Chapter 21
“…I’m going crazy.”
A curse slipped out of Liana’s mouth as she walked back toward the palace. The king’s earlier words kept circling in her head.
“By the way, Liana, have you chosen a marriage partner? You know it’s a diplomatic issue—you can’t delay it too long.”
It was obvious the king was trying to pressure her by bringing up marriage when she wouldn’t give the answers he wanted.
But what annoyed her most was that she couldn’t completely ignore that pressure.
If it were just about me, I could figure something out…
Still not having found a solution, Liana decided to focus later—after she delivered the information Dana asked her for yesterday.
Besides, she had something more urgent to deal with right now—lunch with the crazy Emperor.
“I really don’t want to go…”
Why lunch, of all things? Isn’t eating supposed to be relaxing?
Liana sighed heavily, chewing over the complaints she couldn’t voice out loud because of her opponent’s status.
“May I ask what you’re dreading so much?”
Someone asked her gently, before she even sensed their approach.
The lazy, smooth voice was pleasant to the ear—but it still sent shivers down her spine.
Unfortunately, the voice and tone were familiar.
“…”
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Liana cursed internally at the horrible timing as she looked up.
“Good afternoon, Princess.”
Opposite to her sour mood, the Emperor greeted her with a bright smile that curled at the corners of his eyes.
Only then did Liana remember that the Emperor’s annex was on the way to her own residence.
“…Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”
The weather was disgustingly perfect.
Liana stared blankly at the dishes being set before her.
It seemed the king had demanded that his guest in the annex be treated with the utmost care—because both the amount and quality of the food were on another level.
I’ll probably get sick if I eat all this…
But Liana’s appetite had completely vanished. Even the colorful dishes didn’t make her want to eat.
After all, meals were only enjoyable when shared with someone you got along with.
And the devilishly handsome man in front of her? He was the last person Liana could say she got along with.
Not to mention, I still don’t get why he suddenly wanted to have lunch together.
As she sighed inwardly at the awkward, suffocating silence and picked up her fork—
Kyahng!
From the low table nearby, Camang let out a loud cry.
Liana’s body turned instinctively at the sound. It was pure habit.
“What is it?”
Kiwoong…
Camang slapped the table with his paws and made a grumpy face—it clearly meant he was displeased about something.
“What don’t you like, huh?”
Liana, forgetting the person sitting across from her, turned her entire body to soothe Camang.
She even forgot that this guy was a full-grown adult beast over fifteen years old.
Kyiii… bboo…
Then Camang glanced around cautiously, and in an instant, leapt into Liana’s arms.
Kyahng—kyung.
After squirming a bit, he settled down comfortably in her lap, like a baby being fed by its mother.
“…Ha.”
Just as Liana was wondering how to react to Camang’s clinginess, a soft chuckle came from across the table, and she quickly cleared her throat.
She didn’t do anything wrong, but cuddling with a beast in front of its master was… a bit awkward.
Besides, this “beast” was considered sacred in the Empire.
Though the Emperor allowed her to call him “Camang” and all, still—
“Camang, your food is over there.”
Kyung—!
Liana tried to pick Camang up and move him gently, but he protested fiercely, crying like his life depended on it.
“Leon.”
…
At the Emperor’s call, Camang flinched slightly but stubbornly avoided his master’s gaze.
In the end, Liana sighed and hugged him more firmly.
“If Your Majesty is alright with it, I’ll just eat like this.”
“…If you’re fine with it, I won’t stop you.”
Whether it was lucky or not, the Emperor stared at Camang for a moment and then nodded without saying anything. His gaze at Camang wasn’t exactly warm, though.
And the meal that followed? Quiet… not quite.
Why is he like this today?
Camang, who had been relatively well-behaved until now, decided to act up all at once today.
He batted food off his plate with his paws, knocked over Liana’s utensils—it was a mess.
“Leon. Don’t trouble the princess.”
The Emperor scolded with a clearly annoyed tone, but Camang boldly ignored him.
“…Camang, be good and eat properly.”
…
He ignored Liana too.
Plop.
Jumping down from Liana’s lap, Camang strutted around the room with his tail high in the air.
“…Ha.”
Unbelievable.
Eventually, the Emperor let out a sigh full of frustration and stood up.
Camang flinched.
So now the Emperor was scary, huh?
“Come here. Now.”
Kiwoooong…
Camang whimpered and avoided the Emperor’s gaze.
But the Emperor didn’t hesitate. He walked over and grabbed Camang by the scruff of the neck.
Kyaak! Kyang!
Camang was dragged back to the table, hanging like a rag doll.
“I apologize. I guess being full-grown doesn’t always mean acting mature—I misunderstood.”
To be fair, Camang had acted pretty immature just now. And the Emperor cleaning up after him, with that annoyed look—
…Kind of familiar.
Liana didn’t realize it yet, but part of her guard against the Emperor had quietly crumbled.
Shaking off her silly thoughts, she shrugged her shoulders.
“Well… I was a little flustered, but it’s fine. I’ll accept your apology.”
“Thank you.”
“Hm, his fur got dirty. I should give him a bath later.”
As she said that casually, the Emperor’s eyes drifted downward.
Camang’s black fur, hanging limply in his large hand, was smeared with food sauce.
Somehow, the Emperor’s expression looked slightly more twisted than before.
Guess he hates dirty things…
Or maybe he just hated Camang making a mess.
Liana resisted the urge to laugh and picked up a thick napkin, rising from her seat.
“Hold him like that for a second.”
“…Alright.”
Shff—shff—
The soft cloth rubbed gently over Camang’s sticky fur.
“Other paw too.”
Kyuuu…
Caught between the Emperor holding his scruff and Liana wiping him down, Camang stayed completely still as she cleaned his paws, hind legs, and face.
Hehe, they look good together up close. See? People only get close if they talk and spend time together. That dumb Lou really doesn’t get it. A real man makes bold moves!
Unaware of what the fuzzy black creature in their hands was thinking, neither Liana nor Ianheart noticed that the awkward tension between them had eased—just a little.
The chaotic meal finally ended.
As soon as they finished eating, maids came in and swiftly cleared the table and set out dessert.
“If you need anything, please call.”
The maids exited quickly and closed the door behind them with a soft click.
“…”
“…”
Silence again. And it was very awkward.
Rustle—
Even Camang, now lying belly-up in Liana’s lap with a full stomach, didn’t seem interested in breaking the tension this time.
Should I say something…?
While Liana was thinking, the Emperor spoke first.
“Princess, there’s something I need to say to you.”
An ominous opening. What now?
“…Go ahead.”
Liana replied hesitantly, nervous about what he’d say next.
“I went too far that day. I want to apologize for what happened.”
The words that followed were completely unexpected. Not even one of the twenty things Liana had guessed included this.
An apology?
Liana opened her mouth without thinking, unable to respond right away. It was so surprising that her mind blanked.
“And I believe… that what happened that day may have been a misunderstanding on your part.”
“A misunderstanding? What do you mean…?”
Was there anything she experienced that could be considered a misunderstanding?
