Chapter 42 – Visit to the Imperial Palace (3):
A sharp silence settled over the audience chamber at my single sentence.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
Since I was going to refuse anyway, it was better to make it crystal clear that I was completely out of my mind while doing so.
The emperor blinked slowly, seemingly dazed.
It looked like someone encountering this type of situation for the first time in their life and struggling to process it.
Given that he had lived a heavy, dramatic life like something out of a historical epic, he was probably flustered by something this absurdly light.
But the emperor soon snapped back to reality and shook his head.
“Do you even know what I was going to say?”
His confused response was surprisingly simple.
Apparently, his brain still wasn’t working properly.
Seeing him so flustered, I decided to completely let go of my own sanity. If I was going to lose it, I might as well go all the way.
“Whatever it is, I’m going to refuse. Don’t even make the offer.”
My tone was nearly commanding, but the stunned emperor’s brain didn’t seem to register that.
The emperor struggled to pull himself together. He was clearly trying hard to process what I’d just said.
Not that he’d reach a conclusion anyway.
A regular person—well, the emperor wasn’t exactly regular, but still—can’t deal with a crazy person using normal logic.
The only way to deal with me is to go just as crazy.
But how would the emperor ever figure that out?
His face twisted into a strange expression of frustration.
It wasn’t the kind of expression one makes when angry or offended.
It looked like he couldn’t control his facial muscles because he couldn’t sort his thoughts.
That contorted face looked weirdly unattractive. And seeing it, I thought vaguely of Ian’s face.
Still, he shouldn’t make faces like that. Father and son really are alike in how carelessly they use their expressions.
“Even… even if it’s an imperial command?”
The bewildered emperor just blurted something out.
It reminded me of Ian, who had once tried to command me by invoking the authority of the imperial family.
“If it’s the emperor’s order, I’ll gladly obey. But if I do, His Highness the Crown Prince will suffer quite a bit!”
“Why me?!”
Ian looked shocked, clutching his chest as if to protect himself.
Why didn’t he realize that his reaction only made him look even more like a victim?
“I can’t torment His Majesty the same way I torment Your Highness.”
I made that clear so the emperor wouldn’t misunderstand, and Ian nodded in understanding.
But seeing this, the emperor suddenly pushed his chair back and distanced himself from the table.
…I’m supposed to have possessed the female lead of this novel. Did I actually possess a criminal instead?
Even the emperor was starting to be wary of me now.
The emperor, who had been acting cautiously to protect himself, cleared his throat as if to regain his composure.
“Your jokes are really quite…”
“Oh my, you thought I was joking? I meant every word.”
As I casually loosened my hands and looked at Ian, he quickly started fastening his outer coat.
As if that would stop me from touching him. I gave him a little smile that said, “Go ahead, try your best,” and Ian, flustered, scooted his chair back.
Trying to secure an escape route, huh?
“Since His Highness the Crown Prince seems so against it, don’t you think you should withdraw your proposal?”
I pointed at Ian, who looked like he was about to bolt, and asked. The emperor once again looked stunned.
He probably couldn’t process this situation with logical thinking.
Well, I didn’t mind. I’d give him plenty of time to think.
“I would never make a proposal that would harm you. It would benefit you, if anything.”
“And how can Your Majesty be so sure it would benefit me?”
As I traced the golden decoration on the glass chair with my fingers, the emperor tried to persuade me like he wanted me to really think it over.
I’ve thought this before, but why do people in this world assume that if something seems good to them, it must be good for others too?
Whether something is truly good for someone can only be decided by that person.
“Whatever Your Majesty may think, I believe the proposal would harm me.”
His offer would eventually come back to bite me.
Even if not me directly, it would eventually tie down Odelia.
If that happened, Odelia would never have freedom.
An unwanted marriage, an unwanted job, an unwanted life.
At the end of that would be nothing but a gilded cage, just like in the original story.
Odelia had already lived a caged life.
So now, it was time for her to choose freedom.
Wherever, whenever—Odelia must walk the world on her own feet.
Even if it’s the emperor who stands in her way.
That’s how a 21st-century woman from a democratic nation thought.
That’s all it was.
“Lady Odelia…”
The emperor hesitated before continuing.
“Are you saying you don’t intend to marry?”
I sighed at his question.
Whether I marry or stay celibate till death, what does that have to do with him?
He clearly wants to pair me up with Ian somehow, but I’ve been too much of an impenetrable wall.
The emperor began to persuade me with what seemed to be genuine concern.
“I think of you as a daughter. Who wouldn’t desire someone as upright, wise, and consistent as you? That’s why I hope you’ll have a good man by your side.”
When did he ever see enough of me to consider me a daughter?
I almost scoffed at his words.
But it’s not like I’d never received this kind of concern before.
In my past life, I was nearing thirty.
So it made sense that friends, seniors, coworkers—even bosses—would worry about my marriage.
At the time, I didn’t even have a lover, so I guess it was understandable.
Still, that kind of concern honestly felt like a nuisance.
“I do intend to marry.”
“The timing is important, so you should consider it carefully. Therefore—”
“As Your Majesty said, timing is important. Which is why I won’t marry now.”
My firm response made the emperor fall silent.
I understood his concern, but he was overstepping.
Whether I married a stray dog, kidnapped a polite gentleman and forced him into it, or even married Ian like the emperor wished—that was my decision.
“If I find the right partner someday, I will marry.”
With that, I quickly bowed.
“If that’s all you had to say, I’ll take my leave now.”
Rather than the palace’s formal etiquette, I gave a modern, full-body bow and exited the audience chamber.
The emperor probably needed time to organize his thoughts anyway.
He hadn’t expected me to go this far, so his face was once again blank with shock.
Thanks to that, I was able to make my exit calmly.
If it weren’t for this very moment of his flustered state, such behavior would never have been forgiven.
“…My lady?”
At the door, Lenin stood with bloodshot eyes, waiting.
Oh—did he hear everything?
I tried walking quietly just in case, but Lenin’s gaze didn’t leave me.
Rather, it followed me persistently, even tracing my shadow.
“My lady, do you know what kind of disrespect you’ve just shown His Majesty?”
His short, clipped tone sent shivers down my spine.
Come to think of it, I remembered seeing Lenin’s name in the novel.
A knight who became a close aide to the emperor, eventually serving as his right-hand man and closest attendant in his later years.
So I had just openly mocked the emperor right in front of his most loyal supporter.
I’d escaped the tiger only to walk straight into the snake’s mouth.
Oh my god.
If I had known this, I would’ve asked Rudolf to turn invisible and follow me.
“Odelia!”
Just when I thought I was doomed, Ian exited the audience chamber after me.
Relieved, I grabbed his arm and quickly walked down the opposite hallway.
Maybe because Lenin strictly followed the emperor’s orders, he didn’t follow us past the corridor.
Still, I had to be careful next time. If I wasn’t, Lenin might just kill me with a glare.
“Did something happen?”
“What’s certain is that Your Highness just saved my life today.”
“Oh my goodness!”
Ian looked deeply touched and covered his mouth in amazement.
Honestly, I could’ve just played crazy and run off even without him, but at least I’d escaped without causing a big scene. So I suppose I owed him one.
Now, the palace would soon be buzzing with rumors about a madwoman.
I was already getting a headache.
Still, I knew better than anyone that rumors weren’t everything. Once people met the real Odelia, the gossip would slowly die down.
In short, I would leave it all to Odelia.
“Anyway, thank you for today. I’ll be going—”
“Wait, Odelia!”
Ian followed me as I turned to leave.
“Why? Are you going to follow me all the way to the marquisate?”
“May I?”
“Do you think you may?”
I growled slightly, as if daring him to try, and Ian backed off.
“Shouldn’t you be working? I overheard the emperor saying something about a problem in the northern grain region.”
“Ah, nothing too serious. That region’s conditions are poor, so this happens every year. Still, I’ll need to send someone soon.”
“Then do it quickly. We can’t control nature, but we shouldn’t let people suffer because of it.”
Ian nodded as if he agreed.
We chatted about this and that until we reached the gates of the palace.
Either he was unbelievably free, or he just wanted to spend a bit more time with me, because he kept talking about trivial things.
He suggested going on a summer trip together, recommended a coastal city famous as a resort, and told me they had lots of delicious food I would love.
He said when it got cooler, there would be festivals we could enjoy together.
With brilliant events, it would be fun to participate, and even suggested I enter a beauty pageant.
In winter, he wanted to go see snow-covered mountains, in spring, flowers, in autumn, more festivals, and in the next winter, show me flowers that only bloom then.
His stories, long or short, always included me.
But I couldn’t easily nod to any of it.
How much longer would I be here?
Afterward, it would be Odelia who’d go on those many trips.
Would she enjoy traveling?
I hoped she’d happily explore the world, freely.
That was all I could think of.
“Come to think of it, we’re kind of in a festival season now, aren’t we?”
“Now?”
“His Majesty’s birthday is coming up, so the streets will be festive.”
At Ian’s words, I suddenly recalled a detail from the original novel.
The emperor’s birthday—yes, it was a major turning point in the story.
Up until then, each of the male leads had developed their obsession with Odelia individually. But on that day, for the first time, all four came together and recognized one another.
And from then on, Odelia’s sanity took a major hit.
But there was something else amusing that happened that day too… what was it again?
“Odelia!”
