Elisia took Franz's hand.
As soon as she touched it, a bitter cold swept over her, as if she had been swallowed into ice.
“Huff...”
She bit her lower lip hard at the familiar feeling of mana.
Every time she had to neutralize Franz's mana, she had to endure this horrific cold.
In the midst of that cold, she must struggle to extract the fire hidden deep within her body.
Neutralization was an exhausting task—like trying to start a fire with wet branches in the middle of a snowy field.
"Franz.
Look at me."
Elisia called him in a trembling voice, her exhalations rising like white clouds.
Even though they were inside the warm banquet hall, she felt as if she was standing in the middle of a snowstorm.
But even after she called his name, Franz's face remained frozen, as if he were a prisoner inside a prison of ice.
“Franz!”
She called him again, in a sharper tone.
Only then, his body trembled slightly, and finally, the focus returned to his eyes.
'Good.'
Elisia sighed in relief as Franz regained consciousness.
Neutralizing mana was not something accomplished by will alone.
The minds of the neutral and the neutral had to communicate.
Elisia turned fully to Franz and took both of his trembling hands.
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at his hands.
'Having to do this again...'
She was doing this because she had received an order from the Empress, but anxiety was eating away at her from the inside.
Even when the mana was stable, neutralization was painful.
In this case, when he is on the verge of explosion, the pain will be exponential.
But she couldn't use fear of pain as an excuse to retreat—not in front of the imperial family.
She had to prove her worth to them.
Only then, she will not be excluded like in her previous life.
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes.
She focused all her senses as if there was no one else in the world.
With time, the warmth of the mana flowing through her body began to move.
Elysia gathered her strength and directed the mana towards her connection point with Franz.
Through the interlocked hands, warm flame mana began to flow into him.
Little by little, his frozen mana began to melt, and the air that had been frigid in the hall gradually returned to normal.
'It hurts.'
When the neutralization actually began, a sharp, needle-like pain shot through her heart.
But Elisia kept her expression steady.
She was used to the pain of neutralization.
She was generally accustomed to enduring pain.
Golden threads of light began to form around their intertwined hands.
A mysterious glow, mixed with her red color, surrounded them both.
Even the servants standing nearby held their breath as they watched the scene.
The Empress, with a dry look, watched Elysia neutralize the mana—judging whether or not it was suitable for her second son.
“Huff...”
“It's done.”
When Elysia's eyes began to shake, the Empress calmly gave her order.
Only then did Elisia release Franz's hands.
“That's enough.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Elisia answered with heavy breaths, rubbing her calloused hands.
She felt as if every cell in her body had frozen, and her mind was clouded.
"I'm sorry."
Franz said in a regretful tone after regaining his composure.
But Elisia didn't look at him, focusing on rubbing her hands.
While rubbing her fingers, she suddenly froze.
Her face turned pale.
“Elysia, are you okay?”
Franz extended his hand towards her, but Elisia quickly got up.
The sound of the chair scraping against the marble floor echoed in the hall.
Even the impassive Glenna showed an expression of astonishment.
“What's the matter, the prince's second wife?”
“Your Majesty...what...will happen to me now?”
Elisia ignored Glenna's question and made an urgent inquiry to the Empress.
Her body was still shivering as if the cold had not left her.
The Empress gently raised her hand to her chin and examined Elysia.
Her face was pale, she held her right wrist with her other hand.
Her worried look made the Empress furrow her eyebrows slightly.
“It seems that you need to stay in the Second Prince’s Palace for a while.”
“Excuse me?
But...”
Elisia was about to object, but her jaw trembled, so she remained silent.
As she tightened her grip on her wrist, the Empress spoke with a puzzled expression: “To be affected like this by a single neutralization… This is something you will do all your life.
Isn’t that a lot?
For now, stay by the Second Prince’s side and stabilize the mana together.”
“I…I'm fine, Your Majesty.
I can handle it.
You've seen for yourf.”
“Because of what I just saw, I have made this decision.
I am worried about you, the Prince’s second wife.”
“But...I...”
“Your Majesty, if the Second Prince’s wife says she is fine, isn’t that enough?
Neuterization only happens once a month.
There is no need for her to stay in the Second Prince’s Palace.”
Glenna muttered angrily, dissatisfied with the direction of the conversation.
But the Empress ignored her and continued: "It is for her own good.
She is now a member of the royal family, under my care.
It would be cruel to leave her in a separate palace and only call her in times of need—especially when neutralization is this painful.
If the Second Prince's palace is small, I can expand it."
“No.”
Elysia hurriedly shook her head.
Even if the palace expanded, it wouldn't change the fact that she would stay with Franz.
Anyway, she was planning to leave the palace after two years.
No need to cause more trouble.
“I will follow Your Majesty’s orders.”
“A wise choice.
Let’s end the banquet here.”
The Empress smiled sweetly and got up.
So Glenna and Crichton rose with her.
Glenna gave her a sharp look before leaving.
But Elysia was in no position to care.
All her focus was on her right wrist.
After all the servants had withdrawn, Elisia gently revealed her wrist.
She looked at him with dark eyes.
A sharp wound, as if from a blade, formed on her delicate wrist.
Her eyes trembled as she stared at the red wound.
'Why is this happening so quickly?'
Usually, these symptoms do not appear before at least six neutering sessions.
So why now?
Something is going wrong.
“I'm sorry, Elysia.
You're still sick, and yet I forced you...”
“Don't touch me.”
When he approached her, she violently instinctively removed his hand.
I grabbed her wrist and got up.
The chair fell with a loud thud.
Franz froze, staring at the upturned chair, then looked back at Elisia.
“This is all… my fault.”
His words faltered as he tried to explain himf.
“When you said you wanted to leave, I lost control of my emotions.
I… I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”
“So, how do you feel now?”
"What …?"
Elysia laughed coldly at his shocked face.
“It must be convenient for you.
In the end, you got everything you wanted—I'm staying in the Second Prince's Palace, neutralizing Manak.
You got exactly what you wanted.”
“I didn't do it on purpose.”
Franz extended his hand again, but Elisia turned away desperately.
"Do you think saying 'I didn't do it on purpose' will fix things?
Will it make it less painful?"
Her voice cracked as she screamed.
"Maybe you didn't even think about how painful it was to be neutralized.
Or how I felt being tested in front of the Empress and the First Prince and his wife.
No—maybe you did, but you didn't care.
Because neutralizing your mana is my job.
That's why you married me—to use me when you needed me.
Right?"
“…Liz.”
“Don't call me that.”
Elisia gritted her teeth as she held her wrist as if she was going to break it, and looked at Franz angrily.
“Liz?
When have you been so nice to me in the first place?
You only caused all this chaos because you were afraid that I wouldn’t neutralize your mana.”
“That's not true.
It's not.”
“So, what's the reason?”
Her lips twisted, and her vision blurred.
“If not that, what other reason do you need me for?”
Tears gathered in Elisia's eyes.
Franz's face began to distort.
When hot tears ran down her cheeks, he approached her.
He gently reached out and cupped her face, wiping away her reddened tears.
Then he whispered softly: “You're someone I need—just the way you are.”
So, please...don't be sad.
Franz spoke softly...then planted a kiss on her lips.
And Elisia, exhausted, opened her lips without resistance...