Chapter 2

In a room surrounded by glittering, top-of-the-line furnishings, Elise was utterly speechless.

"What should I do now..."

She had been forcibly brought to the ball by her father, already exhausted, and while she was standing quietly against the wall, she was taken away by the palace knights, dragged before the emperor, and then placed under house arrest after being threatened with an impossible command.

Elise, still unable to believe what had happened to her, stood there, at a loss.

The Ruby Palace, which was supposed to be used by the empress, was opulent and luxurious everywhere she looked. For Elise, it was overwhelmingly perfect and meticulously maintained.

Knock knock.

When Elise responded to the knock, Secretary Jeffrey, who had just fled from the emperor, entered, wiping his sweat.

He was probably in his late thirties, older than the emperor. After a brief introduction, he bowed to Elise.

"Miss Elise, is there anything you need?"

Despite her many questions and confusion, there was no way she could be inconvenienced in such a room.

"No..."

"That's good to hear. Here, these are gifts from His Majesty."

Without really listening to Elise's answer, Jeffrey clapped his hands, and a large stack of paper was placed on the desk.

"Please use these for your writing. We have also prepared the same quill pens that His Majesty uses. If you find them unsuitable and need something else, we will immediately send a messenger to your marquis family to bring them."

"No, that's not necessary."

"That's good. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

With a deep bow, Jeffrey, who did not hide his confusion, asked Elise.

"Um... I'm not inconvenienced, but if you don't mind, could you explain what's happening?"

Seeing Elise's anxious face, Jeffrey nodded apologetically and offered her a seat on the sofa with a cup of tea.

"It's all my fault."

Sitting across from Elise, Jeffrey confessed regretfully.

"What do you mean?"

Leaning forward, Elise listened intently.

"His Majesty has been involved in the struggle for the throne since childhood and has lived a life devoid of family affection. Naturally, he lacked the ability to empathize with others and grew into a tyrant. Oh, how pitiful..."

Jeffrey, who now works as the emperor's secretary, had been his caretaker until the emperor's adulthood.

"He was selfish and cold from a young age, but his tyranny after ascending the throne was particularly egregious... So, I wanted to cultivate His Majesty's emotions and presented him with a romance novel that was popular at the time."

The book Jeffrey held was the one Elise had just signed with her pen name, "Elistra."

"He became completely obsessed with it."

"..."

"He waved his sword around, demanding the next part be brought immediately, and after finishing the latest chapter, he ordered all previous works to be gathered..."

"..."

"After reading all the published works, he commanded that the true identity of the mysterious author Elistra be discovered, and the royal intelligence agency, with their reputation on the line, investigated the author's identity."

"..."

"They relentlessly pursued the only person at the publishing house who knew Elistra's true identity... He was reluctant to speak, but after interrogation and threats, they discovered that Elistra was the marquis's daughter, Elise Tranchester."

"..."

Elise held her head in her hands, feeling a headache coming on.

The face that came to mind was Luke, her editor at the publishing house. He had a wife and children. She could only hope he was safe.

"Upon hearing that the Marquis's daughter Elise Tranchester would be attending the royal ball tonight, His Majesty was very, very excited."

"Excited?"

"Yes. He wanted to hear her stories and get her autograph. However, having never interacted with people, His Majesty didn't know how to approach Miss Elise... As the ball was about to end, he became anxious and ordered the knights to bring her, but the knights misunderstood and restrained her."

And that's how we got here, Jeffrey concluded, leaving Elise at a loss for what to do. She couldn't help but resent the man in front of her, who spoke as if it were someone else's problem.

"Well, in short, His Majesty is a huge fan of Elistra, Miss Elise! He even sleeps with Elistra's books every night!"

Ignoring Elise's skeptical look, Jeffrey cleared his throat and declared this.

"..."

Elise's low voice betrayed her disbelief.

Meeting Jeffrey's eyes, filled with hatred for her peaceful life being taken away, Jeffrey wiped his sweat and pretended not to notice.

"His Majesty wants to discuss Elistra's works with Miss Elise. However, having grown up without friends or even acquaintances to converse with, His Majesty is unsure how to approach Miss Elise and is actually quite nervous, despite his demeanor."

Where was the nervousness in that domineering attitude? Just as Elise was about to voice her many complaints,

"Hey, are you done yet?"

Before Elise could say anything more to Jeffrey, the door opened without a knock, and none other than Emperor Adelbert himself appeared.

"Your Majesty! The explanation is complete. Please, take your time."

"Wait, Jeffrey!"

Seizing the moment, Jeffrey quickly stood up and left, leaving the emperor and Elise alone.

"So, when can you finish the next part?"

The emperor asked immediately. Despite his abruptness, Elise, feeling intimidated, looked down.

It was incredibly embarrassing to know she was the author of romance novels, but since the secret was out, there was nothing she could do about it.

Perhaps she should face the emperor, who was a fan of her work, with a bold attitude. As she thought this and looked up, she was startled.

His hair, like threads of gold, shimmered, and his eyes were as red as blood. The emperor's face, so perfectly chiseled that it was almost toxic, was a beauty that left people breathless, adding to his extraordinary fear.

Looking at that beautiful and terrifying face, something inside Elise, which she had been suppressing, began to stir—her creative desire.

Elise had been restricted from writing for the ball and had been planning to give up writing for her bridal training. Her creative desire was usually stimulated by beautiful things.

Facing such a beautiful and stimulating face, and in the best writing environment surrounded by the most beautiful things, she couldn't possibly hold back.

"Um, if you allow it, may I start writing immediately? Seeing Your Majesty's noble visage has given me new inspiration. I feel I can write a lot now."

Hearing this, the emperor exhaled in admiration.

"Hmm. That's good. If you can write a novel by looking at my face, you can look at it all night."

For a normal young lady, this would be a killing line, making her heart race and blush. However, Elise Tranchester, who had lived a life of being unassuming and not drawing attention, was not a normal young lady.

"Is that okay? I would love to!"

The rumor that the tyrant emperor spent the night with a plain young lady spread among the servants, which was only natural.