“Episode 11”
“Hmm…”
His playful words, wandering around my lips as if taking a stroll, began to carry a weight.
“Where are you trying to go?”
I didn’t want to escape from his embrace, but my body kept trying to break free and go somewhere. Even with the emperor in tow, my body, which had been stubbornly trying to head somewhere, eventually found itself firmly held in his strong arms.
“If you keep going, we’ll both end up falling to the floor together.”
Emperor Lionel wrapped one arm around my waist and gently guided me back to the center of the bed.
“Are you planning to drag me down to the floor?”
He emitted a pleasant scent, or more accurately, a seductive and sexy aroma. His large hand traced along my jawline from left to right. Ah, it’s cold. I almost mistook it for ice. Although this man’s hands were as chilly as if they had been submerged in snow and then pulled out, to me, it was a welcoming temperature. Despite his cold hands, his gaze was intensely powerful, as if it could melt my entire face and still remain. There was no trace of the ruthless Emperor of the Northern Continent here. Just a husband focusing on his wife. No, scratch that. There was nothing ordinary about it.
“Are you suggesting we go down to the floor? Huh?”
He playfully shook our intertwined bodies and asked with a mischievous tone.
“No… That’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean to… stop…”
“Why do you keep avoiding me? Are you embarrassed? Or are you deliberately trying to tempt me more?”
Temptation seems to be what you’re doing right now, isn’t it?
“I wonder which one my wife is leaning towards…”
“…”
His blunt question completely halted my already slow-functioning brain.
“Why the hesitation? Hm, seems like it’s not quite there yet. So, is there room for improvement?”
Despite Emperor Lionel’s disappointed tone, his expression seemed rather pleased.
“Your Majesty, why… Why are you suddenly asking such a question?”
I asked, regaining my composure after being captivated by his handsome features.
“Out of curiosity. Your thoughts.”
“You’re curious… about how I think of Your Majesty?”
Why?
“Yeah, about the Empress’s thoughts. I know how everyone in the palace views me. But the Empress is different.”
Does it mean… I’m special?
“I can’t know your thoughts. I can’t know, but it’s important.”
“Why is it important how I think of Your Majesty?”
“Because you’re my wife.”
His words were quite touching, so I clasped my hands together like in prayer and looked at him with eyes filled with emotion.
“Well, marriage is supposed to be like that, according to the scriptures.”
Did he feel embarrassed after saying that? He lightly tapped his own neck with his hand a couple of times, giving me a sidelong glance.
“But Your Majesty, you’ve clearly stated before that you don’t believe in gods, haven’t you?”
In response to my words, Emperor Lionel smiled and nodded gently.
“Still, among the hundreds of sayings attributed to gods, a few of them are somewhat useful.”
“Your Majesty… You seem like a warm person.”
I said as I held his cold hand like ice.
“Are you asking me to believe that? Where in the world can you find such a cold husband?”
Emperor Lionel teasingly remarked as he lifted our clasped hands slightly. He had a tendency to joke about his own curse of being cold-hearted as if it were the most amusing joke in the world.
“I mean, if anyone ever deceives me or shows an arrogant attitude, I feel like cutting their throat right then and there. Sometimes, when that urge arises, I’ve even slit throats without hesitation.”
*Gulp*… I quietly swallowed at his words.
“Of course, there are times when I endure it. Right now, there are several candidates whose throats could be cut, but it’s not the time yet, so I’m enduring.”
*Another gulp*… His voice was calm, but the content was quite grim, making me swallow several times. I couldn’t help but worry that my throat might end up in his hands someday, as I’m currently the one who deceives the Emperor the most in the Raphion Imperial Court. Unconsciously, my hand kept rising and falling around my throat.
“But isn’t it strange?” Emperor Lionel said with a questioning tone.
“The Empress doesn’t get angry even when she behaves annoyingly.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
Wait, that means I did something annoying, doesn’t it? What was it? I tried to conceal my tension and deliberately put on an innocent expression, blinking my eyes repeatedly.
“Um, have I ever… done anything annoying to Your Majesty?”
“No, forget it,” he said coldly, raising his hand to dismiss the conversation. Was he angry? But then he immediately showed a remorseful attitude. “Let’s leave that answer for later. I think I asked too hastily.”
With a self-deprecating smile, he brushed back his glossy black hair. “Your Majesty?”
“Yeah?” When I grabbed his clothes and called out to him, he responded with a gentle gaze.
“I also have a question I’d like to ask.”
I should have kept my mouth shut at that moment. I should have just flipped the blanket over and gone to sleep. This was undoubtedly an impulse instigated by the demon within me. Sometimes, when my body was boiling with heat, I would unknowingly engage in reckless behavior, often driven by the will of the demon. For instance, when noblewomen played mean tricks on me or insulted me, I would retaliate without realizing it. Usually, my reprisals were carried out discreetly and I managed to overcome the crisis without being caught. But today, I couldn’t be sure what would happen or if I could rectify what had already occurred.
“What is it? Are you curious about something?” Emperor Lionel asked, his eyes filled with curiosity. Ah, don’t look at me with such hopeful eyes.
“Please be honest with me too,” I said, though the words were coming from my mouth, it was also a trick played by the demon exploiting my inner consciousness. The laughter of the demon resonated deep within me. Damn it. Fueled by the rising heat deep inside me, courage surged up through my throat.
“Do you… consider me as your Empress?”
My lips were moving on their own, but it was also something I had been thinking about since his earlier question.
“There might be one more question, right?” Seeing his somewhat disappointed expression, I felt like my heart was crumbling like a sandcastle. The azure-like eyes of Emperor Lionel shook my heart in various ways. His lips curved up subtly, like the tip of a sailboat. Seeing him smile at me, my lips moved on their own again.
“Do you think of me as a woman?”
Sigh, I ended up asking that last question, unable to resist the power of the goddess. I felt embarrassed to the point where I wanted to throw myself off the terrace. Emperor Lionel’s eyes grew even deeper. I wanted to avoid his gaze, but at the same time, I was curious about his answer. Well, even if I listened to the answer and ran out onto the terrace, it wouldn’t be too late. Surprisingly, his silence was much shorter than the time I spent silent after receiving the same question.
“I think of you as a woman. I do.”
Emperor Lionel’s clear and firm voice without hesitation made my heart drop somewhere in my body. But his following words reassured my heart.
“Whether it leads to love… Honestly, I don’t know yet.”
“Yes…”
I tried not to show a disappointed expression. There was no need to feel disappointed. In fact, upon closer inspection, it was a natural question.
“Are you disappointed?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Hm.”
Emperor Lionel pressed my lips together firmly with his index and thumb, as if making an “O” shape. With determination in his eyes, he spoke firmly.
“But, I don’t have any intentions of being cautious around you.”
What does he mean?
“You were warm. That moment we shared on the first night… So lately, I’ve been thinking about that moment…”
“!”
He paused, releasing my lips from the “O” shape he had created. Then, he ran his hands over his symmetrical features as if giving himself a dry wash.
“You might have been mistaken.”
I patted his back gently and spoke softly. He raised his head upon hearing my words.
“Back then, the attendants were waiting outside the bedroom, and I wasn’t very experienced… It seems like you might have been mistaken.”
I laughed nervously, trying to change the awkward atmosphere.
“Is that so? Well, I guess it’s possible.”
To my surprise, Emperor Lionel accepted my words easily and nodded.
“So, what I mean is, my lady.”
“Yes, husband…”
“Shall we revisit that?”
He said boldly.
“Right now…”
”?”
