Episode 96

The punishment for striking the emperor was never given.

On the surface, Emperor Hildegarde appeared to forgive Hildebrandt, but in truth, it was merely because imprisoning him would prevent her from fully enjoying this amusing situation.

Still, she couldn’t let him go entirely unpunished.

“Hah.”

Hildebrandt stared at the piece of paper in his hand for a long time.

“Notice of Annulment”

The words written beneath it caught his eye.

“In response to the Marquess Le Meredin’s petition stating that a man prone to violence cannot be wed, the annulment is approved under the name of the Emperor.”

Amidst this absurd situation, Hildebrandt couldn’t understand what he had done wrong.

Perhaps his sin was not being able to endure. He had endured the Emperor hypnotizing him to kill Yvonne, endured insults toward his father, and endured being treated as less than human.

But what he could not endure was Yvonne.

Maybe this punishment was because of that—because he couldn’t hold back when it came to her.

But by now, he had forgotten how to live without her. His life without Yvonne felt unimaginable, so much so that it was painful to think of the time before she had been with him.

Then why was Yvonne acting this way all of a sudden?

His hypnotized mind spiraled, unable to think straight, returning to the same spot over and over. After much difficulty, he arrived at one conclusion.

It was because he resembled his uncle.

The thought alone tore his heart apart.

“Yvonne.”

“Your Majesty…?”

Even so, he couldn’t give up on Yvonne. She was someone he had seen every day. Someone who had always come to him first.

Hildebrandt suddenly realized that today was the first day he had sought her out instead.

“Yvonne, it’s me. Hildebrandt.”

“Ah… Hilde!”

Lately, even Yvonne felt something was wrong with herself. Unbeknownst to her, the Emperor had momentarily lifted the hypnosis on her, allowing her to return to her normal self.

“Hilde…!”

Hildebrandt climbed over the terrace railing. Yvonne, unable to wait, rushed to him and embraced him tightly.

“Hilde…. Ugh…”

Yvonne clung to him, her shoulders trembling as she hugged him fiercely. His previous worries melted away as he felt her heart pounding because of him once again.

Perhaps she truly had been unwell.

“Hilde, why did you leave me alone? I was so scared. I thought you were really going to disappear.”

“Yvonne.”

“I’ll do better! Okay? It’s all my fault. So don’t annul the engagement. How am I supposed to live without you? Please….”

Tears streaming down her face, she held his waist tightly.

“If you want me to change, I’ll change…! If you don’t like something, I’ll fix it all! Should I change my hair again? I’ll change my eye color too! Clothes—I’ll wear whatever you want me to wear!”

“Yvonne.”

Hildebrandt felt a wave of relief seeing her violet eyes back to the way they used to be. She clung to him, not even understanding her own words, sobbing and gasping for air. It was clear she hadn’t even paused to breathe while trying to get everything out.

“Hilde…”

“…”

“I like you, Hilde. I love you. I mean it.”

His heart pounded as it always did whenever she said she loved him. Without realizing it, he felt a sense of comfort and pulled her into his arms.

He buried his face into her shoulder, his body shaking, and Yvonne, noticing he was crying just as she had been, fell silent.

“Yvonne.”

“Yes…”

He couldn’t say it.

Not anymore.

He couldn’t tell her he loved her.

* * *

“I’ll talk to His Majesty again on my birthday, once I’ve awakened.”

“About our marriage?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t we just have a child first? Then your parents won’t be able to oppose us like they are now.”

Yvonne pressed her fingertips against Hildebrandt’s chest, as though retracing the marks she had left there.

“Are you really okay with being so reckless?”

“Yes. Let our parents figure out the plan. I already have plenty of inheritance and skills. If worse comes to worst, we’ll run away. I’ll take responsibility for you.”

“Hah.”

“I have so many talents; at least one of them will be useful.”

Hildebrandt knew he wasn’t lacking in wealth compared to her. After all, his father, the late Duke Ferrite, had transferred a considerable fortune to him just before he was formally recognized as a prince.

“We should have ten children.”

“If we have ten, we won’t be able to keep doing this for the next decade.”

“Ah… then let’s just have one.”

Her quick correction made him laugh without realizing it. All his tension melted away as he looked at her.

“Hilde, come under the covers. You’ll catch a chill.”

“Thanks to someone, I’m already too warm. I need to cool down.”

“Should I make it even warmer?”

“No, I’m tired.”

Hildebrandt lied again. He was regretting how he had pushed her to the brink with his anxiety.

But this time, Yvonne was at fault, too. She had been just as anxious, pestering and pressuring him repeatedly.

“There’s no point in going further when we’ve already come this far.”

“Don’t you enjoy being with me, Hilde?”

“I do. But there’s a limit.”

“Hehe.”

Yvonne burrowed into his arms again, curling into him. He breathed in her scent, calming the unease that had plagued him for days.

“Hilde, I really love you. So much, too much. I don’t think I can live without you in my life.”

But he couldn’t answer her.

The memory of her previous reactions, distorted by the Emperor’s hypnosis, still lingered vividly in his mind.

* * *

“Give me a kiss, Hilde. Quickly.”

“You’re acting like this again, my lady.”

The Emperor found Yvonne’s behavior amusing. He lingered, not indulging her, because the audience he wanted to witness this mockery had not yet arrived.

The Emperor’s need to formally adopt a child stemmed from his infertility—a problem he had suffered since childhood. No matter what he tried, his body remained unresponsive.

This only deepened his resentment toward his older brother, who shared his likeness but was capable of producing heirs. It was an immutable flaw of the Emperor’s body, one that no healer, no matter how skilled, could mend.

“If I take off my clothes, will you do it?”

“I suppose I might.”

Moments like these gave him satisfaction. If he weren’t afflicted with this defect, he might have already claimed the dazzling woman before him. She was as breathtaking as a chandelier, her presence emitting a sweet fragrance, with lips pink as petals, jewel-like purple eyes, and radiant platinum hair spun like gold threads.

She reminded him of a porcelain doll he had once seen.

And imagining the downfall of the dog—who looked just like him but craved this woman to the point of madness—was a joy he could hardly resist.

“Won’t you help me undress?”

“Can’t you manage even that on your own?”

“I can. But I’d rather have your hands on me. I like it when you touch me, even more when you look at me.”

The Emperor felt a pang of regret over his flaw.

“What if I truly can’t father a child?”

“That’s impossible. We’ve done it so many times,” Yvonne pouted, her lips jutting out in protest. The Emperor chuckled softly and brushed her cheek.

“What if.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’d love to have a child who looks like you, but even if we can’t, I still love you.”

“…”

“And besides, physical pleasure is fleeting, you know that.”

Her words struck him, like a sudden blow to his head.

“What are you saying?”

“Being with you is wonderful because I love you, Hilde. But that’s not why I love you.”

“Then what other reason could there be?”

Even as he questioned her sharply, Yvonne remained calm. She knew Hildebrandt well enough to expect him to lash out like this sometimes. She also understood why—because deep down, he knew that the Emperor’s influence might one day force him to harm her.

But under hypnosis, Yvonne believed the Emperor was Hildebrandt, so she spoke her thoughts without hesitation.

“You know, when I wake up in the morning, you’re the first person I want to see. When I eat something delicious, I want to share it with you. When I watch the sunrise, I think of you because it reminds me of you. Even breathing feels overwhelming because I love you so much.”

“…”

“That’s just my habit—loving you. It’s a habit I can’t break or change. It’s forever.”

“…”

“I love you. Truly, I love you. Even if you’re incapable, I love you. And I love the me who loves you.”

As she spoke, Yvonne slipped out of her outer dress, leaving only her negligee and corset. The Emperor placed his hands on her shoulders, taking in her bare form.

“Will you kiss me now?”

“If you keep quiet.”

The Emperor did not forget that he was waiting for Hildebrandt. Seeing his nephew approach from below, he cupped Yvonne’s face and pulled her closer.

 

 

 

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