Chapter 83
The emperor set the stage in advance, trying to intimidate me, and once again I tensed up.
I wondered why he was drawing it out so much, and as I dozed off slightly, the emperor turned his head casually to the side, rolling his eyes toward me.
“Miss Christener, what do you think of Duke Luhanes?”
…Huh?
For a moment, I blinked dumbly, thinking I must have misheard.
“I hope you’ll keep this between us, but it seems the Saintess has feelings for Duke Luhanes.”
Without waiting for my response, the emperor spoke in a subtle voice, as if revealing a great secret. I barely managed to open my mouth and answer.
“Ah… yes.”
“I think the two of them would make a good match.”
This time, the emperor seemed to pause, as if waiting for my reaction.
So I quickly wiped the stunned look off my face, smiled politely, and gave him the answer he wanted.
“Yes, I think so too.”
“Oh? So you agree as well? Then we should be able to communicate more easily.”
The emperor smiled, his face noticeably brightening, and even leaned slightly toward me from his relaxed posture in the chair.
“I’ve heard rumors that you and Duke Luhanes are engaged, so I was worried. I just couldn’t bring myself to ask the duke directly about such matters.”
So it’s okay to ask me?
I forced a smile, making sure no hint of displeasure showed.
It was almost laughable—he was too afraid to even speak to Rixion Luhanes, yet he was tossing me rude questions. Seeing the emperor act this way made me think that even an emperor is human, and at the same time, I felt a little jealous of Rixion Luhanes for being so formidable.
He must have seen me dancing with Rixion at the Founding Day banquet, after all. Anyone who saw that would assume we had a special relationship. Yet here he was, pretending ignorance, trying to lead me into giving the answer he wanted—it was infuriating.
But what could I do? Rixion Luhanes was the genius mage of the empire’s fortress, and I was just a powerless noblewoman.
I chose my words to satisfy the emperor, thinking, If the emperor commands, then of course I must comply.
“I have no relationship whatsoever with the duke. I don’t foresee such a thing happening in the future either.”
“I see. That’s truly a relief.”
The emperor smiled openly, clearly pleased. His blatant reaction was endlessly annoying, but I maintained my calm smile, pretending to agree.
“And I have one more request.”
It’s not over yet?
I felt my facial muscles twitch, as if they were about to cramp, and gritted my teeth in silence.
“Would you come to the imperial palace whenever the Saintess wishes to see you?”
Ah, so he meant I’d have to accompany the Saintess as well. Since it seemed Ji Eun-ha liked me, I was supposed to serve her and keep her pleased.
Well, that wasn’t much of a blow. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I had already promised to get along with Ji Eun-ha, so I could manage.
And I had a plan.
I placed my right hand over my heart to show that I would unconditionally obey the emperor’s command and replied politely.
“I will gladly follow Your Majesty’s orders.”
“Thank you truly. I will never forget the sincerity you have shown.”
Hah, everything is going according to plan.
I lowered my head, wearing a smile just like the infamous villainess of a manga. Getting along with Ji Eun-ha was something I had already agreed to, so I might as well make it seem as if it were on the emperor’s orders, earning his trust in the process.
A little inconvenience for me would bring benefits to both myself and my family. There was no harm in pleasing the emperor.
Thinking that this would also give me leverage with my older brother Michael later, I felt slightly better.
“Then you may go. Before leaving the palace, why not have tea with the Saintess?”
“Yes, I will definitely do so.”
The emperor looked at me with an expression of utmost satisfaction. I kept my smile in place until I left the audience chamber, then immediately relaxed my facial muscles.
With my face slack like a rotten fish, I followed the head servant down the corridor and exited the imperial palace.
“I will guide you to the Saintess.”
The servant, apparently already briefed, led me straight to Ji Eun-ha without me saying a word.
I was so exhausted that I wanted nothing more than to go home. But having spoken to the emperor, I had no choice but to obediently follow.
The palace where Ji Eun-ha stayed seemed like it was primarily for distinguished guests, and its enormous size was as impressive as the emperor’s palace.
“Miss Christener!”
We arrived at her room, and as the servant knocked, the door flung open.
Ji Eun-ha dashed out, as if she had been waiting for me. Her face was still soaked with tears, and she clung to my arm.
I was startled, supporting her, and asked,
“Oh! You scared me. Eun-ha, are you alright?”
“Miss Christener, I… I…”
“Wait, let’s go inside first and talk.”
I held her back as she tried to speak and led her into the room. The quick-witted servant closed the door behind us.
Conscious of any sounds outside, I walked further in with her.
“Calm down and tell me what happened. I’ll listen.”
“Miss Christener, I… I’ve been hated so much.”
Even crying, she looked so beautiful it made me almost forget to respond.
Her voice trembled with sorrow as she stammered out,
“What should I do now?”
“Hated by whom?”
“The duke.”
At the mention of Rixion Luhanes, I froze.
Oblivious to my reaction, Ji Eun-ha continued murmuring,
“I did something wrong. He must hate seeing someone like me. That’s why I was removed from my duties as his guard.”
“Eun-ha, I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
Only then did she glance at me, looking completely dejected, her lips trembling as if unsure how to continue. I patiently waited for her to speak.
“The duke… seems to like Miss Christener.”
The words she finally spoke were more shocking than I had expected, and I froze completely.
I immediately recalled Emperor Alexis’ satisfied gaze and smile. I also remembered the emperor’s greedy eyes, trying to use Rixion Luhanes to keep Saintess Ji Eun-ha in the empire.
I’ve worked so hard to flatter the emperor and spill my words…!
I couldn’t let it all go to waste.
At this point, it wasn’t just about the story anymore; it was about my life and the safety of my family. If Ji Eun-ha said that to the emperor, I had no idea what harm might come to me or my family.
No, I can’t cause any more trouble for my brother!
I jumped up and immediately denied her words.
“Absolutely not! Why would the duke like me? Why would you think that all of a sudden?”
I stumbled slightly over my words, but fortunately, Ji Eun-ha didn’t seem to find it odd.
“The duke is always indifferent to me, no matter what I say or do… I thought he was like calm, still water.”
Her tears had stopped, and she spoke calmly, as if confessing.
“But it wasn’t the same with Miss Christener. He worried when you were hurt, and he got angry… so sometimes I had to leave you behind.”
Hearing her articulate exactly what I had been worried about made me gulp in surprise.
“Since he never paid attention to me, I tried to get his attention yesterday. That’s why I mentioned meeting Miss Christener. He got angry at me. He asked why I went to meet you, not him.”
Ji Eun-ha lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes shading her black eyes, which now stared straight at me.
“‘Liz’ is Miss Christener’s nickname, right?”
I couldn’t look away and had to meet her gaze.
“They are close enough to call each other by nicknames.”
The more I heard, the more shocked I became.
I had thought they were just becoming friendly, maybe playful, but it turned out to be a much more serious situation. Even if Ji Eun-ha was naïve, Rixion Luhanes was a completely different level.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, I urgently opened my mouth.
“No! That’s not true!”
