Chapter 109
Riana’s wavering gaze met Ianheart’s.
The face she saw wasn’t one flushed with the excitement of confessing love, but the face of a prisoner confessing his sins.
Resignation, self-loathing, and weariness masked his features, yet beneath them, the wounds he had tried to suppress were revealed.
It was a face tangled with countless conflicting emotions.
“You heard it, so you know. Both of their so-called loves were disgusting. The degree may differ, but both of them were insane.”
“Your Majesty…”
“You know what’s even scarier? Before they fell into that damn thing called love, both of them were perfectly normal.”
Riana felt she knew what words would follow.
“…No one can guarantee I won’t end up the same. That if I love you, I won’t oppress you, won’t wound you…”
“Stop.”
Riana finally couldn’t take it and cut off Ianheart’s words.
The dizziness she had felt from his blunt, honest confession was swept away, replaced by a chill of anger at his self-destructive words.
The late Emperor and the deposed Empress had indeed been insane.
In their relationship, it didn’t matter who had been the victim or the perpetrator.
To Ianheart, both of them were equally revolting tormentors.
If they were alive before her eyes right now, Riana would have wanted to punch them.
Because of them, an innocent man considered himself a sinner.
Because of their twisted deeds, this man couldn’t even trust himself.
“Your Majesty, you are not like them.”
“…Riana.”
“You’re different.”
Riana spoke firmly.
After saying that, she bit her lip hard.
Partly because she pitied Ianheart, but mostly because, if she didn’t, curses would spill from her mouth.
Damn the late Emperor. Damn the deposed Empress.
And damn foolish Ianheart Lu Belnerum. Idiot.
“Riana, I…”
Ianheart’s low voice trailed off unfinished.
He was watching her carefully.
Watching to see if she would recoil after hearing his story. Watching if she would fear him.
Even after seeing her cry out of sorrow for his past, he still worried she might avoid him.
When he had done nothing wrong, when there was nothing in him to fear, when there was no reason Riana would see him differently because of something like that.
Really… wasn’t he the true fool here?
Anger welled up in Riana’s violet eyes.
She pitied Ianheart for tearing himself down, hated him for it, and resented the past that had made him think that way.
In the end, she just felt sad.
Finally, Riana burst out, almost accusingly:
“Your Majesty, are you stupid? Why can’t you think any other way?”
“…What?”
“The very fact that you’re worrying like this proves you’re nothing like those insane peop—those people.”
Even after being scolded so bluntly, Ianheart still looked at her with gentle, tender eyes.
Looking at her like that—
When he had been such a coward, avoiding her out of fear of hurting her before even confessing his feelings.
And he thought that was dangerous? That his cursed blood meant he would inevitably turn into them?
Her tears threatened to fall again.
Because she knew the foolish reason he had avoided her was nothing more than fragments of the wounds his past had carved into him.
“…Riana.”
“…”
When Ianheart softly called her name, Riana bit her lip once more—and threw her arms around him.
His large body stiffened in surprise at her embrace.
This foolish man.
The rumors that he was a cold, bloodless tyrant were all lies.
In truth, he was just a tender, stubborn man, swallowing his festering wounds in silence.
“Riana…”
“Don’t move.”
When Ianheart shifted slightly as if to pull away, Riana held him even tighter.
As if to say Don’t reject this, she clung closer, and soon a cautious hand touched her back.
His large hand stroked her slowly, gently patting her back.
“…Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Ianheart.”
“…Yes.”
At the sound of his name spoken softly, Ianheart answered in a small voice.
“…Do you really like me?”
With her face buried in his shoulder, Riana murmured the words in a cautious voice.
Without hesitation, Ianheart nodded.
“I like you.”
Not just a simple yes—but a full sentence, I like you.
His answer wasn’t merely a response; it was a confession.
The past he had revealed, the fears he had shown her without hiding them—those were more desperate and sincere than any pretty words could ever be.
Riana was silent for a while, and Ianheart didn’t press her.
The only sounds between them were their breathing and the natural rhythms of the world around them.
‘…He said he likes me.’
When she recalled those words, her heart began to pound, faster and harder.
So much that she wondered if her blood was racing too fast for her body to handle.
Why… why was it beating like this?
Time passed—neither too long nor too short.
When their quickened breaths finally settled back into rhythm—
“…Your Majesty.”
“Yes.”
“Why do you like me?”
Ah.
The words had slipped out before Riana realized it. She froze, embarrassed.
She had never dated before, never received such a serious confession.
But she knew enough to realize this wasn’t exactly the right thing to say as her first reply.
Flustered, Riana straightened up quickly, stammering with a red face.
“Wh-what I mean is… since when, or… um, why me, I mean…”
What was the difference between that and what she had already said?
Riana despaired at her poor words, darting her eyes nervously, her face burning red.
Her expression was in clear view to Ianheart, who sat right in front of her.
Instead of laughing, Ianheart spoke, easing her embarrassment.
“Because you’re an amazing person.”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
For some reason, Riana bit her lip and glanced away again, blushing even harder.
Truthfully, she had heard the word amazing countless times before.
Even the knights of Leteum could never seem to stop themselves from saying it whenever they saw her.
But when those words came from Ianheart’s lips, they carried a completely different weight.
She had asked the question—yet when the answer came, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
Watching her, Ianheart swallowed back the urge to say cute.
“As for when I started liking you… I don’t know exactly. At some point, I just found myself waiting for the times we’d meet. I wanted to see your smile, and I wished I could be the reason behind it.”
“…”
“Your face under the sunset… I never knew it could be so beautiful.”
At his gentle, candid words, Riana was left speechless.
She hadn’t expected such a deep, honest answer.
And in those words, she could feel the sincerity of his heart.
“I…”
Riana trailed off.
What should she say?
The truth was, she didn’t even fully understand her own feelings.
Or rather, she couldn’t clearly define what she felt toward Ianheart.
“Please… give me time to think.”
After a moment of thought, Riana finally said it.
Time—so she could reflect more deeply on what he meant to her.
“…Time.”
“I’m not saying no. I just need time to carefully think about my feelings for Your Majesty. Please don’t misunderstand.”
Riana’s voice was steady as she looked straight into his eyes.
Ianheart was a man who, mistrusting himself, had bared his emotions only with great difficulty.
She couldn’t give him a half-hearted answer in return.
She didn’t want to accept his confession just because she felt comfortable with him, or because she didn’t want things to become awkward.
He had confessed with sincerity. She needed to answer with sincerity.
“…You’re not afraid of me? Not scared?”
At his question, Riana immediately frowned and glared at him.
“Don’t say that. I’m not scared at all. You don’t look scary—you look like a fool. Honestly, you seem less dangerous than a passing rabbit.”
The words tumbled out quickly.
But they were her truth.
Scary? Not at all.
Ianheart was only fierce in rumor.
“Then my confession… it wasn’t unpleasant to you, was it?”
Again, Riana shook her head firmly.
“Not at all. Absolutely not. If it had been unpleasant, I wouldn’t have asked for time—I would have refused right away.”
When he had said he liked her, her first emotions had been surprise and nervous excitement.
Yes, he had followed it up with self-loathing words that made her angry, but that initial racing heartbeat was still vivid.
At that, Ianheart smiled, his eyes curving with relief.
Thump—
Riana’s heart leapt again at the sight.
“Then give me a chance.”
“…A chance?”
“The chance to make you fall for me.”
