FLBE Chapter 6 Part 6
by SYLPH“Damn it, that crazy bastard. To think he’d use aura in the palace. He’s completely lost it.”
Rhetrik rarely used the power of aura, even in major wars, as it could turn everything around him, friend or foe, into dust. He had controlled his aura to target only Lance this time, indicating his genuine intent to kill.
After stemming the bleeding with magic, Lance watched Rhetrik leave the palace with a meaningful look and suddenly smirked. Rhetrik’s desperation made Liena even more desirable.
“You’re really panicking. I’ll repay today’s debt, proud emperor. But the dominant omega will soon be mine.”
He was tempted to turn the palace into a sea of flames but knew it wasn’t the time. Lance slowly stood and looked towards the distant temple tower, his eyes filled with madness.
* * *
“Ha… ha…”
“This is troublesome.”
“Why is this so hard? Ha…”
Sweat-soaked Liena panted, bending over as if she had run several laps around the temple, looking utterly exhausted.
However, all she had done was stand still, albeit with the challenging task of concentrating her mind and tensing her abdomen in a way that was hard to grasp.
Lacking basic knowledge and theory, Liena couldn’t understand what Roan was explaining. Fueled only by enthusiasm, she was metaphorically banging her head against a wall.
“When I asked you to contain your pheromones, you ended up emitting more. Are you trying to kill me?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Roan smiled gently and handed her a cup of tea. Unlike before, Liena gulped it down without savoring it, then straightened up, determined to focus.
She slowly closed her eyes, tensed her abdomen, and concentrated all her mind. However, the incessant flood of thoughts kept weakening her resolve.
“Clear your mind.”
“……”
“Imagine channeling all the energy you feel into your heart.”
What does it even mean to put energy into my heart!
She didn’t understand, but Liena frowned and took a deep breath.
“I’m not telling you to hold your breath. I mean to gather the energy flowing through your body inside yourself.”
Damn it…! What does that even mean!
As Liena’s expression grew increasingly frustrated, Roan let out a small laugh. He knew she wasn’t getting it, but her attempt to try was admirable and quite cute.
Liena, holding her breath and clenching her fists, trembled. At this rate, pheromone containment or whatever, she was going to stop breathing altogether.
At that moment, Liena felt something strange. Was it a feeling of an intangible energy enveloping her body and flowing through it? And not just that, she also felt this energy scattering wildly. Liena tensed up even more and desperately thought to herself.
Come in, don’t go away, come here. Come inside me! Not there, inside me!
“Ha!”
Suddenly, the energies that had been roaming freely felt like they were being sucked into her body all at once. At the same time, her breath caught, and a startled Liena exhaled sharply. The energies that had briefly vanished exploded outwards.
Surprised by the unfamiliar sensation, she gasped for air, pressing her chest, when she heard Roan’s voice mixed with admiration.
“Indeed, you are no ordinary person. To achieve this so quickly.”
At Roan’s words, Liena slightly lifted her head and asked,
“Did I… do it?”
“Yes. You did.”
Straightening up, her eyes widened as she asked again,
“Really? I did it?!”
“Yes. It was only for a moment, though. Brief, but your pheromones definitely vanished for that instant.”
Tears welled up in Liena’s eyes as she covered her mouth with both hands. Though she didn’t understand what she did or how, the realization that she accomplished something difficult filled her with hope.
“Why are you crying?”
“Sob, I… I might be able to do it. Maybe I can survive. Maybe I won’t die.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sob, Roan, thank you. Thank you so much!”
“Uh!”
Caught off guard by her sudden embrace, Roan awkwardly hugged Liena back, his body tensing. Like Liena had done, he took a deep breath and bit down on his inner cheek. He was in a difficult position. Although she had managed to contain it, the pheromones she was emitting now were even denser than before.
Roan’s ash-colored eyes quickly shifted colors.
“Liena.”
At the distant voice, both Liena and Roan turned their heads. Rhetrik, who had said he would come in the evening, was there before lunchtime. Liena just blinked at his sight.
Roan gently pushed away Liena, who was in his arms, as Rhetrik approached with an ominous expression. If they weren’t about to fight, it was best not to provoke him. Especially since a provoked Rhetrik would make things harder for Liena.
“Your Majesty?”
“What are you doing—”
“Your Majesty! I did it! I really did!”
Like a squirrel, Liena dashed towards him and grabbed his hand. She shook his hand up and down, her eyes sparkling, begging for praise for what she had achieved, causing the usually cold Rhetrik to let out an incredulous chuckle.
“What did you achieve?”
“I managed to contain my pheromones! I succeeded!”
“Hmm?”
The man squinted at her, lowering his head crookedly, clearly skeptical.
“Really… Ah! Ask Roan. It’s true!”
Liena wanted Rhetrik’s acknowledgment more than anyone’s. He was the one who had dismissed and criticized her the most.
“Then what is this I’m sensing right now?”
“What?”
“Is my nose mistaken?”
“……”
Rhetrik’s mocking tone and expression quickly darkened Liena’s mood. Her gaze turned to Roan, pleading for him to affirm the truth.
Approaching them, Roan gently detached Liena’s hand from Rhetrik’s and smiled calmly.
“She did contain it. Although it was brief, her ability to learn so quickly for her first time is quite remarkable.”
“See? Told you!”
Liena’s shoulders lifted in triumph, and Roan chuckled softly.
“Briefly, huh… So, after that brief containment, her pheromones became even denser? If she does it twice, she might cover the entire empire.”
At his mockery, Liena’s shoulders slumped again. With a sulky expression on her face, Roan once again took her side.
“You’ll be able to contain it soon.”