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“Yes, Tiana? What is it?”
“Well, it’s…”
At Lucious’s reply, I hesitated and glanced around. I couldn’t bring it up so carelessly—not now. This was about the Emperor. If word got out the wrong way, it could cause serious problems.
Seeing my hesitation, Lucious tilted his head in confusion. Then, following my gaze to the servants in the dining hall, he issued an order.
“Everyone, leave us.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At his command, the servants and Warren quickly exited the room. Once the doors were firmly shut and the dining hall emptied, he turned back to me.
“Now, tell me, Tiana. What is it that’s got you so cautious?”
“It’s about His Majesty… Do you know if there’s a young lady he’s particularly fond of?”
“…Pardon? His Majesty… fond of a young lady?”
“Yes.”
Startled by my sudden question, Lucious seemed momentarily flustered.
“Well… Not that I know of. I don’t think there’s anyone he has special feelings for. Why do you ask?”
“The thing is… I saw His Majesty meeting with a young lady today. And something about their interaction seemed unusual…”
“A young lady? Who?”
“Lady Angelica del Verner.”
“…Count Verner’s daughter?”
He paused, frowning as he tried to recall something, then shook his head.
“No, I don’t know her. And I’ve never seen His Majesty meet her before either…”
“Has he ever inquired about her or shown any interest?”
“No. In fact, His Majesty isn’t particularly interested in women. He tends to keep his distance. The idea of him having a lady in mind… that’s highly unlikely. It would be a shock if it were true.”
“I see…”
So Lucious didn’t know either. I already knew Rayel wasn’t the type to show interest in women. That’s how it was in the original story. Even the decision to take an empress was out of political necessity. Had he not met Angelica and maintained his power, he might never have taken an empress at all.
That’s how indifferent he was to women. And now, he was already showing interest in Angelica? Even recognizing her this early—long before the original story began—was strange enough.
Lucious seemed equally stunned, his expression still blank.
“Of course, it’s possible he met her without my knowledge, but… I find that hard to imagine.”
“Oh, it did seem like it was their first meeting.”
“Really?”
“What surprised me was that despite it being their first meeting, His Majesty seemed to know a lot about her. Not just her name—even the cat she used to raise.”
“That’s… definitely odd. Knowing such a personal detail about her… Lady Verner, huh…”
Lucious crossed his arms and furrowed his brows, deep in thought. He closed his eyes for a moment as if sifting through memories, then shook his head.
“I can’t think of anything unusual about her.”
“Do you know anything about her?”
“Only the basics. I’ve met Count Verner a few times, and I know the family is in the ceramics business. But as for the young lady, I only know her name and what she looks like.”
“So you’ve never met her in person?”
“No, I haven’t.”
I’d considered the possibility that he might’ve introduced Angelica to Rayel, but that was clearly not the case. If he’s never met her, then there’s no connection there.
Then how on earth did Rayel know about her—and even develop an interest?
And that word: ‘still.’ As if he already had known her for some time. There must be something he knows that we don’t.
“Tiana. When His Majesty met Lady Verner, did anything else seem unusual?”
“Well, he spoke to her like he knew her. More than that—he approached her naturally. Not just comfortably, but… intimately. As if they’d known each other for a long time. He even touched her hand…”
“He… touched her hand?”
“Yes. It seemed unintentional—he let go quickly and apologized. But he also smiled at her.”
“He smiled…?”
Lucious looked even more dazed. His blank expression made me want to laugh a little.
I could understand how he felt. Rayel, who always treated women like stone statues, suddenly acting as if he had a hidden lover? For someone like Lucious, who admired and followed Rayel, this must’ve been shocking.
A long silence followed. Each of us was lost in our own thoughts. I was considering the strange timing, how it seemed the original story had started earlier than expected—but nothing too problematic. For Lucious, though, it was probably more complicated.
He must be questioning everything he thought he knew about his brother. He didn’t know that Angelica was Rayel’s destined partner. Was he wondering if this unknown lady might suddenly become Empress?
As I quietly watched him, he let out a long sigh.
“Whew…”
“Don’t worry too much, Lucious. After talking to Lady Verner today, I think she’s a good person. She seems like a kind lady.”
“Is that so? That’s good to hear, but… it’s just, I feel like I don’t really know His Majesty after all.”
“Well, even siblings can’t know everything about each other. It’s the same with me and Lennox. I’m sure His Majesty had a reason for keeping this to himself.”
“…You’re right. I suppose so.”
His downcast expression tugged at my heart. Their relationship was always a bit strained—closer, but also more distant than typical brothers. Both cared deeply but rarely shared personal matters. Maybe Rayel hadn’t told Lucious on purpose. He might’ve planned to tell him only after things progressed further.
Worried that I had burdened him too much, I tried to lighten the mood.
“Oh, by the way—today was the first time I saw His Majesty smile. I was so surprised to see him smiling at Lady Verner.”
“Really?”
“Yes! I’ve only ever seen him with a serious face, so I had no idea. But he’s really handsome when he smiles! If he smiled like that more often, I bet noble ladies would be swooning.”
“…You found His Majesty’s smile… that charming?”
“Yes! Of course, you’re very handsome too. But if His Majesty smiled more often, it would definitely work in his favor—Lucious?”
When I turned to meet his gaze, I noticed his eyes had narrowed, his expression sharpening. The shift in mood made me flinch as he suddenly stepped closer, wrapped his arm around my waist, and pulled me against him.
“Do you think… my brother is charming?”
“W-Well, objectively speaking, he is good-looking. So…”
“So you find him attractive.”
“Lucious…?”
His face was different now. The look in his eyes was intense—familiar from nighttime, but sharper than usual. Could he be… jealous? Over Rayel?
Wait, was he seriously getting jealous because I said Rayel was attractive? I only said it to shift the mood a little!
“Lucious, are you… jealous right now?”
“…I didn’t know you thought of my brother that way.”
“I was just making an observation! Sure, His Majesty is attractive, but you’re the one I find more charming and handsome.”
“But you still thought it.”
He pouted slightly—yes, he was definitely jealous. I hadn’t expected it, but somehow, it was kind of cute.
What should I do with this man? I didn’t expect him to get jealous—especially not over Rayel.
Then again, maybe that’s exactly why. Because it was Rayel. Lucious respected and trusted his brother more than anyone. But if I said I saw him as attractive in a manly way… I guess that would stir up some strange emotions.
I leaned into him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and gently kissed his lips. When I pulled away, he scooped me up in one motion and sat me on the table.
“I admire His Majesty as you do. Yes, I said he was attractive—but only objectively…”
“Regardless, don’t think about him. Or any other man.”
“You’re surprisingly possessive, Lucious.”
“Only when it comes to you. If I ever find out you’re thinking about another man… I won’t be able to bear it.”
“You’re hopeless.”
I laughed and kissed him again, more deeply this time. As he held me tighter, I gently pulled away and whispered,
“There’s only one person I love—Lucious. No one else.”
“And I feel the same, Tiana. You’re the only one I love.”
“…Lucious… mmph!”
He kissed me again, more urgently this time. His tongue invaded my mouth as I clung to him, breathless. I felt his hand softly rest on my thigh, and I pushed him back in surprise.
“Lucious, this is the dining room…!”
“I know.”
“We can’t. We should go upstairs…”
“I can’t wait. I don’t want to be apart from you—not even for a moment.”
“Still… no. If we just go to our room—”
“I want you now. It’s just the two of us here. No one will come. Please… can’t we?”
Ugh… how am I supposed to resist when he looks at me like that?
But even so—this was the dining room. I was about to refuse again when he sealed my lips with another kiss.
“What if someone hears us outside…?”
“They won’t. Warren dismissed everyone before leaving. No one will come near for a while. So… leave it to me, Tiana.”
“Lucious…”
His fervent gaze and desperate voice left me no choice. As his tongue slipped between my lips and our bodies pressed tightly together, I closed my eyes, surrendering to his passion.
