Chapter 6
The place Leto took me to was a private lounge reserved exclusively for the imperial family. The moment the door closed behind us, he let out a deep sigh.
“I misjudged you.”
“…….”
“I thought you were clever. To think you couldn’t even understand a simple instruction to stay quiet and keep still.”
There was no cold mockery or sarcasm in his voice. He was genuinely angry.
“I didn’t say a word. I didn’t even move from my seat.”
“Don’t play word games with me. Leave the banquet hall right now and return to the detached palace.”
If I went back to the detached palace, he would have someone kill me. Quietly, without leaving a trace. Made to look like a natural death. Leto was more than capable of that.
I couldn’t just hand my life over like this. I hurriedly spoke.
“Please—just listen to me.”
Leto turned away, his face expressionless, as if he had no interest whatsoever in my explanation.
I ran forward and grabbed his arm.
“Baron Param’s condition is a type of skin disease. Tea tree contains components that help suppress it. I couldn’t speak, so that was the only way I could tell him.”
“Utter nonsense.”
Leto easily shook my hand off. I reached for him again—
—and in that instant, he grabbed my wrist and twisted it.
“You insult the imperial family in all kinds of ways. Who gave you permission to lay a hand on my body?”
His eyes blazed with fury. The intensity of his gaze alone made my limbs tingle.
“You claim you can calm rashes? Are you clumsily playing at being a goddess, or did the High Priest give you orders?”
Orders from the High Priest—that was truly absurd.
I was terrified. So much so that I couldn’t hide my trembling. Still, I was too wronged not to speak.
“Then do you truly believe Baron Param’s illness is a curse from the Goddess, Your Majesty?”
“…What did you say?”
“If it’s not a divine curse but merely a skin condition, shouldn’t that be good news? Instead of suspecting me first.”
For a moment, Leto seemed speechless.
Then there was a knock—and the door flew open.
It was Euton. He froze when he sensed the tension in the room. Leto asked in a low voice,
“What is it?”
“Your Majesty. You should return to the banquet hall immediately. Baron Param’s rash has subsided.”
“……!”
Leto’s grip loosened for a split second. I twisted my hand free. My wrist had turned red and throbbed painfully.
“…….”
“…….”
We stared at each other in silence. My breathing still shook faintly, while confusion filled Leto’s eyes.
“Let’s go,” I said. “To the banquet hall.”
And with that, I stepped forward.
The banquet hall buzzed with astonishment and awe. Param was surrounded by people.
“Your Majesty!”
Param hurried toward me. The rash on his right hand had clearly improved. Compared to his left, the difference was unmistakable.
“The rash, the spots—even the itching is fading little by little. Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”
He spoke while holding back tears.
I glanced at the High Priest. He was gripping the edge of a table, staring in our direction. He looked thoroughly shaken.
Our eyes met. I could almost see calculations racing through his mind. Soon, he approached me, his face filled with reverence.
He proclaimed loudly so all could hear,
“It is—a miracle of the Goddess.”
As if on cue, the priests dropped to their knees. The nobles followed suit.
“The resurrected Empress has bestowed the Goddess’s grace!”
“It’s divine grace! A miracle!”
“Long live the Goddess! Long live Her Majesty the Empress!”
Even the young noblewomen who had been whispering about me earlier now prostrated themselves flat on the floor, trembling as they stared only at the ground.
From Livia’s perspective, it was satisfying.
But I couldn’t let the High Priest gain more power because of this.
I needed to tell them. This wasn’t a miracle—just the anti-inflammatory properties of tea tree suppressing inflammation.
“This is—”
Just as I opened my mouth, Leto took my hand. He leaned close and whispered softly into my ear.
“Shh.”
“……!”
I looked up at him.
“Not now,” he said calmly.
Why? Telling the truth would benefit him too.
“Livia.”
“Livia!”
Sean and Louis approached us. Louis spoke in disbelief.
“I just arrived after handling matters in my territory. Judging by the situation… did another miracle happen?”
Instead of answering, I simply smiled.
Sean draped an arm lightly around my shoulders and sighed.
“What on earth happened to my little sister?”
“I’m fine, Brother.”
“That aside… everyone’s staring at you.”
Louis was right. People were still gazing at me with reverence.
‘…This is overwhelming. And at this rate, the Founding Festival won’t even proceed.’
I turned to Leto.
“I think it would be best if I returned now.”
“…Yes. That would be wise, Empress.”
“I’ll escort you, Livia,” Louis said, extending his arm.
But Leto stepped in front of him.
“I’ll take her.”
“You’ll escort her? Livia?” Sean asked, startled. Leto rarely involved himself in matters like this.
Leto looked at Sean.
“Is there a problem with that, Sean Matrion?”
“N-No, not at all.”
“Then there’s no issue. Let’s go, Empress.”
He offered his arm. I had no choice but to take it.
We walked toward the detached palace in silence. The flowers in the garden glowed pale beneath the moonlight.
I watched his broad, impressive back as he walked ahead.
But… I couldn’t read his thoughts at all.
Why had he stopped me from revealing the truth? When he wanted to keep the High Priest in check so badly.
We entered the palace courtyard. Just as we were passing the fountain, Leto suddenly stopped and turned around.
I tensed.
What now?
His expression had softened noticeably. After a brief hesitation, he spoke.
“Param is someone I value greatly.”
“…….”
“That’s why I lost my temper earlier.”
He lifted my hand slightly. A bruise was already forming around my wrist.
“I’m sorry about this.”
“Ah.”
“And for getting angry before hearing you out.”
Unexpected. He actually apologized. And even wore a genuinely apologetic expression—something that didn’t suit him at all.
“It’s fine.”
It was just a bruise. It would fade with time. I’d never complained over something so trivial.
“…It’s fine?” Leto asked, looking more flustered than I was.
I tilted my head, sincerely puzzled.
“Is it not supposed to be?”
“That’s not what I meant, but…”
“You apologized, didn’t you? And it was a misunderstanding.”
“You really are…”
He swallowed whatever he was about to say.
“…Unusual.”
So that’s what I get for accepting his apology? Whatever. That wasn’t the important part.
“There’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Something you’re curious about?”
“Why did you stop me from telling people the truth?”
“It would’ve felt satisfying, sure. You could’ve crushed the High Priest’s pride. But then what?”
“After that?”
“Who do you think the High Priest would’ve targeted next?”
‘…I see.’
If I had revealed the truth, I would’ve earned his hostility. I would’ve become his new target.
Leto had protected me.
Just as he had tried to protect Param—from me.
A sigh of relief escaped me. At least, it seemed I’d shed the suspicion of being the High Priest’s pawn.
“So you no longer doubt me.”
“I saw it with my own eyes. You cured Param. And I saw the High Priest’s idiotic expression.”
“…….”
“I only believe what I see.”
Simple, but clear. That was Leto’s creed. He didn’t truly believe in the Goddess—he merely pretended to, for the sake of imperial peace.
Still… hearing the word believe from his mouth was a relief.
‘But I can’t relax yet. Leto could take my life at any moment. I need to give him a solid reason to keep me alive.’
I grabbed his arm.
“Your Majesty. I’m a very useful person.”
He glanced down at his arm.
—Who gave you permission to touch my body?
That thought flashed through my mind. I was just about to let go—
—but suddenly, he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. I stumbled a step toward him.
Leto smiled, clearly intrigued.
“Oh? And what kind of use do you have this time?”
I swallowed hard. I hadn’t expected him to ask so directly.
Being the Empress alone wouldn’t be enough. Then… this was my only option.
“If you give me some time, I’ll try to make medicine that can cure Baron Param.”
I couldn’t be certain. There was no guarantee the ingredients for psoriasis medication even existed in this world.
But I had to try. As long as there was a chance.
He was still holding onto me. His eyes—deep and mysterious, like the sea—stared at me for a long time.
‘I can’t tell what he’s thinking. Maybe he thinks I’m spouting nonsense.’
I forced myself to speak.
“If I can find the ingredients… somehow.”
“If you can do that,” Leto said quietly,
“I could give you the Empress’s position completely.”
My eyes widened.
‘What did I just hear?’
Give me the Empress’s position completely? That meant becoming the real Empress.
‘Absolutely not.’
The Empress was one of the busiest people in the Empire, burdened with crushing responsibilities.
‘You expect someone who died from overwork to take on that role?’
Leto was incomprehensible. I understood that I seemed useful—but handing over such a position so casually?
I shook my head firmly.
“That would be difficult.”
“Why?”
“I have my own conditions.”
“Fine. Tell me.”
He smiled leisurely, as if confident he could grant anything I asked.
I took a deep breath.
“One year from now—please divorce me.”
His smile vanished instantly.
“Haah……”
I collapsed onto the bed.
I had no idea how the day had even passed. The Founding Festival seemed to have ended safely. And I’d managed to keep my life—for now.
Offering to create medicine for psoriasis was a calculated move. It would help Param and also break the narrative of a ‘divine curse.’
‘The real problem will be the ingredients…’
Still, I’d bought myself time.
Before parting, Leto had said to me:
—There’s no need to make the medicine immediately. Param will come to assist you soon. You can start then.
—But…
—Get some rest. You look like you haven’t slept properly in ten days.
So he really had been monitoring my every move. Since coming to this world, I’d barely slept through the night.
“Still… how does one even rest?”
I tossed and turned on the bed. How would I know? I’d never truly rested before.
But maybe it was the softness of the bed—or the relief of surviving.
For the first time in a long while, I fell into a deep, sweet sleep.
