Chapter 23
“I shall make Princess Fireone’s husband the next emperor!”
It was a declaration that had been expected—
Just not this soon. The emperor wasn’t supposed to say those words for at least a few more months.
Everything was progressing absurdly fast.
Everyone in the reception room turned to look at Princess Fireone.
Only she was gazing back at the emperor.
Whether or not he noticed everyone else’s confusion, the emperor gave her a wide grin.
It was the kind of smile that said, “Didn’t I do great?”
What kind of ridiculous development is this now?
Haon facepalmed hard.
While everyone else remained stuck in confusion, Princess Fireone was the first to regain her composure.
“Your Majesty, may I have a moment?”
She raised a hand, palm out.
Before anyone could speak further—before things could spiral out of control—Princess Fireone called a time-out.
“Could we have a word, just the two of us?”
Though she said it with a smile, it was a request that couldn’t be refused.
The emperor followed her out into the hallway, pleased as if he’d been waiting for this.
She carefully closed the door behind them.
Her shoulders froze for a moment in front of the shut door, weighed down by a heavy burden. A deep sigh slipped from her back.
“Your Majesty,”
Her voice trembled.
“Why did you do that?”
Princess Fireone turned and looked him square in the eye.
The emperor didn’t avoid her gaze.
“Were you about to tell the empress about… that?”
“Of course not. I have no intention of ever speaking about… that… to anyone,” she replied, clearly holding back in case anyone overheard through the door.
“Oh, that’s not what you meant?”
Only then did the emperor relax, wiping his forehead.
“I thought you were going to bring that up. I misunderstood,” he chuckled heartily.
“Then… will you be retracting what you just said?”
The emperor stroked his chin, pretending to think. It was clearly just an act.
“Now that I think about it, asking you to stay silent without offering anything in return—no matter who I am—would be shameless, wouldn’t it?”
He continued smoothly.
“Peace for my household, and for you, the power to influence the empire. Sounds like a fair trade, don’t you think?”
“A… trade? Are you saying it’s okay to use the future of the empire as a bargaining chip just to avoid a scandal?”
He gave a beaming smile, as if it wasn’t the least bit serious.
“All of my sons are fine candidates for the throne. It’s honestly hard to pick just one. But if you’d help me choose… that’d be nice. I said it on impulse, but thinking it over—it’s not such a bad idea, is it?”
Inside the emperor’s head was nothing but flowers and sunshine.
It hadn’t been an official proclamation, but the news spread like wildfire—
First through the palace, then the capital, and soon, the entire empire.
It was that big of a deal.
“Princess Fireone’s husband will be the next emperor.”
No one knew who the next emperor would be, but the next empress was now all but decided.
Nobles who wanted to curry favor with the future empress began making their moves.
The detached palace turned hectic like never before.
From dawn till dusk, a steady stream of visitors came to call.
Every maid in the palace was put to work hosting and cleaning.
“It’s chaos,” Haon muttered.
Even he couldn’t stick close to the princess like he usually did.
He was now cleaning a spare room with the maid Mel.
Every unused room had been repurposed into drawing rooms for noble guests, complete with tables, tea, and service.
“Well, with a rumor like that, what do you expect?”
Mel looked over at Haon with bright eyes as she shook out a curtain.
“But is it really true? Did His Majesty really declare our princess as the next empress?”
“I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears,” Haon said with a nod.
“My goodness!”
Mel covered her mouth.
“I can’t believe I’m serving the future empress! Does this mean I’ll get to follow her into the empress’s palace?”
The excitement was contagious. The maids were just as thrilled as the nobles.
“You’re lucky too, you know. You’ve already caught Her Highness’s eye.”
Mel gave Haon a sideways glance, her tone somewhere between envy and teasing.
Haon just smiled awkwardly.
“She just finds me amusing, that’s all.”
He gripped the duster tightly. He wasn’t in the mood for casual gossip.
Why do I feel so uneasy?
It was going to happen anyway. He knew this.
Sure, things were moving strangely fast, but this was the expected outcome.
Still, the unease in his chest wouldn’t go away.
“Haon.”
The door burst open, and Anten walked in.
And in that moment, Haon’s unease turned to certainty.
With a sharp look, Anten summoned Haon into the hallway.
He quickly followed, and once Anten made sure they were alone, she spoke.
“Her Highness has disappeared.”
“I knew it!”
“What?”
Anten glared at him.
“Do you know where she is?”
“N-No, I mean… I just had a bad feeling. That something was going to happen.”
Haon waved his hands frantically, but Anten still looked suspicious.
“Do you have any idea how many nobles are here to see her right now?
If it gets out that she’s missing, it could seriously harm her.”
“Then why tell me?”
Anten pursed her lips. After hesitating, she finally admitted,
“I couldn’t think of anyone else in the detached palace who truly has Her Highness’s best interests at heart.”
She sighed. Her eyes darted anxiously, clearly nervous.
“You… trust me?” Haon asked.
Was it weird to feel touched at a moment like this?
But Anten was Princess Fireone’s most trusted aide—
For her to share this with Haon meant a lot.
“I thought you didn’t like me.”
“I still don’t.”
So much for sentiment.
“But I can’t deny your loyalty to Her Highness. And right now, the more people on her side, the better.”
It wasn’t unconditional trust, but a form of earned respect.
Haon scratched his nose to hide his flustered smile.
“You can count on me.”
He clenched his fists with determination.
Anten still looked skeptical. Her calm and serious nature made her hard to please, but even she knew now wasn’t the time to be picky.
“Don’t let anyone see you. Be quiet and quick. Find her.”
“Understood.”
“If you find her, bring her back to her room. I’ll stay and guard it, just in case.”
“That makes sense. We might miss each other otherwise.”
Haon nodded.
Anten placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I believe in you.”
Short, but weighty encouragement.
Haon’s eyes gleamed like a hero given an epic quest.
Anten returned to the princess’s room. Left alone in the corridor, Haon hesitated.
“So… where should I even start?”
He glanced down both ends of the hall.
Despite the confident words he’d given Anten, he had no clue where to begin.
He couldn’t call out for her—too many eyes around.
And it wasn’t like someone who disappeared on purpose would answer anyway.
Where would Princess Fireone go to hide?
He began recalling the places she liked. Her usual routes. Where she often spent time alone.
“Wait… before that. Did this part happen in the story?”
He vaguely remembered a short mention:
After the emperor’s declaration, nobles visited the princess en masse. But it was barely a paragraph. Nothing about her disappearing.
His expression darkened.
Do I really have to search every inch of the palace?
He swallowed hard.
The long corridor seemed endless.
“She’s still in the palace… right?”
He laughed nervously. Hopefully this wouldn’t end with him scouring the entire imperial palace.
First, he checked the library—Princess Fireone’s favorite place.
“Are you here?”
No answer.
He combed through every aisle. Nothing.
“The garden…”
He peeked out the window.
“Too many people around for her to be out there.”
Think. Where would she go to be alone?
Suddenly, something came to mind.
“When she dug that cave…”
Without checking anywhere else, Haon rushed for the stairs.
He climbed to the rooftop.
The rooftop was open and sparsely built.
Structures dotted the edges.
Haon searched quietly. Each time he checked behind something, his heart pounded.
Halfway across, near the tall central tower, he stopped.
There she was.
Princess Fireone, still dressed in her elaborate gown, sat on the cold rooftop floor, leaning against the tower wall and staring vacantly at the sky.
“Princess Fireone.”
His voice was soft, but it startled her.
“Haon?”
She turned briefly, then looked back up at the sky.
Haon approached and sat beside her.
“Did you get a message from Chekoran?”
She flinched. Her brows furrowed as she looked at him.
“How did you know?”
Haon simply shrugged.
But she didn’t let it slide.
“Did Anten tell you?”
“No.”
Her gaze pressed him for more. Eventually, Haon gave in.
“I just tried thinking from your perspective. You’re not the kind of person who’d disappear without a reason.”
“Liar.”
She was right.
Haon had lied. He’d remembered the scene from the novel.
Again, he only shrugged.
Princess Fireone said curtly,
“It’s not my job to entertain those nobles.”
“Aren’t they here to win your favor?”
“I never asked them to. This is all their ambition. Who’s really trying to please who?”
Her voice was bitter.
Haon joked lightly,
“Cut them some slack. They’re just trying to impress their future empress.”
“Even that—”
She bit her lip.
“I never asked for it. I never said I wanted to be empress. Is it okay to use me like this, just to crown some random man?”
“Princess…”
Haon looked at her, his brows drawn in sorrow.
“I’m disappointed.”
