Chapter 3

"Ugh! So that's how it is!"

"What a disaster... I never thought it would come to this! I won't let it happen, you villain!"

"What? Why is it like this! Alperio, go after the princess and embrace her right now!"

"It's no use. I can't stop. If it comes to this, I'll just start all over from the beginning!"

At night, the young noblewoman, whom the Emperor had detained in the palace, would find him entering her room and making intense noises, followed by his agonized roars. By morning, he would emerge with obvious dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night, but his expression would be unusually bright.

After the Emperor left, the young noblewoman would lie in bed, completely exhausted, and not wake up until noon.

It was only natural that the palace servants would be abuzz with excitement.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

"Yes, I'm going."

The young noblewoman, Elise, lying in bed, called out lazily, while the Emperor, sitting on the same bed, replied in a similarly lethargic manner as he got dressed.

After spending several mornings together (though they certainly didn't do anything inappropriate), the tension from their first meeting had completely disappeared.

Having spent many nights together (of course, without doing anything inappropriate), the two had become as comfortable with each other as an old married couple.

This was because Elise, while writing, had an incredible focus. Being alone in a room with the tyrant Emperor, who was of the opposite sex, and even his roaring and thrashing about, didn't bother her at all. In fact, when she hit a block or her concentration waned, seeing the Emperor's beautiful face would spark a fountain of ideas, making her so excited that she couldn't stop writing.

This was the first time Elise had such a free environment to write, and she became so engrossed that she forgot about her family and her father.

On the other hand, the Emperor had a bad habit of reading books and making loud noises and thrashing about. He would read the stories Elise produced at an incredible speed, thrash around, and let out strange sounds, thoroughly enjoying the endless stream of novels.

Thus, each night, they would spend the best of times together, and in the morning, the Emperor would go to his duties, while Elise, exhausted from writing, would return to bed. This routine had become a daily ritual.

As a result of Elise's writing spree and the Emperor's enthusiastic reading, they had been staying up all night every day since Elise came to the palace.

Even the Emperor, who was used to getting by on little sleep, was starting to show the effects of sleep deprivation, struggling through his duties while being nagged by Jeffrey.

"Your Majesty, please, enough. Please take a rest today."

"Shut up... Jeffrey, don't order me around. Today's story starts with the princess and the knight eloping. I have to keep reading no matter what."

Though his face was pale, the Emperor's intensity was lacking compared to usual. Jeffrey, who was used to the Emperor's temper, decided to push his luck.

"What will you do if Your Majesty collapses? You won't be able to read the novels then. Please, take a rest."

The Emperor, perhaps sensing his own limits, didn't yell at Jeffrey. After a moment of silent struggle, he finally spoke.

"Fine, just a little... Elise might be waiting in her room, so I'll see her before I sleep."

Jeffrey was shocked. The Emperor, who never cared about others, was actually showing concern. Tears welled up in Jeffrey's eyes, thinking that the Emperor had finally developed a heart.

Reflecting on the long years, the Emperor had never had a place to rest his heart. Who would have thought that he would find someone to spend his nights with (in a healthy way)?

The Emperor was one thing, but the most surprising was the young noblewoman, Elise Tranchesta.

She was frail and timid at first, but who would have thought she had such a strong spirit. When she held a pen, Elise transformed, completely focused on her writing, to the point where even the Emperor didn't matter to her. Her concentration was incredible. She could write without being bothered by the tyrant Emperor sitting next to her.

Jeffrey had peeked into their room a few times and noticed that when Elise was writing, she only saw the Emperor as a tool for her creativity.

However, the Emperor seemed to find this situation extremely comfortable. Whether he wanted to read Elise's novels or just be with her, Jeffrey couldn't help but smirk.

"Ahem. I'll just go say hello to Elise and then go back to my room to sleep."

"Understood."

With that, the Emperor, who had finished getting ready for bed, went to Elise's room with Jeffrey, but things didn't go as smoothly as planned.

Elise, who had been waiting, greeted the Emperor with a bright smile as soon as she saw him.

"Hehe, Your Majesty. I started writing this morning just for you, so I have a lot of new material ready."

Seeing the stack of manuscripts, the Emperor's sleepiness vanished, and his eyes sparkled.

"Are you a goddess? I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

"Your Majesty!"

Jeffrey quickly intervened, explaining the Emperor's severe sleep deprivation. Elise, understanding the situation, clapped her hands.

"Now that you mention it, I do get to sleep during the day, but Your Majesty works during the day and doesn't get to sleep. That's not good. Sleep deprivation dulls your judgment, and if your judgment is dulled, the novels won't be as interesting."

"Ugh... But with all this material in front of me... the princess and the knight eloping..."

"Why don't you get a good night's rest today and read all the accumulated material tomorrow? That way, you'll be refreshed and can read to your heart's content."

Elise had learned how to handle the Emperor, who was called a tyrant, in just a few days. As long as she used her novels as bait, the Emperor was quite obedient.

"Hmph. Don't tell me what to do. But... since you say so, I might consider it."

Over the past few days, the Emperor, though still arrogant and haughty in words and attitude, had become more compliant with Elise's suggestions.

"That's a good idea. If that's decided, please come this way."

"Huh?"

The Emperor, secretly disappointed that he would have to return to his own room to sleep, found himself being led to Elise's bed by her hand.

"Please rest to your heart's content."

Wrapped in the sheets, the Emperor's tired mind was filled with question marks.

"Wait. Why am I sleeping here?"

"Because, Your Majesty's sleeping face is bound to be beautiful."

Elise looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Seeing your sleeping face will surely make my writing flow. You get to sleep, and I get to write, a win-win situation, isn't it?"

"So, you want me to sleep here?"

"Yes!"

"......"

Contrary to her initial impression, Elise was incredibly thick-skinned when it came to writing. The Emperor, feeling used but unable to accept it, was overcome by sleepiness, enveloped by the comforting scent of Elise and the fatigue of the past few days.

"Miss Elise. I'll leave Your Majesty in your care. I'll come to fetch him in the morning, so please let him rest well."

Hearing Jeffrey's voice from a distance, the Emperor fought to keep his eyes open and managed to respond.

"......Mm."

Elise and Jeffrey watched the Emperor, who had started snoring like a child, with a smile.