In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 126

The golden eyes, filled with regret, stared out the window.

“If I’d done the same for Minelia, she wouldn’t have felt so lonely. Because I couldn’t let go of such outdated traditions, I kept her—the brightest of them all—trapped in that little palace…”

The Emperor seemed to still miss Empress Minelia deeply. To think someone had fed this man such vile poison, making him hate Minelia.

Every one of Violentia’s crimes was vile and brutal.

Turning his head again, the Emperor met Bellona’s eyes with a look of resolve.

“Soon, I will abdicate the throne to Caelus.”

“……!”

“I’ve decided it would be best to hold the coronation before your condition makes it difficult to move.”

“Your Majesty.”

“As for your wedding, have it afterward—whenever is convenient. Just make it grand. That way we can bury this disgraceful episode completely.”

Bellona was left speechless by the Emperor’s sudden flood of decisions.

On her way here, she had imagined many possibilities.

But becoming the next Empress was not one of them.

Yet the Emperor was accepting her without hesitation.

A common knight, not even a noble, as the next Empress of the empire.

But that wasn’t the most shocking part.

“And I have a gift for you.”

“……!”

“You’ll know what it is soon enough.”

Wearing a cryptic smile, the Emperor turned his gaze back to the window.

Bellona tried to calm her bewildered mind and, though she knew it was rude, asked what she genuinely wanted to know.

“Why are you so willing to accept someone like me? I’m not even a noble, and I could only tarnish His Grace’s reputation—”

“My son loves you. What more reason do I need?”

Behind the solemn answer came a gentle voice.

“But I didn’t accept you solely because he wanted it. I like your strength. The courage to lay down your life without hesitation to protect your people—that spirit is enough for me to believe you’ll care for this empire and its people as empress.”

The praise was so overwhelming that Bellona’s face flushed red.

“So don’t break. No matter what happens, don’t yield. What I hope from you is one thing only—build a strong empire together with Caelus.”

Her nose tingled.

Had anyone ever believed in her like this?

Not in either of the lives she had lived.

Receiving the Emperor’s unexpected and generous trust made Bellona truly want to protect the empire once more.

Determination burned in her eyes.

“Your Majesty, may I ask one difficult favor?”

The Emperor tilted his head slightly, then nodded.

After a moment, Bellona looked him straight in the eye and said, “I’d like to live in the late Empress Minelia’s palace. Please grant me permission.”

The Emperor’s golden eyes widened.

***

Clutching her racing heart, Bellona rushed out and crashed hard into someone. As her body tilted off balance, Caelus swiftly caught her.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. Are you okay, Your Grace?”

“I’m not the one who nearly fell. What had you in such a hurry… wait, were you crying?”

As his expression cooled, Bellona awkwardly turned her head with a small smile.

“What did my father say to you?”

His tone and demeanor shifted instantly.

Sometimes she wished he would just let things go, but he always insisted on knowing everything about her.

Though she was often grateful for it, there were things she didn’t want to talk about.

She didn’t want to tell him that the Emperor had cried—and that she had cried with him.

But Caelus stared at her persistently, as if he wouldn’t give up until he heard it.

“Should I go in and ask him myself?”

“No. Let’s just go.”

She pouted and started walking ahead. Caelus caught her hand and stopped her again.

“Tell me. What happened.”

His stubborn gaze left her with no choice.

“Well—”

“Your Grace!”

A sudden voice interrupted, and both their heads turned.

Seeing Akon running over with a grave expression, it seemed something had gone wrong again.

“What is it.”

“W-well…”

Uncharacteristically hesitant, Akon looked between the two with a rare expression of confusion.

“What’s going on?”

When Bellona pressed again, he finally blurted out the unbelievable news.

“The King of Kellicus is here.”

“What?”

“He said he wants to meet with you both. I mean—what in the world is this? The king came in person, with only a handful of guards! Seriously!”

Akon was visibly flustered, his tongue clicking repeatedly.

“Where is he now?”

“For now, in front of the palace gates… or rather—wait, is it really the King of Kellicus? What kind of king dresses like that…?”

As Akon rambled in confusion, Caelus frowned. “Has he lost his mind?”

“Yes… it seems I’ve lost mine. Why did I assume he was the real king…?”

Staring at Akon babbling as if under a spell, Caelus suddenly turned to Bellona with a strange look.

“What is it?”

“He might actually be real. Akon, bring him to the Crown Prince’s palace.”

“What?”

“Quickly!”

Grabbing her hand, Caelus hurriedly led her toward the Crown Prince’s quarters.

“Your Grace?”

“Impes knew. About our regression.”

“What?”

“I wondered who told him—but now I think the source has shown up in person.”

Bellona, completely lost, kept pace and asked again, “What do you mean? What exactly did Impes know?”

Caelus glanced at her meaningfully and twisted his lips.

‘What’s his purpose in coming all this way?’

A king who should’ve sent an envoy had come alone, with only a few guards. That meant he was traveling in secret.

What reason could the king of a notoriously isolationist country have for coming this far alone?

“Your Grace?”

Frustrated, she stopped and tugged on his hand. His golden eyes glinted with certainty.

With a sharp smile, he shared his conclusion without hesitation.

“There’s someone else besides us who has regressed.”

“What?”

“The owner of this gem.”

He took a gemstone from his coat and held it out to her.

“Looks like the gem brought its owner along with it.”

Bellona’s expression turned rigid.

***

The two, having arrived first at the Crown Prince’s office, waited with grim expressions for the unexpected visitor.

After hearing the story along the way, Bellona’s face was colder than ever.

She had never imagined she’d face again the king of the country she once invaded—especially not the man she had openly ridiculed to his face.

Could it be true that he had also regressed?

She hoped not, but Caelus’s instincts were usually correct. If he hadn’t remembered the past, he wouldn’t have requested such a meeting.

Which meant this was no ordinary situation.

If he did retain his memories, then surely, he held resentment toward them.

“Don’t worry. If he spouts nonsense again, I’ll cut off his head right then. Might be a good excuse to conquer Kellicus while we’re at it.”

As she looked at the man smiling lightly, a knock sounded at the door.

“Your Grace.”

“Let him in.”

At Caelus’s command, the door opened, and an old man in a black robe entered with a solemn face.

Bellona stared hard at him, her expression stiff. Her gaze wavered slightly as she recognized his face. Caelus also scoffed quietly.

It was definitely the King of Kellicus. But something was off.

Caelus gave an order to Akon, “Clear the palace of all knights. That includes you, Akon.”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

Once Akon left, Caelus, now seated arrogantly, lifted his chin and greeted the King of Kellicus—Luhatan—with feigned friendliness.

“It’s been a while. How long has it been now?”

Luhatan leisurely pulled back his hood, stroked his white beard, and sneered. “I should’ve known from the way you trampled my country back then—you’re still as rude as ever.”

“Should an empire show courtesy to the king of a remote fringe state?”

“One victory, and you’re insufferably arrogant.”

With that brief exchange, it was confirmed. He had regressed.

He hadn’t come to hide it in the first place.

That’s why he was here.

Among the three who had turned back time, a strange tension settled in the air once more.