After Rodolphe's birthday banquet, Julius shut himself away, refusing to engage in anything beyond his official duties. He met no one unless absolutely necessary.
Shamanaz had collapsed from the shock of that day, and the party had descended into chaos. Rodolphe, being Julius's closest friend, told him not to worry, that he was fine—but Julius's conscience was far from clear.
When his parents received word of the incident, his mother wept, and his father… all but cut ties with him. In a furious rage, Lucan retreated to the annex, declaring he didn't wish to see his eldest son for some time.
Julius devoted himself to potion-making. After all, he would be king. If that were the case, what did it matter who the queen was? His parents didn't understand what Shamanaz and the Grand Vizier had been scheming, so he could hardly blame them.
He needed to become king quickly—keep Mia by his side, and take control of Muria's fertile lands. That was the only thing that mattered now.
And for that…
The potion was finally complete.
On the night of the full moon, Julius held up a vial of black liquid to the moonlight. As the light touched it, the substance seemed to squirm, as if alive.
Tonight was the night.
Julius made his way to the garden where Gaia was waiting.
"Come with me, Gaia."
"…Frrr…"
"We'll teleport there, but I intend to ride you back."
The divine beast Gaia was faster than any ordinary horse—twice as fast, and tireless. Julius needed a partner for a dangerous mission. Gaia nuzzled his shoulder, though her steps betrayed reluctance.
"Come now. We've got a long way to Nakil."
In the deep hours of dawn—
Julius arrived in Nakil with Gaia. The arid wind and jagged rocks of the wasteland greeted them. He uncorked the potion and poured a few drops over a nearby boulder.
A crackling hiss rose from the stone as it burned. Julius held the vial aloft and began to chant. The potion shimmered and dissolved into invisible particles, vanishing into the air of Nakil like a dance.
When only a few drops remained in the bottle, Julius lowered his hand and looked slowly around.
The sun would rise soon.
And not long after, Nakil would revert to what it always should have been—a lifeless wasteland where not even a blade of grass could grow.
This is how it should have been from the beginning. Why did we waste our time with all this nonsense? Muria's fertile land is just around the corner…!
He thought of the chaos this act would unleash. He had already made his position clear at Rodolphe's party. No one would dare mention Shaminy or any other queen candidates again.
Not even you, Jakiel—wily old fox that you are.
"At last, everything is moving according to my will, Gaia."
But… there was no response. No presence.
Where had she gone?
While Julius was lost in thought, Gaia had vanished.
"Gaia! Gaia!"
He sensed her mana nearby. Julius strode toward it, calling again, louder this time.
"Gaia, where are you?!"
The silver horse turned its head toward the sound of the voice. Then it glanced back at Mia, as if to bid her farewell.
"There you are, Gaia."
Too late.
Mia couldn't move. All she could do was stand there and face him.
A tall figure emerged through the mist of dawn—
It was Julius.
"…Why are you here…?"
Surprisingly, Julius looked more stunned than she was.
"You… you're supposed to be in Muria, aren't you?"
His voice faltered. Then his gaze shifted—toward Leca, who lay injured on the ground. Mia didn't know what to say. But Julius, ever quick to read her thoughts, soon regained his usual cold composure.
"Running away must be a favorite pastime of yours. Don't tell me you picked a fight with the Fairy King this time?"
Just then—
Leca stirred at the sound of voices. With a groan, he sat up, catching sight of Julius, Mia, and the glowing silver horse. Startled, he dropped to one knee despite his pain.
"Your Grace… I didn't expect to see you in a place like this…"
"I could say the same to you."
"Leca, don't push yourself. You still need rest."
"I'm fine… But Lady Mia's wing—"
Are they seriously doing this in front of me?
Julius narrowed his dazzling eyes. His gaze fell on Mia's wings—sure enough, the edges were slightly torn.
"You managed to get all the way here in that condition? Both of you?"
He clicked his tongue at the two of them.
"why don't you fix that instead of flapping your tongue?" Mia said sharply.
Julius blinked, his pale green eyes widening in feigned surprise. His peridot earring swayed with a soft chime.
"My apologies, milady. I seem to have forgotten my manners."
Julius stepped up to Mia and gently touched the torn part of her wing. A pale green light glowed from his fingertips, and in seconds, the damaged veins of her wing vanished without a trace. It was completely healed.
"Wow…" Mia gasped in awe.
"Thank you! Really! But what about Leca? He's hurt too—can you heal him as well?"
"Lady Mia, I'm fine,"
Leca said quickly. At that moment, the peridot embedded in Julius's forehead—his third eye—flared with a sharp gleam.
"Did you just ask me to heal the wounds of some lesser spirit?"
"Why not? You healed me—and I'm just a human."
"Lady Mia, truly, I'm all right," Leca insisted, enduring the pain with clenched teeth. Julius glanced at him, then let a slow, satisfied smile curl his lips.
"He's strong. He has regenerative abilities. He doesn't need me to heal him."
"But the injury looks deep. He's clearly in pain…"
"Anyway,"
Julius cut her off coldly
"why are you two even here? Why did you leave Muria?"
Mia frowned, irritated by his dismissiveness.
"If you're not going to heal him, then I'm not answering that."
"Oh? That's fine. I don't need to know."
With that, Julius plopped down beside Leca. He wasn't entirely uninterested—but he figured he'd find out eventually. And if he really needed to, he could always look into it with a peridot orb.
"That wound looks pretty serious. What did this to you?"
"It was a Romus," Leca replied.
"Ah… mid-flight, I assume?"
"Yes."
"You're lucky, then. Most don't get off so lightly from a Romus. But then again, you were always a tough one, Leca."
Julius laid back against the rough ground and looked up at the sky. Then he called to the divine beast:
"Go find some water, Gaia. We'll rest here for a while."
The silver beast seemed pleased. She glanced once at Mia, then trotted off into the distance. Mia stared after her, dumbfounded.
"You're staying here?"
"Why? Am I not allowed?"
"That's not what I meant. I just… wondered why."
To Julius, it was obvious. He had no intention of leaving Mia and Leca alone together. Sure, he could have healed Leca to make him leave faster—but he didn't feel like it.
He couldn't stay here forever, but for now… he would stay close. And watch.
"You're not the only ones who are tired, you know. I'm exhausted too."
"Then go home and rest."
"I will—after I've rested enough to make it back."
Mia had no comeback for that. Julius glanced around with a click of his tongue, then, with a flick of his hand, summoned a tent, blankets, and camping supplies.
"If you're going to camp, at least do it properly. Leca, were you seriously letting a lady sleep out here in the open, under the dew?"
"…Forgive me."
"He was too injured to think straight. We both fell asleep before we knew it,"
Mia replied, immediately defending Leca like a guardian. Seeing that made Julius's blood boil. He forced himself to stay calm and addressed her instead.
"You look like you've been through a lot. Did something happen in Muria?"
Mia froze. There was no way she could tell him about the deal she'd made—trading her blood for wings. Anything involving the fairies needed to remain secret.
"I couldn't sleep well. New places make it hard. Then we flew all the way here, so…"
"Did the Fairy King treat you poorly? For you to flee Muria in the middle of the night…"
Sweat began to bead on her back. She had tried to come up with an excuse on the way over, but exhaustion and the effort of flying had kept her from thinking clearly.
Think… Okay. Roy! Roy's excuse!
"I—I have panic disorder. It took me ages to adjust to Sibareth. And then in Muria, it just… hit me out of nowhere. I couldn't bear it. I ran without even thinking. Leca followed out of concern."
Damn it, Even I don't believe that one. What kind of person with panic disorder comes to be a queen in another world?!
She risked a glance at Julius's face, hoping he hadn't seen through her.
But then…
From the peridot on his forehead, drops of translucent green fluid began to fall. They slid down his beautiful nose, then shimmered into tiny peridot crystals as they hit the ground.
"Mia…"
Wait… that's the first time he's ever said my name…!
"I didn't know. I had no idea you were struggling like that. But now that I do… I'll protect you."
"…Excuse me?"
A sudden scent of roses filled the air as Julius reached for her hand and pressed his lips to it.
"No more of this. No more getting dragged around like a hostage—whether in Muria or anywhere else. If you become my queen… you won't have to live like that."
Just then—
Clink.
Something fell.
Mia turned around.
Leca was staring at them, having dropped the potion bottle.