There was no other word that could describe Queen Revania other than crazy.

What kind of obsession was this?

How could she even bet her life just so he might turn his head and look at her?

Her determination to make him notice her was truly out of this world. Even she knew her effort did not guarantee that he would pay any attention to her. If something went wrong, she would die because she had forced herself to do something far beyond what she could withstand.

Even if she succeeded, if he still did not notice her, then everything she had done would be nothing but a waste. At least, that was the truth when judged by her original intent.

Her goal was to gain his attention. If he remained unmoved, then all she would gain was greater power while failing the very reason she chose to walk this path.

Aldrian truly wanted to understand the thought process of this woman who was so different from others.

Why did she have to go that far? Why did it have to be him? With her strength and beauty, he had no doubt that countless men would line up just to marry her, even in the higher heavens.

His curiosity pushed him to focus on her heart and mind. He also looked at the karmic thread that connected her to him. The moment he saw it, he was quite surprised. Most of it was pink.

There were traces of red as well, though still thin and scattered.

Through the pink color, he could clearly sense her obsession with him. As for the red, he could feel that she truly held a certain level of affection toward him. It was not deep yet, but it was real.

He could see that the red was slowly growing, which meant that Queen Revania’s feelings could eventually evolve into love if things continued this way.

Within her mind and heart, there was only one thing she desired above all else.

Him.

After knowing all of this, it would be a lie if his heart did not move. There was no way he could remain unaffected by this kind of determination from a woman who went this far just so he might take an interest in her.

"Your Majesty, why are you not saying anything? Is my reason that weird?"

Queen Revania’s voice broke his thoughts. He looked into her eyes. Her expression still carried that usual smile, but beneath it, she clearly felt embarrassed.

Of course she would. Revealing her source of determination was no different from confessing her feelings to him.

Aldrian let out another sigh.

"No. I truly feel touched that I have become the reason you want to grow stronger. Knowing your efforts, I genuinely admire you, Queen Revania. And now, I can understand more about what kind of person you are. It also helps me see your true thoughts."

Queen Revania’s cheeks flushed. She felt shy, knowing that he might have already seen through her true intention. With Aldrian’s intelligence, it was not hard to believe he had already figured everything out from her confession alone.

"But I want to hear it directly from you, Queen Revania. Is it worth it? I mean, everything you have done just because of me."

His gaze remained calm, yet serious.

"You have great potential. You have a bright future ahead of you. Yet you fixed your eyes on me and even pushed yourself to the point of risking your life. You should already know my response to your interest all this time. So why insist on me? Is it worth it?"

She held his gaze without backing down as she answered.

"It’s worth it. Because it’s you."

Her voice did not waver. She truly meant every word.

Aldrian could see the seriousness in her eyes. Once again, a ripple appeared in his heart, just like when he realized she had done all of that simply to make him notice her.

But then, another thought surfaced.

What kind of relationship did she truly want from him?

Was it only to become his woman? That much was obvious.

But was that all there was?

"Are you that desperate to become my woman? Is becoming my woman really that important to you? If it is, then are you fine even if you do not receive the same love I give to my other wives? Would it still be worth it if... let’s say... you end up living like a concubine in a cold palace?" He asked again.

She did not answer immediately. Her expression turned thoughtful. The question pulled her back to the very beginning of it all.

Why him?

Why was she so fixated on him?

Of course, it was because she was interested in him. Because she believed she had finally found a man worthy of her. He was perfect. At least, that was how she saw him. She doubted she would ever find another man who could even come close.

Moreover, she still had no descendant.

The ministers of her kingdom had already grown restless. The throne needed an heir, yet she had continued to delay the matter because she had not found any man who truly interested her.

If she were to have a child, she wanted it to be with someone she deemed worthy. Someone who could stir genuine interest within her.

But she knew she could not delay forever.

Sooner or later, she had to do something about the successor. If the time came for her to ascend and leave the kingdom behind while she still had no descendant, then the throne would have no choice but to pass to one of her siblings.

And she knew that would bring problems.

Her kingdom could split into factions if that happened, as her sibling’s position would not be strong enough to secure the throne.

The best solution was still for her to give birth to her own successor.

She had once thought that she might have to marry a nobleman within the kingdom, just as some of the female monarchs before her had done, simply to produce an heir.

But then that moment came.

The moment she saw a sight both beautiful and terrifying.

It was when Aldrian fought Tarius.

She saw the golden avatar clashing against an opponent so overwhelming that it brought nothing but despair. Yet that avatar, far smaller than its opponent, continued to fight without retreat.

She was mesmerized by that battle.

And in the end, that smaller avatar won... and saved their world.

At first, she was only interested in the person who possessed such power. She was curious how someone could reach that level, and she thought she had to build a connection with him.

But when she found out who that person truly was, she was completely shocked.

How could she not be?

The person she had assumed to be a man far older than her turned out to be someone who had not even reached twenty.

As time passed and she learned more about him, her womanly instinct began to stir. Her interest was no longer just curiosity.

She began to desire him as a woman.

Despite his young age, what she saw was undeniable worth. His power, his status, his appearance, all of it surpassed every standard she had ever set for a man.

He was too perfect.

So perfect that she even began to question whether he was truly human.

And because of that...

She felt unworthy.

Just like countless other women, she found herself deeply admiring him. The desire to become his woman naturally took root within her. For the first time, she had found a man who truly captured her interest.

There was no one else like him. And she believed she could not afford to miss this chance.

But she also knew she was not the only one who felt this way. There were countless women who likely thought the same.

If she truly wanted to become his woman, then she had to be different. She had to show something others could not.

She had to prove her worth.

She did not care if she would not be his only woman. He already had a harem after all. That was not what mattered.

What mattered was that she achieved her goal.

Not only for herself...

But for her kingdom as well.

However, as expected, it was not easy to make him interested in her. With him already having a harem and a personality that was not overly womanizing, he showed little interest in adding more women.

But she was a patient person. If she could not approach him directly, then she would start with the people closest to him. She would earn their trust and make them comfortable with her presence. Once they accepted her, approaching him would become much easier.

As time passed, she realized that was still not enough to gain his attention.

So she decided to take it further. To do something more extreme.

To awaken the Heavenly Ice Empress Constitution.

She believed that if she could awaken her special physique, then she would become more worthy of standing by his side. At the very least, he might finally turn his head and look at her.

In the end, the reason she pursued Aldrian was simple.

Like countless other women, she was interested in him. She wanted to become his woman.

The only difference...

She was willing to go to the very extreme to achieve that goal.

A true do-or-die resolve.

As long as she could become one of his women, even without status, she did not mind. As long as she could stand among his harem and bear his child, that alone would have been enough.

He did not have to love her. And she herself did not have any deep feelings beyond wanting to become his woman.

As long as she could become one of his women...

That should have been enough.

But was that still the case now?

Was that truly all she wanted after everything she had done? After pushing herself this far, even risking her life just to reach him?

A strange feeling had already begun to rise within her heart without her realizing it.

It was warm and comforting.

She felt at ease simply being close to him.

Only then did she realize just how deeply she had invested herself in pursuing him. So deep that even she had begun to drown in it. And because of that...

She wanted more.

She wanted more in return.

’You’ve really changed, Revania.’

She smiled at the thought.

Then she looked at him again, wearing that same calm smile.

"No."