CHAPTER 10
“Finally arrived?”
The imperial office of the empire.
As the man stepped on the red carpet and entered the office, he removed his mask.
“Your Majesty, you’re a bit late today?”
“I was preparing breakfast.”
“You were preparing… breakfast? …Breakfast?”
Soho, the emperor’s chief aide, widened his eyes.
Did he mishear?
His Majesty the Emperor said he was preparing breakfast?
The man, now seated, tapped the table slowly, his sharp eyes seemingly deep in thought.
Soho already knew the emperor had set up a household with the Lady of House Lockhart.
He had been the head of the Zeta team within the imperial aides, which was in charge of managing the emperor’s private affairs and always remained closest to him.
In fact, Soho’s intelligence network had played a major role in this marriage arrangement.
‘But… something seems off.’
The aides around him all tensed up.
“If she hates cucumbers, what else might she dislike?”
“…Pardon?”
“Cucumbers. The lady doesn’t like them.”
Dale sighed and scribbled on some documents. Despite his sharp, intimidating eyes, what he was seriously looking at was… a cooking recipe.
“They say if someone hates cucumbers, they likely dislike most gourd-type vegetables too.”
You’re looking at that?
…They couldn’t even ask, as the emperor looked way too serious.
“As far as I know, people who hate cucumbers often dislike watermelon and melon too.”
“I see.”
“Lady Lockhart might have a picky palate…”
One of the younger aides tried to chime in, but was immediately met with a piercing glare.
“Ahh~ So elegant and refined~!”
The emperor nodded lightly and finally began his official work.
Seeing this, the aides lined up in the office let out sighs of relief.
‘That was close…’
There were a few unspoken rules among the aides:
- Never speak ill of Lady Lockhart.
- Even if she dumps and runs away from His Majesty, do not blame her.
This was well-known lore among the emperor’s aides. The first rule that must be etched into memory.
Lady Lockhart was both a fearsome name and a subject of deep gratitude.
She was like magic—able to lift the emperor’s perpetually low mood.
In other words, the three years she was gone were hell.
She had vanished so thoroughly that the emperor wondered if she was being protected by an information guild. In the end…
He bought the information guild.
A guild that could find anything for the right price surrendered its entire operation when offered a huge sum.
But upon learning that Lady Lockhart had never commissioned them, His Majesty changed tactics.
Next came the mercenary guild.
Based in the North, they also responded to money.
After stripping the corrupt old noble faction of all their wealth upon his ascension, the emperor had more than enough funds to pursue this route.
The northern mercenary guild had long been exploited by the old nobility, so its leader refused to sell but instead built an alliance with the emperor.
Even after investigating through them, they found nothing.
Then, an unexpected stroke of luck arrived.
“Soho.”
“Ah, yes!”
Soho stepped forward at the emperor’s call.
“Procure more magic scrolls.”
“Your Majesty… Forgive me, but how long do you intend to continue this rural lifestyle with Lady Lockhart?”
“How long?”
Dale raised an eyebrow and looked at him with the edge of a sharpened blade.
Dale was not a kind man.
He stared coldly at his subordinate.
But Soho had served him for many years as his chief aide, and had developed a tolerance to such glares.
“You’re aware of your physical condition, are you not?”
“…”
“The magic scrolls were a compromise—not the best option. You know that, Your Majesty.”
At those words, Dale pressed his forehead.
His face, like finely cut glass, sharpened even more.
“You must tell Lady Lockhart the truth and ask for her help. Only she can cure Your Majesty’s illness.”
“That’s not a good answer.”
Dale rejected the idea.
“Magic scrolls place a great strain on your body. In your current state, you should avoid using them.”
“Even if I want to live like this?”
Dale put down his pen and spoke in a cold tone.
“You’ll have to tell Lady Lockhart eventually.”
“…”
When her name came up, the edge in his tone softened.
Other aides added their thoughts.
“Wouldn’t it be better to announce everything and hold an official, grand wedding?”
“I’ll design the most beautiful dress for the lady.”
“Should we kidnap a few top designers while we’re at it?”
Then Dale turned his head.
A clear sign that he would listen no more.
Twinge.
Suddenly, his body burned with a sharp, hot pain. He clenched his fist and endured it.
“Everyone out.”
He gave a short command—and didn’t say it twice.
The aides quickly filed out of the office.
The pain subsided quickly. Dale leaned back and ran a hand over his face.
“…”
A ring sparkled on the fourth finger of his hand.
A cheap ring, hastily bought for the marriage registration.
“This wasn’t how I meant for us to meet again.”
Dale slowly kissed the ring.
“Dale, are you feeling sick?”
Clatter.
Startled, he dropped a plate.
“Dale! Are you okay?”
“…Why do you ask if I’m sick?”
“Well, there’s a cold going around these days. Even old Mrs. Maji next door caught it. She says it’s a nasty one, so I wanted to warn you.”
“…”
“You’ve been outside for long periods lately.”
“It hasn’t affected my ability to carry out tasks.”
“So you’re not sick? That’s good. But is your hand okay? Let me see.”
I grabbed Dale’s hand, which had a small cut, and frowned.
A beautiful finger like his…
It mustn’t scar. I applied ointment and wrapped it generously in bandages.
“You’re hurt, so today’s outing is off. Let’s go next time.”
“Outing?”
His voice instantly brightened.
He looked at me with wide, curious eyes.
“Were we going on an outing?”
“Yes, I had a few things I needed to buy.”
Suddenly, Dale sprang up and left the room.
He slammed the door shut.
Maybe his finger hurt more than he let on?
Just as I tilted my head in wonder, the door burst open again.
“Let’s go.”
Dale was now perfectly dressed and looked right at me.
His golden eyes sparkled like stars.
“Aren’t you coming?”
The place we arrived at wasn’t far from Grunwald—just a nearby shopping district.
“There’s so much food here!”
“This place is connected to a port, so goods from all over come through.”
“Have you been here before?”
“I visit occasionally.”
At that moment, a carriage rushed past us.
“Gasp!”
“…”
Dale moved protectively and blocked me, his face slightly angry.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you, Dale.”
I almost ended my life—not because of the emperor, but because of a speeding horse.
But… something smells nice?
I looked around. The scent was coming from Dale’s chest.
“Dale, did you put on cologne?”
“I don’t like cologne.”
He glanced at me, then awkwardly sniffed his own clothes.
“Do I smell bad?”
“No, it smells really nice.”
Dale sniffed again but looked puzzled.
“You think it smells good?”
“Yes. It’s a really nice scent. Can’t you smell it?”
“Then I’ll say it’s from me.”
Dale gave a faint smile and led me forward.
I took a step back and looked at him, thinking:
He really doesn’t know how attractive he is.
Beautiful men are dangerous.
They enchant people without even realizing it.
But Dale is even more dangerous.
He’s handsome, kind, and warm.
He must have broken a lot of hearts without even knowing.
Maybe, if we hadn’t met like this…
…I might have fallen for him.
