Chapter 5
_The Magical Contract: 2
Rawalf swallowed, and he and the rest bowed to the Emperor. Raphael breathed quietly and asked coldly:
"What time is it now!?"
"It's half past ten, Your Majesty."
Rawalf spoke, and Raphael's eyes blinked in surprise, unnoticed by anyone. He stood from his place with his usual dignity and looked at them calmly, then spoke, addressing Rawalf:
"I want you in my office in an hour."
Rawalf bowed with fear and tension. 'Why does he want me!? I'm sure I've never done anything bad.'
Raphael left, and the employees breathed a sigh of relief, approaching Rawalf to console him, which only increased the worry and fear in his heart...
* * *
When Raphael left the shared office, he headed to his room to change his clothes. He reached his room and called the servants to prepare his bath and clothes, then ordered them to leave...
He removed his coarse clothes, revealing his precisely sculpted muscular body, and submerged himself in the warm water to relax his body and mind.
'How did I sleep all this time?!'
He returned in memory to the previous day...
I sat in the chair I had placed opposite the bed and relaxed, truly exhausted from all this. I looked at the clock and found it was half past seven. I stood up, approached the girl, and looked at her face; the color had returned to it...
"Her face is innocent. Who would think this child could keep up with the Emperor? Let's see what this little one will do..."
I turned my back to her and headed for the room door. I heard the door sound again, approached it, and opened it. It was the owner. He bowed respectfully and said:
"The lady's maid has arrived. Should I allow her to come in?!"
'What!? Why is he asking me...!?'
"Her maid? Are you sure?!"
The owner nodded affirmatively and said with certainty:
"She has come with the lady several times here."
I was about to ask why she came here, but it had nothing to do with me. So, I nodded in understanding then spoke calmly:
"Allow her to come in..."
I had barely finished my sentence when I saw a woman rush inside, calling out in a worried voice, "My lady!"
My certainty that she was a noble and had not faked her identity increased. So, I nodded to the owner to leave and looked at the girl who was anxiously checking on her mistress with genuine concern. The girl noticed me and respectfully approached, saying:
"The owner told me that the master took care of the young lady. I truly thank you."
I looked at her with boredom:
"Is she truly Miss Silas?!"
The girl hesitated then said nervously:
"Did the miss tell you about that?"
She seems a clever and loyal child, so I took a deep breath:
"Yes, she told me, but I want to make sure."
The maid opened her covering and said honestly:
"If the miss told you about her identity, you are definitely a trustworthy person. I am Marian, Miss Silas's maid. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
I nodded, 'good,' then looked at the sleeping child and remembered with embarrassment... I almost stammered, but I regained my composure:
"Don't tell your lady that I was the one who removed her clothes. She will definitely be upset."
The maid lowered her head and said:
"Understood, master... And thank you once again."
I looked at them and thought, "Are you returning now?!"
The maid nodded affirmatively:
"Go and get a carriage before it rains again."
"There's a carriage available; I rented it beforehand."
"Good, cover the miss well with the cloak."
The maid did as I asked and went to Aryana, carrying her... She was very light.
The maid covered her mistress's face well then followed me when I descended. The owner and the customers looked at us. 'A man completely covered carrying a woman, and with them a third person, all of us completely covered... A suspicious matter! But they don't seem suspicious, like people accustomed to it. It seems that's why she chose this inn.'
We left the tavern and found an ordinary transport carriage waiting.
'They certainly wouldn't come in the Marquess's carriage.'
The maid stepped forward:
"Go in first, then I'll put her in the carriage."
The maid nodded obediently and entered, carrying the girl to rest her head on her maid's lap, then descended. I caught sight of the two knights who came with me, looking at me in confusion.
After the carriage left, I signaled them to come forward. They approached me obediently and fearfully. I spoke sharply:
"Let's return to the palace."
I moved and they followed me to the palace. When I reached the palace, I entered through the front gate. The knights bowed:
"Shall we call for a carriage, Your Majesty?"
"No."
I walked with them still behind me until I reached the shared office and sat on the sofa. They stood before me obediently, and I said sharply with an arrogant look:
"What happened today, you heard nothing and saw nothing. And if I need you to come with me again, you will come... Understood?"
They nodded obediently, but I trust no one:
"Extend your right hands."
They looked at me in confusion:
"You will swear... the magic oath."
"What?!"
They stammered and hesitated, so I drew a magic circle on each of their hands and said:
"You both swear that what happens with the Emperor, whether inside or outside the palace, you will not speak of or inform anyone, and if you speak, you will lose your tongues and yourselves."
They hesitated but swore obediently to the Emperor's desire. It's good sometimes that I am the Emperor.
"You may leave."
They rushed quickly from the office. I surveyed the room, but felt a desire to sleep. And since I don't usually sleep well, I decided to doze off a little in the office then head to my room.
...When I woke up, I found myself among my employees in broad daylight. I had slept early. Why did I wake up now?! I hesitated and was truly astonished, but I dealt with them coldly, and went to my room, or rather, fled.
I wiped the water from my body, took my towel, and went to the dressing room to put on the clothes the servants had prepared. I put on my clothes.
I feel good today. My body is fine; I don't feel like I'm going to die from the pressure. Is she really right?!
I went to my private office and sat for a while, took a piece of paper and wrote a note on it, then rang the bell for the attendant to come:
"Marshal, tell Rawalf to come."
Marshal bowed and left, and Rawalf came minutes later:
"Baron Rawalf, I will ask you, and you will answer me honestly."
"My loyalty is absolute, Your Majesty."
"I hope so. First, to my knowledge, you are married and have children."
"Yes, Your Majesty, a five-year-old daughter."
"What is her name?"
"Emily, her name is Emily."
"Good, is she sick?"
I saw sadness in his eyes and his voice choked:
"Yes, Your Majesty, since she was a baby."
What that girl says is true, so let's do what she asked.
"Well, since you have become my first assistant, your daughter is my responsibility."
I looked at his astonishment and gratitude in his eyes. Why that look?! I took a piece of paper, wrote on it, stamped it, and gave it to him:
"Send this request to the treasurer. He will increase your salary for your daughter's medicine, but everything has its price."
"I follow the Emperor's orders, ready to pay my soul for it."
He bowed deeply; I liked the sincerity in his eyes.
"This is what I want, loyalty to your mission. As for the little one, she will be under the Emperor's responsibility, and you can take her to the Royal Hospital today."
The Royal Hospital is a place that only great nobles can enter. Lower-ranked nobles cannot enter it no matter how much wealth they have. Rawalf's eyes shone with sincerity:
"So, your first secret mission: deliver this message to someone personally, without anyone, not even your shadow, knowing."
He looked at me in confusion and took the message:
"I obey your orders."
* * *
The streets of Litan were crowded as usual, especially the public market. An ordinary transport carriage stopped in front of the dilapidated inn (Soul), from which a small body, completely covered, descended with steady steps, moving into the inn.
When the owner saw her, he greeted her with a bright face:
"Good evening, madam, how is your health!?"
She smiled brightly and with a sweet voice:
"Thank you for asking, sir, I am fine now."
"The master is waiting in the room."
And he bowed politely. She nodded to him and ascended with steady steps full of dignity. When she reached the room, she found him sitting comfortably, looking at the door with an arrogant look and a cold smile, sensing the King's presence...
She closed the door and removed her cloak, bowing elegantly:
"Aryana Silas greets the sun of the Empire, His Royal Highness Emperor Raphael de Cassian."
Raphael raised an eyebrow in disapproval. Aryana let out a small, playful laugh:
"You know I don't like exaggeration?"
"I know that, but I fear the Emperor might doubt my loyalty."
Her words were playful in a gentle manner:
"Are you trying to annoy me?!"
"And do I have the audacity?!"
"Act naturally, you can sit down."
Aryana was surprised and looked at him in confusion, then sat in the chair opposite him:
"You sent me a message yesterday, have you thought about my words?"
Aryana's tone was less formal than before, so Raphael smiled subtly and said:
"Isn't it your idea to exploit talents, and I am acting on your advice."
Raphael placed a semi-ancient paper on the table between them. She raised an eyebrow confidently and looked at something she recognized:
"What is this?!"
"You know it well, it's a magic contract."
"A magic contract? Have you set your conditions?"
"Read."
["First: The contract is secret, its contents will not be revealed to anyone.
Second: Both parties must help each other until they fully recover.
Third: When one party's condition worsens, the other party must come and help them under any circumstances.
Fourth: Neither party will reveal the identity of the other to anyone under any circumstances.
Fifth: Every service for a service, meaning if one party performs a service for the other, the recipient must give something in return." ]
'I understand why this condition, huh.'
"What do you think of the conditions?!"
"You are an understanding Emperor. You are asking me for my opinion!"
She looked at him with a sweet smile. He looked at her and opened his lips coldly:
"Meaning?"
Aryana let out a small laugh and said playfully:
"You revealed my identity to Baron Rawalf. I don't know what you told him, but you pretty much told him about me."
"..."
Raphael raised an eyebrow in disapproval, and she continued:
"It's fine anyway. He doesn't know what's going on between us anyway. There's someone who should be exempt from not telling him, I think my maid Marian. And you, ummm, I apologize if I'm deciding for you, but it's okay to only tell Priest Evan, and also don't tell the Baron anything big."
"I will only tell him what I believe will not harm the contract, but why Evan?!"
"Because he is the only one looking for a way to treat you so you don't get harmed by the overflowing energy."
Raphael laughed scornfully and looked at her in surprise, saying:
"I believe you weren't lying when you told me you know a lot. No one knows that Evan went on a journey to search for a method besides me and Kaine."
Aryana pouted slightly. 'In the original novel, Evan didn't go on a journey. Wait, we haven't entered the time of the original story yet, maybe he went and I don't know.'
She tried to change the subject with a cute pout:
"Are you trying to annoy me now by mocking me?!"
"I'm not mocking, I'm truly surprised."
Aryana looked at him with a smile:
"I didn't think the great Emperor could laugh."
"I'm human too. Now, do you have other conditions?"
His last sentence was serious, so she spoke as she wrote her last condition:
"Nothing."
"Good."
Aryana took the quill, dipped it in the magic ink, and signed. Raphael did the same. Aryana smiled and said with a smile:
"Thank you for saving me last time."
Raphael looked at her and said in a lazy manner, knowing there was no point in denying it:
"And how did you know I saved you?!"
"I felt it, I mean, the energy that surrounded my body was refreshing and strange, different from medicine."
"Speaking of medicine, will you use your medicine during the healing process?"
Aryana pouted in a cute childlike manner:
"I stopped using it a while ago because it really bothers me."
Raphael looked at Aryana, who for a moment seemed like a cunning and deceptive woman, and at another moment was like a normal, spontaneous child. 'Capricious.'
"Alright, shall we start?!"
Aryana scratched her head in confusion and said:
"How?!"
Raphael was puzzled and remembered the previous time. He felt embarrassed and looked away to hide his embarrassment, then cleared his throat and said with composure, contrary to his embarrassment:
"You were lying down last time and I placed my hand on your heart and poured the magic. If it worked that way last time, let's do it the same way."
Aryana was embarrassed by the idea of lying down in front of someone, let alone Raphael. So, she took a deep breath and said:
"Why don't we try me sitting here and you pour the magic into my heart? If it doesn't work, we'll repeat what you did last time."
"Alright."
Raphael was also embarrassed. Aryana adjusted her position and sat in the chair, feeling nervous, her hands sweating profusely, and her heart pounding violently. Raphael took the chair and placed it directly in front of her and sat on it. He looked at Aryana sitting calmly in front of him and tried to regain his cold demeanor, but he was nervous.
'Why do I feel this tension?!'
Aryana spoke calmly, "You may begin, Your Majesty."
He nodded affirmatively and placed his hand on her heart. He could feel her violent heartbeats.
"Nervous?"
"Yes."
"Don't worry, you'll be fine."
He felt it was right to reassure her. He calmly poured the magic in the same way:
'Gently, patiently, and precisely... It might harm the recipient. Focus.'
Aryana closed her eyes under Raphael's gaze, who was putting all his effort into working correctly, as he had read in the books he found in the palace's secret library. This time he stayed longer pouring the mana, for more than twenty-five minutes and in a smaller quantity, so that she would not be harmed and to stabilize his power as well...
Aryana blinked after the mana stopped flowing into her body and opened her celestial eyes to meet Raphael's silver stars. Aryana stammered and said:
"Are we done?!"
"Yes, do you feel anything bad or abnormal?!"
"No, the feeling is wonderful. I mean, I'm refreshed, and you?"
Her eyes sparkled brightly like a rabbit's. Raphael's eyes wavered, and he looked away, speaking with composure and a strong tone:
"I'm fine."
Aryana smiled and stood up actively, looking around herself with an enthusiasm she had forgotten:
"Will this day come? I almost lost hope. Is it really close?"
Her words were sincere in a happy voice. Raphael looked at her and said in a lazy manner:
"Do you strongly wish to live?!"
"Not just a desire to live, I am alive but I cannot live like others. To go out and run, to eat what I desire and sneak around like mischievous people. I have been deprived of all that, it was a dream. Now, it will soon become a reality."
"I hope your wish comes true."
Aryana stopped and looked at him, saying with enthusiasm:
"And you?!"
"What?!"
"What is your desire? I mean, what do you want to do if you recover, something that pain prevented you from?"
Raphael thought for a moment, he had forgotten everything, so he said with despair:
"I haven't thought about that."
"What?! Impossible, there must be a desire!"
Aryana grumbled, and Raphael said with a cold smile:
"I'll think about that someday."
"Will you tell me?"
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, so he spoke coldly:
"And why should I tell you?!"
Aryana thought for a moment and said with enthusiastic impulsiveness:
"We are partners in fate."
"Partners in fate?!"
Raphael was puzzled by her observation, so she smiled playfully:
"Isn't it our destiny to heal each other? Your problem, which is difficult to solve, is a solution to my problem, which I haven't found a solution for. Hasn't fate made us partners or friends, whatever it may be?"
"Friends, are you a person without friends?!"
"I have Marian."
"But she's your maid."
"And my friend. Ummm, aren't you my friend?"
"Are you trying to make me your friend? Am I not the Emperor?!"
"Yes, you are the Emperor, but that doesn't stop you from being my friend."
Raphael laughed and said:
"Alright, agreed. You are brave to ask this of the Emperor, and I like the brave."
"Alright, I am Aya. It was a pleasure meeting you."
Aryana extended her hand. Her tone was gentle, not formal, but respectful. Raphael shook her hand and said coldly and disapprovingly:
"And must I call you by your name like that, while you call me by my name without titles? And what is that 'Aya'?"
Aryana laughed sincerely:
"You really have a lot of questions... Hahaha. First, you are not obligated to call me that, although I don't like formalities, but it's fine. Second, how can I call the Emperor by his name?! Third, Aya is a shortened version of my name; those close to me used to call me that when I was little, and it's a beautiful name. Then, if it happens that you need to call me when we are disguised, that's all."
Raphael smiled with satisfaction and said:
"Alright, when you wish, call me Raf."
Aryana's eyes sparkled like stars, and she said with sincere admiration:
"Your name is so sweet and beautiful."
Raphael's ears blushed for a moment, but he said coldly:
"Try calling me that and let's see if it's sweet from you."
"Raf, it was a pleasure meeting you, Raf."
Her words were gentle and warm. Raphael looked at her expressionlessly, which made her pout.
"I apologize, Your Highness, I won't call..."
"Call me Raf, the name is good."
Aryana smiled and tilted her head to the side. He looked at her expressionlessly, but she felt he was hiding something...
'What is this harsh face hiding? I don't want to open old wounds, intervention is often painful... I won't interfere, but perhaps the day will come when Raf opens his heart to me.'
After the conversation, both Raf and Aya went to their palaces after agreeing that meetings would currently be three times a week at the Soul tavern at 3 PM.
...... To be continued ......