“Welcome . ”

She immediately bowed her head before him .

“Hail His Majesty the Emperor . Eternal glory to the Ruford Empire . ”

“Ho ho, such a formal greeting between us . ”

Sullivan spoke in an easygoing manner and gestured to a seat opposite of him . He looked more ill than he did at the ball, but his eyes were soft and his gentle aura was unchanged .

“You must be tired from your journey, so please, have a seat . ”

“Thank you, Your Majesty . ”

Elena quietly seated herself where he indicated .

The landscape architecture of the annex gave the impression of a building floating on a pond, and the table before her was weighted down with a variety of food, steam rising as if it had just been freshly prepared . She didn't know how far away the kitchens where from here, but she knew it was not easy to set this enormous quant.i.ty of dishes in such a short time . This would be unthinkable in a typical n.o.ble family's home . This only served to make Elena feel a little uneasy, as Sullivan seemed to paying a great deal of 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 all of it looks so delicious, Your Majesty . ”

“What, this? This is nothing to a member of the Imperial Family . ”

There was an implication to his words, but Elena smiled innocently .

And so the uncomfortable meal began . There were all kinds of rare and exotic dishes, but her mind was so preoccupied with other things that she could not concentrate on their taste . Sullivan, on the other hand, was having a pleasant time .

“I hear you've been seeing Carlisle, is that right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty . ”

“I was curious what kind of lady my son was seeing . So? Is my son good?”

Sullivan's questions were more ordinary than she expected, but that only made her even more nervous . He wouldn't send an invitation to ask about trivial things .

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

“That's good to hear . ”

He took a slow sip of water, then fixed her with a more serious expression .

“I hear that Carlisle is considering marriage with you, is that right?”

“Yes . It would be my honor to be his first wife, with your permission . ”

“By your answer I a.s.sume you know about the prophecy, and that your father is in favor of the marriage as well?”

“Yes, that's right . ”

Elena immediately nodded . However, despite the confidence of her answer, Sullivan's expression turned dark . Unlike the friendliness of his appearance when he first welcomed her, his features gradually morphed into that of a ruthless emperor's, as if to reveal his true intent .

“I understand . I must commend you for your trust in Carlisle . But there is another family bargaining for a match with my son . ”

Elena's eyes widened in surprise . She remembered what Carlisle said . He had already told his father that he intended to marry her and that she needn't worry . Did Carlisle know about this? She wondered which family offered the match, but what was more concerning now was that Sullivan didn't seem to favor her side .

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

“…Of course . ”

“I have called you here not only because I was curious about the woman that my son was meeting, but because I'd like to ask you something else . ”

Sullivan's tone was gentle, but there was a blade beneath his words . So far, he wanted to ally Carlisle with a powerful family . Although House Blaise was not lacking, their name couldn't be depended on . The emperor was not openly opposing her, but she could pick up the subtle suggestion that she withdraw . She understood a little why Carlisle called his father a sly old fox .

“I have a question . Have you…have you received anything from Carlisle?”

Elena remembered the blue bead ring she had received as a child from Carlisle . She wouldn't tell Sullivan that however, as she knew she had to say the words Carlisle gave her . She slowly tucked her hair behind her ear with her left hand, deliberately showing off the ring .

“Well, 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 . She slowly tucked her hair behind her ear with her left hand, deliberately displaying the jewel .

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

“The ring…”

“Oh, this one . It was a present for me as a token of his proposal . ”

“…Is that so . ”

Sullivan's expression changed as he spied the ring . She couldn't help but notice that his eyes looked just like Carlisle's fierce ones .

“Did Carlisle say anything when he gave the ring to you?”

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

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

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

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

“Is that what he said…”

In truth Carlisle had already made a wish with the Dragon's...o...b..to protect Elena from death, but when Sullivan heard Elena's story, he couldn't help but think that the man who would marry her would become emperor . In addition, this man would bring about a revival of the empire . It was a perfect reflection of Sullivan's ideals .

Sullivan suddenly looked at Elena with a very sweet expression . The shade of doubt in him seemed to have been completely swept away .

“You must be quite the n.o.blewoman for Carlisle to suddenly declare that he wants to get married . I've been wondering where he had been keeping the ring too, and he had used it quite precociously . Haha . ”

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

Elena slowly started acting on her own personal curiosity . From now own, she would be straying from Carlisle's instructions .

“Of course . It is so precious that you must care for it like you care for your own life . ”

“Is it really that valuable?”

“You may not believe it, but the ring allows Carlisle to make one wish . ”

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