimly. “That’s enough. I don’t think these arguments are necessary. It seems you’ve already made up your mind to decline my offer anyway.”
She pondered over her fiancé’s words. Then, she easily guessed. Is he saying this because he really wants to travel with me?
Afterward, Aloken, with a cold gaze, told her to take off the dress if there was anything uncomfortable about the dress. But for some reason, Fanora couldn’t bring herself to leave this place so easily.
There’s no way that man, who had such a mature aura, would have been sulky just because I rejected his date request… Still, somehow it bothered her, so Fanora pondered for a long time before bringing out her words.
“Not to the Holy Kingdom… But how about going to Mount Tanak for winter hunting?”
“Hunting?”
“The fox population has increased a lot this winter. I think I can enjoy watching them hunting too.”
She had never asked him to go out first. That’s why she wasn’t used to this situation. Fanora spoke in a low voice, avoiding his gaze. “And… Duke loves hunting so much.”
Fanora thought, glancing in the direction of the curtain for no reason. Should I not say that? Maybe Aloken just wanted to see the event of the Holy Kingdom, not because he wanted to go travel with me.
Where did her boldness in carrying out revenge go? It had been a few years since the soul of her future settled in the body of her past. It seemed that her true nature was gradually returning to its place.
Aloken listened to Fanora’s words and fixed his gaze. “Fanora.”
Snap, snap. Soon after, he snapped his fingers to mean look this way. As Fanora turned her gaze back to face him, Aloken reached out his right hand toward her.
Hand? Fanora wondered as she stared at his hand, which stood tall near her head. But it was immediately clear what that gesture meant.
“?!”
Aloken smiled and looked at her, who didn’t respond much to his hand, then wrapped his right hand around the back of her head and pulled her into his arms. Soon after, Fanora was embraced by her fiancé.
“Then I should say you’re beautiful, right?”
“…”
“Anyway, I’d like you to wear that dress and participate in this New Year’s celebration.”
When Aloken said so, Fanora nodded and said, “Thank you for the present. It looks expensive, so I’ll pay for it.”
“Don’t.”
She just said this because she thought she had to repay the favor. Aloken, apparently dissatisfied with something, came near Fanora and whispered.
“By what means does the poor Lady Celsius pay?”
Fanora returned the answer without batting an eye. “Did you forget? A new sun will rise next week. It’s time to extend our contract.”
“!”
“You’ll probably be very surprised to hear this information…”
As Fanora spoke in a meaningful tone, Aloken shrugged his shoulders. “I wonder if it has any meaning. I have no intention of breaking the engagement with you even if you say useless nonsense.”
“Does Duke not keep the terms of the contract like this even when doing business?”
“Hahaha.”
“Don’t just laugh it off.”
They quarreled like ordinary lovers. However, in fact, Fanora wasn’t joking right now. …He laughs and talks like this now, but I’m sure he’ll be surprised.
Another year passed. According to the terms of the contract in the beginning, this was really the last extension. And Fanora had pre-determined what information to bring out in this deal extension.
Soon, the border of Kasius will become a mess. What she would say was none other than the ‘Gamiel War.’
Originally, the war was triggered by King Balmong’s greed to own Io. However, after she regressed, the royal family couldn’t acquire the holy relic. It was because Fanora stole Io.
In this life too, the holy relic search team stopped by our estate. But there would be no harvest. There’s no way to know who took it, and if they had discussed it with my father, they would have split the share of the holy relic. That’s why they wouldn’t have contacted him separately.
Then, since Balmong didn’t own Io, would war not break out?
It would be nice if peace could come through my little theft, but…
It will happen.
The war will happen again.
Before she regressed, the King of Gamiel, Callisto, announced his intention to participate in the war under the pretext that the warlike Kasius was disturbing the world’s peace when the Kasius Kingdom started a conquest war. But later, it turned out that Gamiel had something else to do with him other than this just cause.
Gamiel was originally the largest kingdom on the continent hundreds of years ago. However, as history progressed and many wars were fought, many of the large territories they were proud of were lost to other kingdoms. Kasius was the one who owned most of the territories stolen from Gamiel. That’s why Gamiel tried to regain the lost territories with a new weapon. In other words, the old grudge related to the territory was the main reason for the outbreak of the Gamiel war.
In this life too, Kingdom Gamiel withdrew their traders and married the prince as a device to reassure Kasius. It’s the same as last time. Looking at how the world was going, it seemed that new weapons had also been made in this time.
Fanora pondered briefly in silence. If a war breaks out, will Aloken go again? For a moment, she glanced at her fiancé standing beside her. She already knew the future of his return from war. Nevertheless, she felt uncomfortable in a corner of her mind.
If Aloken is in danger because I changed the future… Fanora quietly lowered her eyes. In this situation, she was concerned about the existence of Io, which she had stolen.
“Fanora, so the holy—”
“Yes?!”
“Aha, you haven’t heard what I’ve said so far.”
She was momentarily thinking about something else and was surprised when she heard a familiar word. Aloken seemed to have said something to her, but he frowned when he realized his fiancée hadn’t heard everything.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I was just going to tell you that I like being with you because every day feels new when I’m with you. It’s the first time I’ve been ignored like this.”
He told Fanora to be careful in the future. Fanora replied that she would. With this simple promise as collateral, Aloken began the next story.
“I asked earlier if we could go on a trip together before spring came.”
“Trip?”
“Because there are fun events in the neighboring kingdom after New Year’s Eve.”
“If it’s a neighboring kingdom… Are you talking about the Holy Kingdom?”
“It turned out that my fiancée had never been out of the kingdom before, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to take a break as well.”
She wondered how he knew that she never travels abroad. But Fanora didn’t bother asking.
“Out of kingdom…”
In the past, she was a timid person who was afraid to even step out of the mansion. Now that a lot of time has passed, her personality had changed, so there was nothing to keep her away from traveling abroad.
“What kind of fun is it even there?”
She threw these words with interesting eyes, and Aloken answered without difficulty.
“Of the three holy relics in the world… There is only one case in which the owner is revealed.”
“!”
“The bishop of the Holy Kingdom shows people the ability of ‘Ganimede’ every few years.”
This was something that Fanora vaguely remembered. Is that this year already?
Europa controlled time, and Io controlled power. The current owners of these two were unknown. …Of course, it’s only on the surface, but I actually have Io.
However, there was also a holy relic whose whereabouts was certain despite a long history. Its name is Ganimede. Everyone knew that the location of it was in the neighboring kingdom of Kasius.
What does Ganimede look like? Is it a necklace?
It was said that every certain year, the bishop of the Holy Kingdom gathered the believers in the plaza to reveal the power of that holy relic. The reason for such a performance was that the people’s faith and public sentiment were easily improved when they saw the miracle of god.
“I’m angry that a precious holy relic is only used that way.”
“Yes?”
“Ah, you may not know. They firmly keep the power of the god reserved for the situation that involved the fate of the kingdom. So I question how dare they use it for human desires. They should have kept it securely guarded,” said Aloken as if saying that he would use it more effectively than them.
Fanora also agreed on that part. If I had that, I would have already buried all my enemies on the ground. Since Ganimede was a holy relic that interfered with space, it was a more useful relic to me than Io. Anyway,
“Still, if we miss this time, we will have to wait for another few years. I’d like to go to see it with you if your schedule is free.”
“…”
“What do you think? Fanora.” Aloken suggested, with his signature foxy look.
Then Fanora, who had a calm expression in contrast to his smiling face, spoke. “I’m sorry. That’s too much.”
“Yes, then I will prepare the necessary supplies for the trip… Huh? What did you just say?”
You refuse this? Soon Aloken wriggled one eyebrow as if he had never imagined this.
“It’s a long way off. Since it’s already winter, the carriage road is rough, and a big fox will come down even to the private house.”
“Do you think I can’t solve even such a minor inconvenience?”
“Of course not. But.” She went on with an ambiguous look. “It’s because I heard the event wasn’t worth seeing.”
“Who said that?”
When Fanora came up with a name without much thought, Aloken’s eyes changed subtly while she wasn’t looking.
“Carl.”
“…”
“He told me. He went to the place where Ganimede was unveiled before, but it was really bad.”
It would be over in a second, and it was too far to even see. Fanora said she didn’t want to travel to a distant foreign kingdom just to witness such a thing.
“So that’s what Andras said.”
Aloken removed the smile he had made when Carl Andras was mentioned. What followed was sentences with a fairly aggressive tone. “You’re such a kind person. I’m worried about how you’ll get through society.”
“Yes?”
“You listen to your friend passing words rather than words from your fiancé, whom you should be closer to than anyone else.” He then asked if Carl advised her to break up with him, would she break up the engagement?
Fanora said no and lowered the corners of her mouth. “The comparison is too severe.”
“Are you denying I hit your sore spot?”
“Aloken…”
As time went by, the atmosphere gradually changed. The dressing room staff, who were noticing it, left the room, so only two remained there. But the argument continued.
“You said you were sorry for refusing. Aren’t you being too sarcastic?”
Was it so wrong to take Carl’s advice? Fanora asked Aloken. She was thinking of getting angry if he objected to this.
“It’s because you keep prioritizing other things.”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“I have nothing precious but you.”
However, Fanora was speechless at Aloken’s reply. Upon closer examination, Aloken had a subtly wounded expression on his face. How could she be angry at a man who spoke with such a face and voice?
“…”
As Fanora stood at a loss for words, Aloken smiled grimly. “That’s enough. I don’t think these arguments are necessary. It seems you’ve already made up your mind to decline my offer anyway.”
She pondered over her fiancé’s words. Then, she easily guessed. Is he saying this because he really wants to travel with me?
Afterward, Aloken, with a cold gaze, told her to take off the dress if there was anything uncomfortable about the dress. But for some reason, Fanora couldn’t bring herself to leave this place so easily.
There’s no way that man, who had such a mature aura, would have been sulky just because I rejected his date request… Still, somehow it bothered her, so Fanora pondered for a long time before bringing out her words.
“Not to the Holy Kingdom… But how about going to Mount Tanak for winter hunting?”
“Hunting?”
“The fox population has increased a lot this winter. I think I can enjoy watching them hunting too.”
She had never asked him to go out first. That’s why she wasn’t used to this situation. Fanora spoke in a low voice, avoiding his gaze. “And… Duke loves hunting so much.”
Fanora thought, glancing in the direction of the curtain for no reason. Should I not say that? Maybe Aloken just wanted to see the event of the Holy Kingdom, not because he wanted to go travel with me.
Where did her boldness in carrying out revenge go? It had been a few years since the soul of her future settled in the body of her past. It seemed that her true nature was gradually returning to its place.
Aloken listened to Fanora’s words and fixed his gaze. “Fanora.”
Snap, snap. Soon after, he snapped his fingers to mean look this way. As Fanora turned her gaze back to face him, Aloken reached out his right hand toward her.
Hand? Fanora wondered as she stared at his hand, which stood tall near her head. But it was immediately clear what that gesture meant.
“?!”
Aloken smiled and looked at her, who didn’t respond much to his hand, then wrapped his right hand around the back of her head and pulled her into his arms. Soon after, Fanora was embraced by her fiancé.
