The murmuring reached Laura’s ears.

Laura was dumbfounded.

The emperor’s proposal was nothing short of forcibly taking it away.

Ten chests of gold, what’s that?

A phoenix was a bird that could not be valued in terms of money.

Think about it.

The Elixir, which could even save the dead, required three ingredients, and without one of them, it could not be made.

But ten chests of gold?

Laura snorted.

No matter how much the emperor begged, she couldn’t give it up.

Laura was prepared to endure whatever punishment the emperor would give her.

She stepped forward again to refuse once more.

Someone approached her from behind, as if to protect her.

When she looked up, she met Killian’s eyes.

“Honey….”

Killian looked down at her and then turned his gaze forward.

His face was cold and determined, like a needle wouldn’t go through it.

‘Is he protecting me?’

Laura’s heart swelled at that moment.

He didn’t say anything, but just standing by her side was a great comfort to her.

With Killian behind her like a guardian, Laura looked at the emperor with determined eyes.

At that tense moment when the air was charged with hostility, a sudden laughter echoed through the banquet hall.

“Hahaha, now that I think about it, the Archduchess’s bargaining skills are extraordinary!”

The emperor was genuinely delighted.

The people who had been ridiculing Laura still had stunned faces as they watched the emperor who couldn’t stop laughing.

“Archduchess, if I was rude, I should apologize. I can’t tell you what to do with your property.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Laura smiled at the emperor’s honest confession.

“That phoenix belongs to the Archduchess.”

“Thank you for saying that. It may be a consolation, but I’ve already promised Lord Warren that I’ll give him a phoenix’s feather if he needs it.”

“Oh, is that true?”

The emperor turned to the Duke of Tormaite with a surprised look.

“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s what I heard too.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that, and I’ve been trying to get you to sell it to me.”

“I can’t give much, but I decided to give a small amount.”

Laura showed with her thumb and forefinger that it was a very small amount.

“That’s something to be thankful for!”

The emperor laughed happily.

Thanks to the emperor’s generous treatment, the once-stiff atmosphere became lively again.

“It’s about time to start now.”

The emperor looked up at the dark night sky and spoke.

The nobles also looked up at the sky with expectant eyes.

Unlike them, Laura was looking elsewhere.

The servants who were preparing the fireworks in the palace buildings were running around in a hurry. Even from a distance, their frantic movements could be seen.

“What’s going on?”

Killian turned around when he heard her muttering.

“Look over there. Something doesn’t seem right.”

Killian turned his gaze in the direction she was pointing.

Some of the servants who were looking at the fireworks launcher were frantically gesturing and yelling something.

Whoosh!

Then a small flame shot out of one of the fireworks launchers, and smoke rose.

Pshoo!

Another launcher made a louder noise.

A servant standing nearby was startled by the sparks from the fireworks launcher and stepped back quickly.

Killian watched him with a frown on his face.

“Madam is here.”

As he took a step towards the place, the flames went out just in time. Smoke rose, but there was no more sound.

The servants staggered towards the misfired fireworks launcher.

“It looks like it stopped. Thank goodness…”

Just as Laura spoke to Killian,

Boom!

With a loud noise, a firework shot up into the sky.

Puff puff bang!

Flames shot out in all directions, shaking the building.

“Wow, it’s started!”

“I’m so excited!”

People were so happy at the thought of seeing the fireworks that they couldn’t take their eyes off the sky.

Then…

“It’s dangerous!”

“Everyone, run!”

Servants on top of the roof shouted down to those below.

“Ahh! It’s fire!”

People standing directly below screamed as sparks rained down on them.

Pew-oo-ung!

A firework shot up into the sky and exploded with a bang, creating a brilliant display of sparks. At the same time, a huge flame shot up from a tower where a launcher was installed.

“Fire!”

“Bring water quickly!”

“Protect His Majesty!”

The guards ran towards the emperor with shocked faces.

Then, a large firework shot up into the air and spun around in the sky. Sparks attached to its tail flew in all directions.

As a result, several fireworks flew in all directions.

Some of them fell to the ground with smoke and sparks.

They headed straight for where the emperor was standing.

“Ahh!”

A noblewoman who was standing still, unable to run away, covered her face and watched it.

The emperor and other nobles froze in the sudden situation.

It was already too late to avoid the danger.

“It’s dangerous!”

Laura ran forward.

At that moment, a wide chest blocked her view and hugged her tightly.

Dazed by the sudden situation, Laura blinked.

Eventually, she lifted her head and saw the person who was holding her.

It was Killian.

He wrapped his arms around her back and pressed her tightly against his chest with his big hands.

“Wife, stay still.”

He muttered in a low voice.

Even though she tried to listen to his heartbeat for a moment, Laura couldn’t stay still.

Despite the grip of his hand like a rock, she forcibly lifted her head.

He was looking up at the sky with a cold face like ice.

His sharply defined lips were pressed into a tight line and his eyes shone coldly.

He was determined to protect her with his body as a shield.

As she stumbled, he tightened his arms around her to hold her up.

Laura looked up at the sky, taking her eyes off his face.

“Let me go.”

“…What?”

He tilted his head as if he had heard it wrong.

“I’m okay, so let me go.”

“Wife, what are you saying… Wife!”

When Laura’s arm loosened, she slipped out of his arms and ran straight towards the palace building before he could reach out to hold her again.

“Isabella!”

Killian shouted his wife’s name.

He pushed aside the people rushing into the tent and charged fiercely.

Laura stopped at an appropriate distance and fumbled for the amethyst pendant she had hidden in her dress.

She stared at the falling firecracker with a flame attached to it and recited a spell.

Wooong.

The pendant heated up, and the power of mana was amplified.

The veil draped behind her fluttered mercilessly as if it had been affected by the wind.

It was when she stretched out her other hand without holding the pendant.

Shoooosh!

The falling firecracker suddenly changed direction.

The firecracker with sparks attached to its tail soared back into the air.

Boom, boom!

Fireworks spewed out of the firecracker.

Not only that, but fireworks were also fired simultaneously from the launchers installed on the tower and the cloud bridge. They soared up together and exploded brilliantly.

“Look over there!”

A trembling person crouched down and pointed his finger towards the sky.

“Oh my god!”

“What on earth… is that?”

“That, that…”

Those who looked up at the sky couldn’t speak with their faces full of astonishment.

An unbelievable sight was unfolding before their eyes.

“Phoenix.”

Emperor Christopher murmured quietly, looking at the creature moving gracefully in the air. His face was filled with joy.

The firecracker that threatened people embroidered a fantastic flame in the sky with Laura’s magic.

The flame began to take on the shape of a giant figure.

Those who realized its meaning shouted in awe one by one.

“Firebird!”

“Firebird… Is that the phoenix?”

“It’s a phoenix, a real phoenix!”

It was a phoenix that spread its huge wings made of fire and flew in the sky.

Every corner of the area shone like daylight.

“Oh my god!”

Those who witnessed the miraculous event drew crosses or murmured prayers without knowing what to do.

After a while, the phoenix, which had been engraving its existence in people’s minds, gradually lost its light.

“Ah, it’s disappearing.”

Sighs were heard here and there.

‘Ah, it’s tough.’

Laura felt dizzy.

This was the result of using up all the mana she had collected at once.

‘If I were my past self, this wouldn’t be such a big deal.’

However, with a body that didn’t know how to fully utilize mana, this was her limit.

Laura could no longer bear it and swayed her body.

“Wife.”

Killian caught her falling body with an angry voice.

“That was dangerous.”

His face, which was scolding her in a low voice, was very distorted.

It seemed as if he was forcibly suppressing his anxious worries.

Laura, who was held tightly in his firm arms, kept her eyes shut and stayed quiet. She looked like she was about to explode if she said something.

But she had to say this.

“It’s okay. I’m not hurt.”

“Wife…”

Perhaps his patience had reached its limit, his jaw clenched tightly.

“So please don’t be angry.”

Laura put her arms around his waist and buried her face in his firm chest.

“I just want to stay like this for now.”

After using up a lot of mana in a short period of time, she didn’t have the energy to even raise a finger.

But as she held him, pure mana rushed into her body like a surge of water into cracked ground.

“This…”

He glared at her with an awkward expression. He had a lot to say but couldn’t push Laura away as she dug into his chest.

She closed her eyes and was intoxicated with the mana and scent he gave her.

“Archduchess!”

The emperor had approached with an excited face.

“What was that just now? How did you do that?”

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but my wife is not feeling well right now.”

“Oh no! Is she hurt? Are you okay, Archduchess?”

The emperor looked at Laura with a worried expression.

“No, Your Majesty. I was just feeling dizzy and needed some support for a moment.”

Laura stepped out of Killian’s embrace.

He stared at her with an uncomfortable look, but she had regained her strength to the point where she could stand on her own.

“The Archduke must have been quite surprised.”

The Emperor glanced at Killian. He was so sensitive, like an animal tending its young, it was hard not to notice.

“I have something to ask the Archduchess…”

“Please ask, Your Majesty.”

“Hmph, if the Archduchess does not mind.”

The Emperor glanced at Killian again.

Killian kept his lips tightly closed and looked coldly at the back of Laura’s head.

“That thing you did just now, did the Archduchess do it?”

“Are you talking about the fireworks?”

“That wasn’t fireworks! It was a phoenix, a phoenix!”

The excited emperor shouted.

“You must have seen it wrong, Your Majesty. It was not a phoenix, but fireworks.”

“I saw it with my own two eyes! You saw it too, didn’t you?”

The emperor turned to his side and sought agreement.

It was Warren.

He had hurriedly come and was panting.

His neatly tied red hair was slightly disheveled, and his usually gloomy pupils were shaking with strange emotions.

“The Archduchess is right, Your Majesty.”

Warren spoke up.