Chapter 103
“Eileen. Have you thought it over carefully?”
“Thought over what?”
At my answer, which sounded utterly uninterested, the Emperor slightly furrowed his brow.
“I mean who you will belong to.”
Then, kindly clarifying, he sat facing me.
I was in the room reading a book. There were no shackles, but since I was confined as a prisoner, there was nothing for me to do except read.
“Well, as you can see, I’m busy reading.”
One good thing was that they would get me as many books as I wanted. When I explained in detail to the head maid what genres of novels I liked, she went so far as to bring in an entirely new bookshelf and fill it to the brim. They weren’t books I’d seen in bookstores before, so it seemed there was a separate channel for obtaining them. I even had a reasonable suspicion that this might actually be the head maid’s personal taste.
The Emperor slowly read the title of the book I was holding aloud.
“Someone Who Already Belongs to Another….”
His expression was tinged with curiosity—wondering what it could be about, whether it was interesting—but I lightly ignored it.
Please respect people’s tastes, okay? Respect them!
“By the way, it seems you came up with quite an interesting idea.”
What was he talking about?
The Emperor’s words piqued my curiosity. When I raised my head to meet his gaze, he smiled meaningfully. His well-groomed blond hair swayed softly.
“The reason you entered the imperial palace.”
“What reason would that be?”
“To try to attach a new connection to me.”
It seemed he had noticed that I had attempted to use a honey trap through Amelia. Since it had come up, I should ask how she was doing.
“What happened to her?”
“Baroness Amelia Soph is confined in another room. Like you, she’s staying comfortably in a good room.”
Amelia. So she had revealed her name and status after all.
Phew.
Relieved by the words that she was doing well, I let out a deep breath. The Emperor stared intently at my face.
“Eileen. If you were thinking of testing my feelings, then you’ve lost. You come first to me.”
“…”
“I will take you as my Empress.”
Since yesterday, the Emperor had been saying things I couldn’t understand. At first I thought he was joking, but seeing him repeat it, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Was this stubbornness over something he couldn’t have, like, ‘You’re the first woman who ever rejected me’? Had he gone so far in acting that he ended up convincing himself?
The confusion in my head only grew.
“You don’t seem ready yet, so I’ll wait a little longer.”
With that, the Emperor stood up and headed outside. Before leaving, he threw out one last warning.
“You must show me that my waiting was worthwhile.”
His pure white uniform fluttered as he walked out with steady steps.
Giving me time to change my mind, huh….
Surely the Emperor knows that I voluntarily chose Raymond.
Maybe he’s obsessing over me because he feels like he lost. After all, he had always harbored an inferiority complex toward Raymond.
Knowing his true intentions, there was no way my feelings would change….
From the reader’s perspective, one inevitably knows many things the characters want to keep secret. Captivating such readers must be truly difficult. I was one of them, after all. Seeing the Emperor struggle uselessly after encountering such an unexpected strong opponent, I almost felt a little sorry for him.
Cancel that pity right now!
Gritting my teeth, I muttered under my breath.
As soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, my body was once again being forcibly washed by the maids.
Purification through bathing was a daily morning event, but on days when there was an outing scheduled, the intensity increased. I couldn’t even tell whether they were scrubbing off grime or trying to peel off my skin. The Emperor likes things this clean—then how did he endure it back when I didn’t wash?
In the first place, as someone captured as a prisoner, I had no right to pity him. How arrogant of me. Scolding my past self, I indulged in a useless regret.
I recalled the Emperor’s words once more.
‘I’ll wait a little longer.’
‘I’ll wait a little longer.’
‘I’ll wait a little longer.’
Exactly what part of this is “waiting”?
Contrary to his words, the Emperor pressed forward with me relentlessly.
My feelings weren’t going to change anyway, but I thought I could at least buy some time. That was a complete misunderstanding. The Emperor simply continued his relentless affection offensive.
Last night, after finishing dinner, the Emperor informed me in a declarative manner.
“Tomorrow, go on a picnic with me.”
“What? A picnic?”
A picnic at a time like this?
I was dumbfounded, but I didn’t bother to add anything further.
“Yes. There’s a place with a fine view near my hunting grounds. I’d like to go there with you.”
The Emperor wore a wistful expression, as if the beautiful scenery were already spread out before his eyes. Since it didn’t resonate with me at all and I felt no anticipation, my expression was close to stone-faced.
And now—
I wasn’t even wearing a dress, just simple activewear, so why was I being made this beautiful? The maid standing behind me carefully tended to my hair, strand by strand. Since she couldn’t dress me up, it seemed she intended to make up for it by styling my hair.
My pink hair, braided into several strands, was gathered back into one and draped over one shoulder. Then red flower hairpins were placed on both sides as decoration.
So this is how exhausting the life of an Empress is.
Despite the glittering exterior, the dark circles in my heart reached all the way down to my toes.
“Welcome, Eileen.”
The Emperor was already mounted on his horse, waiting for me. He extended his hand down toward me.
“Take my hand and get on.”
I had no desire to go at all, but I had no choice but to take his hand. Lifted into the air, I settled into the seat behind the Emperor.
“If you don’t want to fall, hold tightly onto my waist.”
There was nothing else to grab, so I had to hold him. My stiff arms wrapped around his waist. When my face touched his back, his scent flooded my nose—cold and unfamiliar. Suddenly, I missed Raymond’s embrace, and tears welled up in my eyes.
Just as Kyle had said, the scenery of the hunting grounds was beautiful.
The last time I’d come here, I was too tense by the novelty to really take it in. This place, full of the scent of nature, was perfectly suited for enjoying leisure.
The grass stretched out long like a road, and beside it was a forest thick with greenery. The cliff near where Amelia and I had hidden was dizzyingly steep below, but the elevation made the view spread out magnificently.
He guided the horse slowly into the forest. Judging by how well-trodden the path was, it seemed to be a place frequently visited. Large, towering trees lined both sides, forming a natural tunnel. Sunlight filtered through the green and light-green leaves, making it feel like a warm greenhouse. After passing through a path that felt like entering heaven, I heard the refreshing sound of water. Ahead was a small waterfall and a lake.
“Wow.”
An exclamation escaped me without thinking.
If I had to compare it, it looked like a place where a celestial maiden might descend to bathe. Rather than being grand and imposing, it appeared mysterious and sacred. Blue and white water pooled among the rocks, radiating a brilliant, transparent glow.
“Isn’t it truly beautiful?”
Perhaps pleased by my reaction, Kyle chuckled softly. Only then did I resent myself for failing to hide my true feelings and belatedly clamped my mouth shut.
Kyle stopped the horse there. It seemed this was the destination. He tied the reins near the lake so the horse could drink.
After dismounting, we walked along the edge of the lake. As we went, we soon came upon a bench prepared for sitting and resting.
“Let’s rest here for a bit.”
And without even asking for my consent, he sat down first. As a result, I had no choice but to sit beside him.
“Even when it’s not hunting season, I often come here alone.”
Of course you do. You’re the Emperor.
The sun of the Empire, enjoying nature at leisure regardless of whether the people starve or not.
Suddenly, I was reminded of old kings and nobles who busied themselves only with indulging in elegance, showing not the slightest interest in developing their nation. Setting aside what they ought to be doing, they immersed themselves solely in appreciating beauty—how carefree they must have been.
The Empire led by Kyle was a breeding ground for corruption. As a reader, I couldn’t help but know that well.
“I’ve been coming here since I was young.”
Kyle suddenly began telling his own story.
Switching into reader mode, I bristled with anger. It seemed he was trying to reveal his backstory and evoke sympathy—but no chance!
Yet what came from Kyle’s mouth was something I had never read even in the original novel.
In the novel, Kyle was only described as having a tyrannical father and growing twisted from the wounds that caused. The author had never once revealed the injuries or feelings inside him.
“I lost my mother when I was young. After giving birth to me, her health rapidly deteriorated, and in the end her illness worsened until she passed away. I think it was from that time that my father—the late Emperor—became violent. He was consumed by the grief of losing the woman he loved, his reason paralyzed.”
Kyle spoke as if reciting calmly, but his emotions gradually rose.
“Grief turned into a storm, and he must have come to hate even the child who caused it. Instead of embracing the child his wife left behind, he abandoned even the country! In the end, I grew up loved by neither my mother nor my father. Then, when the late Emperor suddenly passed away, I had no choice but to inherit a nation in ruins.”
Now his voice was boiling with rage.
Certainly, as Kyle said, the late Emperor had lost his sense of reality and gone mad. It was true that the country he ruled was in shambles. It was so bad that children would instantly stop crying at the mere word “Emperor.”
However, Kyle was trapped in a cycle of self-pity.
Because the Empire Kyle currently ruled was even more of a mess than the one governed by the late Emperor.
