Chapter 157 - North Korean rabbit

Chapter 157

Chapter 17. Return

The sight of the two people entering the basement was all too familiar. It was also the most welcome sight in the world.

“Good heavens! Your Highness!”

“You’ve finally returned!”

“Your Highness! How anxiously we’ve been waiting… Ah, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is here too!”

The secret space became clamorous with joy and cheers.

Hilia tightly embraced Ani, who came running toward her.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Not at all! It’s truly, truly a relief that you are safe!”

Hilia carefully checked Ani’s condition.

“Are you hurt anywhere? I heard the temple collapsed. You must have been there then.”

Ani smiled brightly, her face wet with tears of joy.

“I had the defensive magical artifact you gave me just in case, so I was unharmed.”

Hilia smiled softly and hugged Ani tightly once more.

Watching this from the side with a slightly displeased expression was none other than Arpad.

Yulken approached his master, trying to express his joy and affection.

“I firmly believed in you, Your Imperial Highness. I was certain you would be safe!”

“Ah, I heard. Something about my personality being too foul to die quietly.”

“You heard that?! The soundproofing here should be thorough…!”

“It’s quite decent. But not enough to escape my ears.”

Why did dragon blood have to make even hearing pointlessly strong?

Yulken’s shoulders trembled with fear.

“It seemed like just a moment ago you were only welcoming Hilia and had cast me aside?”

“Ahaha. How could that be! It’s just, with Her Highness present, I had to greet her first…”

“I was standing more in front.”

“……”

Yulken broke out in a cold sweat.

He felt a little wronged. It wasn’t as if he was the only subordinate who had only called for Hilia and rejoiced at seeing her.

‘Not only Dame Ani, but Miss Milan, Lord Müzen, and Lord Beltain all only looked for Her Highness!’

He was the only one who had even called out to Arpad.

Why did he have to be scolded like this?

Amidst the space filled with welcome and joy, there was one person feeling a bit sulky and another unfairly taking the brunt of it.

After the brief reunion, Ani asked in a choked voice.

“Where on earth have you been for three months?! You gave us no news at all!”

At these words, Hilia and Arpad looked at each other.

“Well, a lot… happened.”

* * *

Arpad’s expression and gaze were solely cursing one being.

“Damnable lizard!”

That was the first thing Arpad said after realizing we had been missing for three months.

I was startled.

It was the derogatory term for Artanus from my pre-regression memories.

In Artanus’s cave, Arpad had never once opened his eyes. Because the dragon had not permitted it.

Arpad’s consciousness had only returned after we left the dragon’s cave and returned to the surface.

Arpad shouldn’t have any pre-regression memories now, so seeing him mention a lizard made me worry if his memories had somehow returned.

Fortunately, that was not the case.

“That blasted dragon didn’t do anything harmful to you, did it?”

“…Nothing like that happened.”

“But if you are the Bride of the Dragon, that creature would surely covet you…!”

“I said no. According to Lord Artanus, you are the only one who perceives me as a bride.”

“Really?”

Even while being angry at Artanus, Arpad seemed rather pleased.

At the fact that we were each other’s only one.

Holding me, Arpad asked in a low voice.

“But why do you seem so displeased?”

“…….”

“Did that lizard bastard do something to you after all?!”

“No! I told you nothing happened. I’m just worried about what the current situation might be like.”

After showing us all the past memories, Artanus sent us back to the site where the temple had been.

Naturally, it was in ruins. Hiding our conspicuous appearances, we emerged into the city and learned a shocking fact.

“Three months have passed?!”

The fastest way to grasp the current situation was through Penny Terrace.

Through the papers obtained there, we quickly understood the situation.

1. While Hilia and I were inside Artanus’s space, three months had passed.

2. We were considered missing after the accident, and many believed we were dead.

3. The most important and absurd fact. During this time, Evangeline had come forward claiming to be pregnant with Arpad’s child!

*Crunch!*

The paper in my grasp was mercilessly crumpled.

Arpad watched this with a bright smile.

I was angry.

“Why are you smiling?! Surely this isn’t true…”

“Absolutely not. How infuriating it is to have the moment I so desperately longed for interfered with.”

Instantly, I couldn’t stop my face from flushing.

On the night of the Harvest Festival, Arpad and I were supposed to become true husband and wife.

If not for the interference of Evangeline and the Archbishop, it would have happened.

He wanted me, and I wanted him.

With my flushed face, I pouted slightly.

It was also to prevent Arpad from paying more attention to my dampened mood.

“Then why were you smiling just now?”

Arpad then said something unexpected.

“I just feel so good every time you get jealous.”

“What?”

This was genuinely absurd.

“Isn’t that a really strange preference of yours?”

“It’s more that I’m thirsty because you are overly reserved in expressing yourself.”

After that, we came to the main branch of Penny Terrace, avoiding the eyes of those around us.

* * *

I lumped all these events together and conveyed a short summary.

Roughly, ‘we were aided by the dragon Artanus during the explosion, and during that process, we were unaware of the passage of time.’

‘It’s not an incorrect expression. After all, it was Artanus who saved Arpad and me.’

Upon hearing this, the subordinates looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“So the great Lord Artanus bestowed his protection!”

“As expected of one chosen by Lord Artanus!”

“If this fact alone becomes known, we can drag that Evangeline woman down to the gutter!”

I turned to Milan.

“You splendidly crushed Espitola in the meantime. Well done.”

“It is all the result of the orders you gave in advance, Your Highness.”

Milan added with a bright smile.

“Lord Beltain also helped to the best of his ability.”

“I merely followed exactly what Your Highness instructed.”

I had entrusted the management of the Ducal House of Delphin’s assets to Lord Beltain.

Frankly, handling money didn’t seem to suit the inflexible knight very well.

But I well remembered the unexpected side Lord Beltain showed when we fled together before the regression.

‘I was quite surprised during our life on the run. I learned that Lord Beltain was quite capable with numbers and bargaining.’

Of course, not to the level of a merchant. But managing the Delphin family’s affairs wasn’t about multiplying money; it was important to have a trustworthy person handling the accounts.

That’s why I entrusted it entirely to Lord Beltain.

One of the things I had earnestly requested of him was the funds for operating Penny Terrace.

I had told him never to skimp on it, and even during my disappearance, Lord Beltain faithfully adhered to that.

That Penny Terrace had established itself exactly as I had envisioned was due to the efforts of Milan and Lord Beltain.

I smiled softly and praised their loyalty.

At that moment, Yulken, who had been caught and scolded by Arpad and had just been released, asked with a sharp smile.

“Then do you plan to return to the imperial palace immediately?”

I smiled and shook my head.

“No.”

Everyone looked at Arpad and me with surprised expressions.

Then Arpad replied with the most spiteful expression and voice in the world.

“They’ve caused quite a bit of trouble over there in the meantime, haven’t they? Shouldn’t we return the favor even more? They slandered someone by calling him a man who fathers bastards.”

The sound of Arpad grinding his teeth was audible.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“As you can see, my husband is quite angry.”

Then Milan confidently smiled and reported.

“Coincidentally, some information just came in a moment ago.”

“What is it?”

“A rumor is circulating that there will be an oracle at the temple.”

“An oracle? At which temple?”

“The Temple of the Heavenly Lord, of course.”

A fierce smile appeared on our lips.

For D-day had been set.

Romance, Fantasy,