Chapter 15

"What brings you to me at this hour of the night?"

In response to the emperor's question, Adel exhaled briefly and replied,

"I thought it might be time for Your Majesty to have dinner. Would you like to have dinner together?"

There might have been a more subtle way to phrase it, but this was the best Adel could do. The emperor's eyes widened slightly at her words, which she delivered without hesitation, as if reciting a prepared answer. After a moment of surprise, the emperor chuckled and stroked his lips.

"I was just about to contact you to ask you something."

"Speak, then."

"Why did you summon Lord Calvin?"

He suddenly interrogated the empress with a smile. The content he had heard from the servants was precisely this.

"..."

Adel's red lips parted in surprise, and the emperor's smile deepened.

"Why did you summon him, Empress?"

The emperor's gaze was as harsh as a biting north wind. Adel, staring blankly at his cold and ruthless eyes, quickly regained her composure.

"I summoned him because I was curious about the situation."

"Why you?"

"Is it strange for me, as the empress, to be curious?"

"It wasn't just curiosity, was it?"

"..."

"What do you mean?"

"His fief has turned into a wasteland, yet I did not come to his rescue. I sent away those who came begging for help. Yet, you summoned him again. I heard you even gave him gold. What are you doing?"

How long had it been since you gave gold to Lord Calvin that the news had already reached the emperor's ears? Adel, at a loss for words, was further pressed by the emperor.

"Do you want to play the role of the only good one? Do you want to hear that the empress is more benevolent than the emperor?"

His sharp criticism left Adel feeling as if she had been struck from behind.

"Did you summon him to ask about the situation and give him funds to evacuate his people as a consolation?"

The emperor did not answer the empress's question. The air between them seemed to crackle with tension. Their gazes, like thrown daggers, could shatter the stillness. Adel's mother's words came to mind: "Close your eyes and ears, see only the good, and think only the good." Her lips, red like camellia petals in the dark night, were bitten by her white teeth. Karl couldn't take his eyes off her. The sight of her lips being rubbed red seemed to stir something in him. His sudden, impulsive movement made the lamp sway dangerously. The emperor slowly circled the sofa table and approached the empress. His golden eyes never retreated. His fierce gaze, daring her to come closer, was as deep as the night. Karl stopped right in front of Adel and looked down at her with a deep, dark gaze. Her unusually beautiful face, now shadowed, seemed almost demonic. Adel had nowhere to go, with the back of the sofa behind her.

"From now on, close your eyes and ears, and see and think only the good, Empress."

It was as if he was quoting the advice that Empress Dowager Gotrof had repeatedly given to Adel. For a moment, the emperor's face overlapped with his mother's. Adel clenched her teeth and spoke each word as if chewing them.

"…It was the minimum a human can do for another human."

"Then am I not human?"

"That's not what I meant!"

Adel growled in a suppressed voice. Karl, staring at the angry Adel, chuckled and muttered, "Interesting."

"Does becoming the empress make you feel like the people you've never met are your own subjects? That's what you're saying, right?"

"..."

Adel, about to speak, closed her eyes instead. Her neck felt hot, and her chest churned, making it impossible to stay. She had come here to live wisely, but now she couldn't bear to stay any longer and was about to ask him to step aside. Suddenly, a shiver ran down her right shoulder. When she opened her eyes in surprise, the emperor was lightly holding a strand of her black hair. He gently touched her hair with his fingertips and stared at her sunken collarbone. Her bones were so fine, they seemed as thin as a finger. If he gripped them tightly, would they break? He leaned in impulsively. Their shoulders almost touched. Karl's nose brushed against the empress's white neck. Adel instinctively hunched her shoulders and held her breath. Her jaw trembled, and she clenched her teeth. Karl pressed his nose to her collarbone and took a deep breath. Was this the same woman who had captivated the room with her gaze? This woman, who smelled of sweetness, was it really her? The emperor, supporting his upper body with both hands on the sofa armrests, stood up and moved closer to Adel. Just before their noses touched, Karl turned his head. If he leaned down, he would touch her lips, red like camellia petals at night. But his eyes—those golden eyes, like a predator in the dark—stopped him. Despite the blurriness of the close distance, his gaze was sharp. Karl straightened his head. Her pursed lips, the tension in her jaw, her fierce eyes, and her stiff shoulders. Adelaide was angry. Karl, fascinated by her, leaned in and smiled seductively. His smile, which could momentarily daze even an angry Adel, was mesmerizing. He whispered,

"Why?"

"..."

"Why do you have that look in your eyes?"

"..."

"Did you come to me tonight, looking so alluring, because you want to spend the night with me? If you ask me to hold you, I will. It wouldn't be bad to have our first night tonight."

At his words, Adel clenched her fists tightly. Yes, he wasn't wrong. Being on good terms with the emperor as the empress included that. But his expression, his attitude, and his mocking, uncaring words filled her with anger. She felt utterly disgusted. The humiliation hit her like a wave, making her shiver. Karl, watching her crumbling expression, leaned in again.

"I'm going to kiss you, so close your eyes."

"Stop."

Adel did not close her eyes. Instead, she glared at the emperor, and Karl raised his hand to stroke her eyes. At the same time, Adel slapped his hand away.

"Stop!!"

Was this the gaze of a leopard in a dense forest? Karl's neck was ensnared by her vivid, golden eyes, still wild. He couldn't look away. A strange shiver ran down his spine. If he pressed down on the sleek, slender neck of this black beast, how would her wild golden eyes change? Adel pushed him away and stood up. The emperor took a step back and then closed the distance, standing right next to the empress. From a distance where their bodies almost touched, the emperor growled a warning.

"I know you were once the princess of Gotrof. Indeed, you have eyes that suit an emperor. But remember, the emperor here is me. I like obedient and submissive women. Do not interfere in my affairs again. Do you understand?"

With that, Karl strode back to his seat and commanded in his usual cold tone,

"I have no appetite for dinner, so go back to the empress palace and have your dinner. Remember my words and take them to heart."

＊＊＊

Adelaide's sturdy legs, which had remained steady even in the face of a massive disaster from the sky, felt weak. The humiliation that hit her from behind shattered her rationality like sand. An indescribable, dirty feeling seemed to have invaded every strand of her hair and every pore. Anger welled up, making her eyes burn. She rubbed her neck, where his breath had touched, as if trying to tear it away, and turned to walk away. She wanted to expel his breath that had mixed with hers at a distance where their noses almost touched. She walked out of the emperor's room in a daze and began to wander down the endless corridor. Despite the summer heat, she felt cold, as if drenched in the moonlight pouring through the windows. The cold wind seemed to be seeping into her empty neck, and she kept rubbing it with her hand. It felt like walking in the air.

"Your Majesty, the Empress?"

Adelaide, walking aimlessly, suddenly stopped.

"Your Majesty, the Empress?"

Hearing the voice again, Adelaide felt as if cold water had been poured over her. Her half-relaxed eyes tightened.

"Is something wrong?"

The gentle voice, the concerned tone, and the faint scent of perfume. Diane Poitiers. If she had to name the person she least wanted to see right now, it would be her. Wearing a flowing dress, Diane walked over and bowed lightly.

'How does my face look right now?'

Adelaide closed her half-open mouth and tightened her jaw. She straightened her shoulders and stood up straight. This was the corridor connected to the emperor's room. Diane, staring at Adelaide, smiled as if understanding something. Adelaide, feeling the rising humiliation, turned her gaze and tried to pass by her.

"Your Majesty, the Empress, are you cold?"

Adelaide did not answer. But Diane had no intention of letting her go.

"Look, your arms are shaking. Your shoulders are trembling too."

Blocking the empress's path, she examined her face and body with a worried expression. Adelle felt as if everything would burst out at once and clenched her teeth.

"Move."

That was her best option. If she had to explain, it was something she had no immunity to. But for Diane, this was the scene she had imagined countless times, eagerly awaiting the moment. So, she had no intention of letting the empress go now. Even a fierce beast, when wounded and bleeding, can be easily subdued with a weak force. Diane whispered in the empress's ear,

"You seem to have followed my advice, but something didn't go well, did it? Are you running away?"

"What?"

Adelle growled fiercely, but Diane smiled and added,

"Cover your neck. It's red, Your Majesty. Well, then."

Diane took an elegant step back. Bending her knee lightly, she greeted and moved naturally. The servants' eyes, which were scrutinizing the two of them, were relentless. Adelaide could neither stop Diane nor vent her anger. If she turned her around and lashed out, she would fall into a deeper pit.

'Are you running away?'

It sounded like a huge bell ringing in her ears. As a headache set in, Adelaide held her head. It was a kind of blow she had never even imagined. As she hurriedly descended the stairs, her legs gave out, and the attendant following her couldn't catch her in time. Adelaide clenched her teeth and closed her eyes tightly without realizing it. But as soon as she closed her eyes, she felt a firm support on her shoulder.

"Your Majesty, the Empress..."

The attendant's shout trailed off. Adelaide slowly opened her eyes. A strong force gently pushed her back, balancing her body that had leaned forward. When she regained her balance, he released her shoulder and stepped back.

"Are you alright?"

A deep voice tickled her ear. Adelaide stared at him blankly. His black eyes, like a moonlit night sea, calmly reflected her.

"Rionel Valdr..."

Adelaide muttered his name and snapped back to reality. Her muscles, which had been loose, tightened. She forced her shoulders straight and gave her eyes a determined look.

"I stumbled. Thank you."

After expressing her gratitude, Adelaide hurriedly descended the stairs without looking back. Rionel watched the empress's retreating back. He had come to the palace to report something. When he saw the empress hurriedly descending the stairs, he stepped aside, but her appearance seemed off. She looked so disheveled and was rushing down the stairs as if fleeing, appearing dangerously unsteady. Just as he thought she might fall, the empress stumbled, and Rionel quickly moved to catch her shoulder. He looked down at his hand. The shoulder he had barely caught was surprisingly slender. His palm felt as if it had been burned.