Chapter 8
Rashid, despite the awkward situation, managed to regain his composure.
Then, he pondered what to say to Azelina.
“…What on earth was she thinking when she said that?”
When he had met Azelina after she had fainted and regained consciousness, he couldn’t make sense of the words that had come out of her mouth. Though he was frustrated, he had come anyway…
But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth.
He felt exasperated that he couldn’t even say what he wanted to the Empress.
“What were you doing just now?”
“…What was I doing?”
Azelina, on the other hand, was so taken aback by the question that she couldn’t answer.
Did he come all this way in the middle of the night just to ask such a thing?
Normally, she would have been quietly in her room at this hour, but now he was asking what she had been doing. What kind of answer was he expecting?
Rashid seemed to realize belatedly that there was a gap in his question and subtly pointed toward the window with his eyes.
“Oh.”
Only then did Azelina nod, as if she finally understood.
“I was just enjoying the beautiful night sky since it’s been a while. Then, suddenly, a necklace fell from the window.”
“…Really…”
For some reason, every word that came out of Azelina’s mouth irked him.
Of course, Rashid had disliked and kept his distance from Azelina for a long time, but it had never been to this extent, which made it all the more unusual.
Rashid stared at Azelina with sharp eyes, as if trying to pierce through her.
Feeling the intensity of his gaze, Azelina slightly lowered her head, avoiding his eyes.
That too displeased Rashid greatly.
It was obvious she was pretending to be nonchalant just to attract his attention.
And yet, despite knowing this, Rashid had come to Selina Palace just as she wanted. That alone irritated him.
He hadn’t been dragged into this by Azelina’s usual fussing to visit Selina Palace. The fact that he came of his own accord made him feel irritated to the point of wanting to explode.
Meanwhile, Azelina, observing Rashid’s cold gaze, became lost in thought.
It seemed like the kind of look she had seen countless times before, yet now it made her heart uneasy—it was a strange feeling.
Rashid, as a child, had not been cheerful or mischievous, but he also had never worn such a cold expression.
Perhaps it was the fleeting memories of his gentle smile.
Since the day he sent the letter saying meeting was impossible, Azelina had focused even more on winning the Emperor’s heart, hoping to see Rashid’s kind smile again.
The small actions she took to attract his attention, because his warm smile—meant only for her—kept drifting elsewhere, had eventually led to this strained situation, contrary to her original intentions.
Of course, Azelina had not been entirely innocent in her past mischiefs toward Rashid. For example, she had once let fly a parrot that he had treasured.
She hadn’t actually intended to let it go; she just wanted to scare him a little. But she forgot to lock the cage, and the bird flew away.
All of Azelina’s childhood pranks toward Rashid ended like that.
But whatever the circumstances, Azelina now realized that all the things she had done to Rashid had been wrong.
Shaking off her fleeting thoughts, Azelina lifted her head to meet Rashid’s gaze.
Then she spoke.
“Now that I understand the importance of the maids, I’ll treat them well from now on and won’t trouble them anymore. I also won’t cause disturbances in the palace.”
Rashid asked incredulously,
“And why should I believe that?”
“I’m not asking Your Majesty to believe me. So you don’t have to concern yourself with me anymore.”
Azelina’s expression, promising to change, looked resolute.
Rashid paused for a moment at her determination, then let out a light sigh.
He hadn’t come with the intention of extracting such a vow.
Seemingly having nothing more to say from the beginning, Rashid turned and left Selina Palace.
Azelina, watching Rashid leave abruptly, stood there stunned.
“…Did he really come all this way just to say something like that?”
She muttered to herself, then slowly came back to her senses.
She considered going outside to retrieve the necklace that had fallen from the window but decided against it; it was late, and she probably wouldn’t be able to see it well anyway.
After tossing and turning in bed for a while, Azelina finally fell asleep.
The next morning.
Azelina searched diligently through the bushes, oblivious to her hands getting scratched.
‘What should I do…?’
The necklace that had slipped off her neck last night was a special birthday gift from her father, making it particularly meaningful. She also treasured it because, among all her necklaces, it was exceptionally beautiful.
At that moment, someone approached her.
“Your Majesty, are you looking for a beautiful necklace?”
Even though the voice sounded somewhat familiar, Azelina didn’t look up, focusing entirely on finding the necklace.
It wasn’t that she wanted to ignore him; she was just consumed by the vague fear that she might never find the necklace, leaving no room to pay attention to anyone else.
“There’s a large ruby in the center.”
“…?”
Could he possibly have my necklace?
Azelina immediately turned her head toward the man.
“Ah… Ferris!”
The one who had quietly approached her was none other than Ferris.
In the past, he had been the only one to care for Azelina kindly, listening to her, even though the Emperor, most nobles, and palace officials ignored her.
Ferris Versia, commander of the Igretan Empire’s Security Bureau.
He was the only one in the palace who didn’t avoid Azelina and treated her kindly.
Moreover, Ferris had been very close friends with the Emperor since childhood, often secretly sharing stories about the Emperor with Azelina.
Even when Azelina was falsely accused and sentenced to death, Ferris stood by her.
“Your Majesty, right now, you are losing the person who loves you most in this world.”
Of course, Ferris’ solemn words meant nothing to Rashid, but Azelina still vividly remembered how he had said them.
Meeting Azelina’s gaze, Ferris smiled gently and handed her the necklace.
“I heard that Your Majesty hasn’t been feeling well lately. Are you alright now?”
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Ferris answered with a bright smile, and Azelina couldn’t help but smile as well.
As Azelina carefully placed the ruby necklace around her neck, morning sunlight stretched across Selina Palace, hinting that the sun had just risen.
Ferris’ eyes, caught in the light, came into her view.
Whenever she met Ferris before, she had been so preoccupied with what complaints to voice to him that she hadn’t properly observed his appearance.
But now, watching quietly, Azelina found Ferris’ eyes unexpectedly captivating.
His deep black eyes contained a light that shimmered in endless darkness, radiating a mysterious aura.
“Your eyes are really beautiful.”
“Eh?”
Ferris widened his eyes in surprise at Azelina’s offhand comment.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that compliment.”
“Really? That can’t be true.”
“Indeed. Everyone else always said they were dull and unpleasant, so I hated them.”
Ferris let out a bitter laugh, but Azelina still stared at his eyes in disbelief.
“Oh, by the way, Your Majesty. This is a secret, but the reason I came to Selina Palace now is actually…”
Ferris diverted the topic, and Azelina tilted her head curiously.
She had thought he was just passing by, but did he have a special reason for coming?
Ferris, having approached closer, smiled and continued.
“Your Majesty asked me to keep an eye on you.”
Azelina tilted her head again at the unexpected mention of a name.
Did she hear that wrong?
“Your Majesty?”
“Yes. It seems he’s very worried.”
“…The Emperor? Worries about me?”
Ferris, who had been Azelina’s only companion in the quiet palace, knew better than anyone (after Iana) about her relationship with Rashid.
So hearing from Ferris that Rashid cared about her was utterly astonishing.
“So, what should I tell him? Should I say that Your Majesty is doing well?”
Only then did Azelina realize that Ferris had been teasing her, and she looked at him drowsily.
She had known him to be a slightly mischievous person, but this was the first time he had blatantly teased her.
Ferris stood there with a shameless grin, arms folded, and Azelina eventually sighed lightly.
“Just tell him I’m… doing okay.”
“Understood.”
Ferris nodded.
Of course, the Emperor hadn’t actually ordered Ferris to watch over her. He had been secretly pleased that the Empress would no longer appear in front of her.
However, Ferris, seeing the Emperor unconcerned about Azelina, fabricated this story to make her feel less neglected.
Even if Azelina was half-doubtful, it was better than saying nothing.
“Oh, Ferris. Since you’ve come all this way, why don’t you come inside the palace for some tea?”
“Oh, that’s fine.”
Ferris shook his head in refusal.
Azelina felt reluctant to part ways and asked again.
“Are you very busy?”
“No, not really, but I thought it might trouble Your Majesty.”
Hearing that he wasn’t busy, Azelina insisted and led him into Selina Palace.
Reluctantly, Ferris allowed himself to be guided by Azelina’s hand into the palace, pretending that he didn’t want to inconvenience the Empress.
