"MONA, what would you like as a birthday present for this year?

"

Mona blinked in confusion, then she nodded her head as if she just remembered something.

"That's right. It will be my birthday soon.

"

June 13th was her birthday, and it was approaching fast.

"I have something that I want, Nikolai.

"

She could freely call Nikolai by his name because only the two of them were in the greenhouse. The emperor built it for her last year. The plants, flowers, and trees planted there could only be found in her personal greenhouse.

After all, the seeds of those plants, flowers, and trees came from Elen– the home of the Cosmic Tree.

She was there because she had to send the different Spirit Clans a message regarding what happened to the Cosmic Tree. Only then did the Spirits and the other creatures stopped barging in and out of the empire. They had calmed down when she told them that the Cosmic Tree would awaken in ten years' time.

"What is it?

" Nikolai, who was sitting on the wooden bench, asked. He looked pleased because for the first time, she stated that she wanted a particular item instead of telling him to just surprise her.

"I'll give you anything and everything you want, Mona.

"

Mona stood in front of Nikolai and hesitated.

"It's quite expensive, Nikolai.

"

As expected, he snorted when he heard her concern.

"Money will never be an issue to me, Mona.

"

Ah, right.

Nikolai was an old money. But still…

"It's illegal, Nikolai,

" she said.

"Can I ask the emperor to give me something that's not only expensive but also illegal?

"

Well, it was expensive because it was illegal.

"I'm not asking what you want as the emperor,

" Nikolai said casually.

"I'm asking as your life partner.

"

'Life partner.'

That label made her smile. She didn't care if she couldn't be Nikolai's official wife nor the empress. All that mattered to her was she was his partner.

"Nikolai.

"

"Yes?

"

"I need Impure Mana– a huge amount of it.

"

Nikolai looked shocked by her request.

"Mona, you…

" He covered his mouth for a moment before speaking again.

"Are you finally going to kill a god?

"

She almost laughed at his question.

"What do you mean by 'finally?'

" she whined half-heartedly.

"I'm not going to kill a god, you dummy. I can't believe that you, a descendant of Lord Yule, don't even flinch when speaking blasphemy against the gods.

" She hugged her stomach.

"Nikolai, our baby is already four months old in my womb. What if she can hear you? What if our daughter grows up cursing the gods, too? You better watch your mouth from now on. `Got it?

"

"Yes, ma'am.

"

She sighed because Nikolai didn't sound sincere. But she let it slide for now.

"I need a large amount of Impure Mana to cover our movements,

" she said, then she sat beside him.

"Ah, I also need a lot of Spirit Stones.

"

Novak taught her that opening the door to another world was like summoning an Ancient Spirit.

If she was in her normal state, her Mana would be enough to open the door. But she was pregnant now, and her baby seemed to be absorbing her Mana. Thus, she needed the help of Spirit Stones to amplify her power.

Spirit Stones, especially the premium ones, are very expensive. The wealth accumulated by House Roseheart is still quite a large sum of money. But if I use it to buy premium Spirit Stones, I might have to use a portion of the fund I set aside for my baby.

"Don't worry about the Spirit Stones,

" Nikolai said as if he could read his mind.

"I'll also get them for you.

"

She let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, Nikolai,

" she said.

"I have to depend on you financially at times like this.

"

"I should have been the one saying sorry to you, Mona,

" he said in a bitter voice.

"I only watched my grandfather and his cronies as they took away the money and the territories that House Roseheart owned in the past.

"

She laughed softly.

"Nikolai, we were just seven years old back then. You weren't even declared as the official heir apparent when it happened.

"

It was Nikolai's grandfather, who was the emperor during that time, who took away the wealth and the lands that House Roseheart owned after her family was punished for

"committing an offense against the dignity of the Royal Family.

"

And the offense that her family committed?

The former matriarch, her mother, refused to give up the matriarchy of their family.

And, uhm, my mother also told that old emperor to

"** off

" in front of foreign nobles.

She was suddenly very concerned for her daughter. Both she and Nikolai had terrible personalities and both of their families were also messed up in the head.

"I'm working hard to return everything the House Roseheart owned.

"

"I know,

" she said, then she laid her head on his shoulder.

"You already returned our old ancestral house along with the precious jewels and ornaments that serve as our family's heirloom. Thank you, Nikolai.

"

Nikolai held her hand and squeezed it gently.

"Ah,

" she said when she remembered something.

"None of that will matter though once we leave this world together.

"

"That's true.

"

"And we have to work, too.

"

"I'm used to working,

" he said.

"I've been working since I was five years old.

"

"The work that Yoon Jung does on earth is different from what you do though.

"

During the three months that she trained, Novak had shown her the life of Yoon Jung and Go Areum for her to study their world. She shared everything she had learned with Nikolai.

"I'm a quick learner,

" he said.

"I just need to study and work hard.

"

"I will study and work hard, too,

" Mona said, then she looked up to see Nikolai's handsome face.

"But isn't it a good thing that both of us were blessed to have a natural talent for learning foreign languages easily?

"

Nikolai smiled and nodded.

"I guess in that aspect, Yule and Tara are pretty useful to us even though both of them are annoying.

"

There he goes again.

Mona could only sigh at Nikolai who was badmouthing the Moon God and the Queen of the Spirit World again.

Why do I have a feeling that our daughter will inherit all our bad traits?

***

"THIS IS the ornament that Lady Sera Wisteria wanted?

" Gavin asked while looking at the rectangular box on the table.

"Isn't that a hair accessory?

"

He expected it to be a necklace since necklaces were currently popular among the ladies. A diamond Laurel leaf hair accessory was beyond his expectations. But it might not be an ordinary ornament since it cost a fortune.

It was way more expensive than ordinary jewels made of diamond.

"That is correct, my lord,

" Chester, his butler, confirmed.

"The store owner said that Lady Wisteria made a fuss when he refused to sell the ornament to her. Apparently, the young lady only stopped when he said that Commander Quinzel had bought the ornament as a birthday present for a certain lady.

"

He smiled, satisfied.

"She bit the bait.

"

If Lady Sera Wisteria wanted the hair ornament so bad, then she'd recognize it right away.

"Chester, are you certain that this hair ornament is unique in the whole continent?

"

"Yes, my lord,

" the butler said.

"It's the only hair ornament with that kind of design according to the store owner.

"

"It better be for its price.

"

House Quinzel was the richest noble household in the whole empire.

And they got that rich because they weren't the type of people to waste money.

Although I shouldn't call it a waste of money since it's a birthday present for Lady Roseheart.

"Alright,

" he said.

"You're dismissed. And don't let anyone enter my room– not even Rufus.

"

Even though Rufus was already married and living with his wife in another mansion, his younger brother would still often visit him at their father's estate. It wasn't like he didn't want to see Rufus. He just wanted that goof to focus on Amber since his sister-in-law was pregnant.

Chester bowed his head.

"As you wish, my lord.

"

He just sipped his tea.

Then, he waited for a few minutes after his butler left before he spoke again.

"You may come out now,

" he said loudly.

"My room is safe.

"

A few moments later, his room turned dark.

In just the blink of an eye, Lukas was already sitting on the chair across from him while carefully examining the hairpin in his hands.

"This isn't an ordinary ornament,

" Lukas said, then he raised his head to meet his gaze.

"Where did you get this, Commander?

"

"I bought it from the biggest jewelry shop in the Royal Capital,

" he said.

"According to my butler, the store owner bought the ornament from an auction. Apparently, it is an heirloom of a royal family from a conquered nation. It's more expensive than normal diamonds, too.

"

"That's complete bull**.

"

"Excuse me?

"

"This ornament is made from Hisa Tree and not a diamond.

"

"Hisa Tree?

" he asked, confused.

"It's the tree that only the Royal Family has the right to grow. Moreover, it is used to create a very effective ointment. I haven't heard about it being used to create ornaments.

"

"Should I tell you more about the Hisa Tree?

"

"No, I'm not interested since I'll be leaving this world soon anyway.

"

The elf laughed loudly. It wasn't a problem since his room was covered with his Shadow Veil. In short, it was soundproof.

"That's right. You'll leave this world for your happiness,

" he said. Then, he raised the ornament in his hand.

"So, did you ask me to turn this ornament into a storage of Impure Mana to gain Lady Roseheart's trust?

"

"I already have Lady Roseheart's trust,

" he said.

"What I want is for her to see how useful I could be if she brings me with her.

"

"Alright, I'll help you,

" the elf said.

"But you don't have to do this, Commander. The fact that you are a Darkness attribute user is already enough reason for Lady Roseheart to see you as someone she could use for her goal.

"

"No, I need to get closer to Lady Roseheart.

"

"May I know why?

"

Gavin smiled bitterly.

"Yoon Jung has to die for Kim Won-shik to have a chance on Go Areum,

" he said sternly.

" Thus, I won't allow His Majesty to cross over to the other world with Lady Roseheart and their child.

"

"I see,

" Lukas said, a somewhat wicked smile plastered on his face.

"So you're aiming to destroy the relationship between Lady Roseheart and His Majesty, huh?

"

***

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