Chapter 28. Iâll Reserve Your Majestyâs Help as a Last Resort
 And the next day.
ââŚDid I do something wrong?â
Feeling as though she was being scolded for no reason, Anette wiped the cold sweat forming on her forehead.
Even in that moment, eyes sparkling as if stars were about to fall from them never left her face.
They belonged to none other than the Crown Prince, Mikhail.
When Anette had shown her power, the eyes that once looked upon her in fear as though seeing something terrifying hadâwithin a few days of arriving in the Empireâbecome a thing of the past.
âStill, Iâm not used to this kind of gaze.â
Yesterday, even Grand Duke Harzent had stared quite persistently, but this boyâs gaze was burdensome in a different way.
âUm, Your Highness the Crown PrinceâŚâ
âSo you’re really an adult? Really, really?â
âYesâŚâ
It felt like sheâd answered that same question over fifty times already.
Yet the young prince, seemingly never tiring, once again opened his mouth wide and covered it with his hands in disbelief.
Watching his reaction, Anette couldnât help but let out a small laugh despite feeling rather drained.
âIs it really that surprising?â
âYes! Itâs so amazing!â
With eyes twinkling brightly and cheeks flushed red, Mikhail responded like the eight-year-old boy he truly was.
Though his attempts to act mature when they first met had been adorable, Anette liked this version of him even more.
âHonestly, this reaction feels far more normal.â
The way others had nonchalantly accepted her situation had been the strange part all along.
But even to Anette, Mikhail was no less fascinating.
That powerful, mysterious ability that toppled a tree without him lifting a single fingerâŚ
She had come to realize that such a power was the boyâs own Authority.
âWhat happened yesterday was an incident caused by a power known as the royal bloodlineâs Authority. You may have already suspected this.â
That morning, the Emperor, the Empress, and Grand Duke Harzent had visited Anette and explained in detail what had happened in the garden.
Anette had already guessed that the incident was likely tied to the Arkhan imperial familyâs unique Authority.
A powerful force that manifests in times of crisis for the Empire. But because the Empire had remained strong for so long, such powers had rarely surfaced, and no official information existed. All she could do was speculate.
Having heard that Mikhail had only recently awakened his power and still couldnât control it properly, Anette nodded.
And just when she thought this explanation alone revealed enough confidential information for a mere witnessâŚ
âMy Authority is related to time.â
ââŚExcuse me?â
âI canât control all time in this world, but I can reverse time in a specific place, or for a specific person⌠I can make one minute pass like a yearâor make ten years pass in a single minute.â
Speaking as though it was a trivial matterâthough it clearly wasnâtâLucius left Anette stunned.
She had never once wished to know what the Emperorâs Authority was.
But soon, she understood the Emperorâs intent.
âSo⌠what Your Majesty is saying is⌠you could turn my time forward and restore my original body?â
âYes. If you trust me and lend me your hand for a moment.â
Lucius said he wanted to repay the favor she had done for him, and while that cleared up some of Anetteâs confusion, it also raised another question.
Anette had been deeply worried that her body might not return to normal and couldnât understand how the Emperor and Empress remained so calm.
But now, it made senseâthey already knew how to restore her.
Still, something didnât sit right with her.
âMaybe itâs just that they didnât want to talk about the Authority⌠but it feels like thereâs more to it than that.â
From the start, the Emperor had treated her warmly, offering kindness and consideration. Though it had only been a short time since they met, he seemed to be a gentle person.
So surely, there must have been a reason he didnât step in sooner.
Then, a scene flashed through Anetteâs mind.
Mikhail had collapsed unexpectedly with his eyes closed, and the Emperor had picked him up as though heâd anticipated it. The Grand Dukeâs reassurance not to worry echoed in her ears.
âPerhaps⌠are there restrictions on using the Authority? Some kind of activation condition?â
When she asked this question that had popped into her head, she noticed Luciusâs face stiffen slightly.
He looked startled, as though he hadnât expected her to figure it out.
He hesitated, trailing off with a âThatâsâŚâ before finally nodding.
âYes. In truth, the royal Authority is powered by the userâs life force.â
Anette was even more shocked than before.
Lucius reassured her that life force did not equate to lifespan. Most of it could be recovered through rest, meals, and sleep. The royal family had exceptional physical strength and recovery ability, so they rarely pushed themselves too far.
The more one used their Authority, the stronger it became, and the more proficiently they controlled it, the less life force it consumed. He confessed that he had reversed the physical time of himself, Charlotte, and the Dowager Empress.
After hearing all of this, Anette responded.
âI understand what youâve explained.â
âThenâŚâ
âIâll reserve Your Majestyâs help as a last resort.â
Luciusâs eyes widened.
He had expected Anette to immediately ask him to use his Authorityânot reject it outright.
It wasnât hard to guess her reasoning: because it would consume his life force.
Even though he had clarified it wouldnât directly reduce his lifespan, and that rest was usually enough to recover, the princess had already caught on.
Just as Lucius had suspected, Anette realized that the life force required to accelerate her time forward would be far greater than reversing the time of the Empress or the Dowager Empress.
Currently, she was twenty-four, butâreluctantly admitting itâlooked like she was eight.
Though she didnât need to be aged up all the way, at the very least sheâd need to look about eighteen. Reversing a decade in one go wasnât something that could be recovered from with a quick nap or meal.
Lucius found himself troubled. He hadnât brought up his Authority to test her reaction.
He simply wanted to repay her. Even if it cost him some of his vitality, he wouldnât consider her request selfish.
Though he tried to explain and convince her otherwise, Anette was resolute.
âItâs not that Iâm completely refusing Your Majestyâs help. I just mean⌠since His Grace the Grand Duke has already requested assistance from a mage, Iâll wait to see the results before doing anything drastic.â
Anette didnât believe that the âway to restore her bodyâ Kardien had mentioned referred solely to the Emperorâs power.
If it were, they wouldnât have gone through the trouble of summoning a royal mage to draw her blood.
Still, part of her had worried that the Emperorâs ability might be the very method the Grand Duke was relying on. She glanced sideways at Kardien, seated quietly beside her.
âIf thatâs Your Highnessâs decision, I support it.â
That was all Kardien said.
He neither pushed for her to accept the Emperorâs help nor strongly agreed with her idea of waiting for the mageâs results.
He didnât express his own opinion at allâhe only respected her will, just like when heâd told her, âDo whatever you want.â
That memory made Anetteâs cheeks flush slightly.
Even so, she was anxious, unsure if she had made the right choice.
At that moment, she noticed Charlotteâthe Empressâwatching her with a faintly relieved expression.
Only then did Anette feel sure she hadnât chosen wrongly.
In the end, the only one who looked displeased at the table was the Emperor.
But when Anette logically explained her desire to understand both the cause and solution of her transformation, Lucius had no choice but to concede.
On one condition.
âVery well. But we cannot indefinitely postpone the royal marriage. If no solution is found within three months, I will use my Authority then.â
Anette hesitated.
She didnât want to shorten the Emperorâs life even a little because of her. But she couldnât say three months was too short a time.
Originally, she was supposed to marry within a month of arriving in the Empire.
The Arkhan imperial family was planning to send a formal letter of protest regarding the poor escort that had accompanied her journeyâalong with the official wedding gifts.
The news of a delayed royal wedding would inevitably stir rumors and worry about the alliance falling apart.
Because of that, they couldnât afford to delay it forever.
In the end, Anette agreed to receive the Emperorâs help if a solution hadnât been found within three months.
As she replayed the tense conversation from earlier that day in her mind, Anette suddenly snapped out of itâstill feeling the sparkling gaze fixed on her.
It was Mikhail, still staring at her in awe.
