“Episode 15”
“He stopped pulling up the hem of my dress to my knees as I spoke.”
“A lot of them gathered. So?”
“Among them, some who have already… become Your Majesty’s concubines greeted me separately.”
“What?”
Rinel’s face showed considerable shock. He released the hem of my dress from his hand and slowly leaned back.
“Those young ladies… do you remember which families they were from?”
“Katherine, daughter of Marquess Calios, Melanie, daughter of Marquess Hetzros, Phylline, daughter of Viscount Asto, and Rosie, daughter of Count Adelride.”
Goodness, did I really remember all their families? I rapidly listed the names of the concubines’ families without pause! While I admired my memory, Rinel’s expression grew increasingly wrinkled.
“Oh, and Katherine was said to have a special relationship with you, Rinel. Is that true?”
At my added remark, Rinel’s blue eyes darkened rapidly. His expression wasn’t one of embarrassment or awkwardness. It seemed more like he was pondering something. What was he thinking? It didn’t particularly bother me that Katherine was his fiancée. What I was curious about was Rinel’s current feelings towards Katherine, but his ambiguous expression made it difficult to gauge his emotions.
“Well, I… made a mess of things.”
Rinel muttered quietly, lowering his gaze to the marble floor. I stole a fleeting glance at his profile as he slightly tilted his head down. His jaw tensed, and his lips twisted. For a moment, vitality flickered across his face. Did he notice me secretly watching him? He softened his stern expression and looked at me.
“I didn’t plan to find out like this…”
He confessed with a deeply aggrieved expression.
“Zelda, do you remember when we got married?”
“It’s been so long that it’s a bit fuzzy, but I remember.”
I didn’t intend to be sarcastic, but my words came out that way unintentionally.
“Well, if it was three days ago, it’s about time it got fuzzy.”
Rinel responded, not showing any signs of being upset, but rather agreeing with my statement.
“Even if you didn’t like me, I’m not the kind of man who would bring in concubines a few days after getting married.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, I’m not that flippant.”
His gaze wandered somewhere and then returned. No, that’s not what I wanted to ask…
“So, even if I don’t like it?”
“That’s just an example.”
He replied with a slightly irritated tone, fluttering his eyebrows. If this was all an act, I wanted to applaud his acting skills.
“Anyway. So, you were planning to bring in concubines?”
“He simply nodded his head and let out a sigh.”
“Phew, the concubine issue has been under discussion since before the engagement, but I didn’t expect it to rush like this. However, we had already agreed to decide on the timing to welcome concubines after consulting with you first…”
“So I found out first?”
“Yeah.”
…So, before Rinel even brought up the topic of concubines to me, someone among the concubines deliberately exposed that fact during today’s tea time.
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. It’s not good news, but I wanted to tell you directly and make you understand.”
Rinel seemed quite apologetic but continued calmly.
“As the offspring of a concubine who ascended to the emperor’s throne, the vassals wanted to confirm their positions using my legitimacy whenever they had the chance.”
“Ah.”
“So, to restrain their power, we decided to strengthen the Sha’toine Kingdom’s influence through the engagement. Of course, it was also to solidify the stronger alliance between our two countries in preparation for the war with the Southern Continent.”
“You caught two birds with one stone.”
I dryly replied as if talking about someone else’s affairs, and he chuckled faintly.
“Hah, maybe three birds?”
His hand brushed against my cheek.
“We conducted the engagement according to my wishes, but they had conditions for me as well.”
“Was that condition by any chance… that instead of welcoming a Sha’toine-born empress, the concubines must be daughters of noble families from the Laphion Empire?”
“You catch on quickly.”
Leaning forward again from the sofa’s backrest, Rinel’s body slowly tilted back towards me.
“As you know, our Northern Continent has been at war with the Southern Continent because of the wyverns.”
“Yes.”
“The war has temporarily ceased for now, but it will resume when the wyverns return.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“Yeah. So, the vassals reluctantly accepted our engagement in light of this situation, but they cannot tolerate heirs with foreign blood.”
“So… are you planning to use noble daughters from the Laphion Empire as concubines to present potential heirs to Your Majesty?”
Rinel nodded with one eye slightly squinted, showing a sense of displeasure.
“I guess they thought that since I was also a child of a concubine, I wouldn’t have a problem with that part.”
His voice, already low, sank even further. It turned out that this wasn’t just about bringing in concubines. There was a tightrope tension between the Laphion Empire’s authority and sovereignty. Despite the separate issue, hearing the ins and outs of the situation through Rinel’s mouth made me feel much more at ease.
“But why the rush to bring in concubines like this?”
“The vassals seem a bit impatient.”
“Why?”
“Probably because one of the priests who came on the first night spread rumors to the vassals.”
“What rumors?”
“That I was very passionate with you on our first night.”
“…Ah.”
My mind went blank as memories of his passionate actions on our first night played vividly in my head. Heat rose gradually from my toes, tinting my entire body red.
“We’ll leave the punishment of the priest who spread the rumor to the gods, but as for the vassals and their daughters who dared to mock you and me with that rumor… how should we handle them?”
Rinel grabbed my hand with a cold expression, but his hand was much colder than his expression. I felt an urge to bring his icy hand to my heated face like an ice pack.
Rinel grabbed my hand with a cold expression, but his hand felt much colder than his expression. I had the impulse to bring his icy hand to my heated face like an ice pack.
“By the way…”
He gazed at me with a more serious expression than when discussing the concubine issue. I was busy taking deep breaths to cool down my body.
“Suddenly, I can’t focus because of the peach guy who showed up out of nowhere…”
“Yes?”
I blinked at Rinel’s unexpected remark. He groped around his chest area with his hand, then turned his head slightly and cleared his throat.
“What do you mean, exactly?”
“Your current appearance, that’s what I mean.”
Rinel replied, drawing a circle in the air with his finger, encompassing not only my face but also my chest. I lowered my head to check the color of my flushed skin. Only then did I understand what he meant.
“It seems hot, and if it’s hot, you’d naturally lift your dress hem, right?”
Rinel aimed his hand towards my dress hem once again.
“It’s okay. I naturally have a lot of body heat…”
I gently brushed his hand away and fanned my face with both hands.
“Cool down a bit.”
“Thank… you.”
He placed his cold hand on my hot neck. Wow, it’s like an ice pack.
“Your cheeks look cute.”
“Does my face look like a ripe apple now?”
“Yeah.”
His hand on my neck exerted pressure.
“P-Please don’t press my neck too hard.”
“Did I squeeze too hard?”
Rinel chuckled and removed his hand from my neck. I followed suit and laughed, feeling the heat dissipate from my neck.
“If you’re going to cover up, how about borrowing my hand?”
“…Yes?”
“My hand is much bigger than yours, after all.”
Rinel said jokingly as he compared the size of our hands.
“Please be careful.”
We were the only two in the study, but there were many attendants waiting outside the door.
“That’s not just about me, right? You should also be careful with your excessive deep breathing.”
Rinel said, grabbing the frill adorning my chest line. My breath caught in my throat at his remark.
“It may be fine for me, but if you don’t want unnecessary misunderstandings with the Duke of Martins who will soon appear…”
Rinel wrapped the cushion next to him around me and lectured me.
“I’ll be careful.”
I adjusted my posture and held my breath. He chuckled at my puzzled expression before speaking.
“I thought we could take it slow, but given the circumstances, we may need to hurry a bit.”
Rinel said seriously, rubbing his chin with his hand. We need to hurry? Why? Wait, does he mean to have a child quickly?
“Umm, isn’t it still too early to talk about heirs?”
“What about them? Do you think it’s the right time for them to introduce concubines to me?” Rinel furrowed his brow, pointing towards the study door, raising his voice. His words weren’t wrong. But I wasn’t in a position to agree with his opinion and plan our family based on concubines, saying, ‘I think a princess as the first child would be nice!’
“Instead of them introducing concubines to me, wouldn’t it be better if I introduced you to them?”
Rinel’s hand, which had been pointing to the study door, gently lifted my chin this time. His blue eyes, which held a chilling light as if they could freeze me at any moment, interrogated me. What should I say? I couldn’t come up with a tactful response. As I stood there with my lips sealed, he seemed slightly hurt.
“You don’t seem to mind me sharing my affection with other women, do you?”
No, that wasn’t it.
“Are you okay with our successor being born from another concubine’s womb, not from our relationship?”
That question was something I couldn’t answer from the start.
“Rinel…”
I just weakly called out his name. All I could say right now was his name.
“Don’t ask again. Zelda, aren’t you angry that I’m sharing myself with concubines?”
“Your silence is more forceful than my words, haven’t you thought about that?”
Rinel was suppressing his anger.
“Or, are you not interested in the succession of heirs? Is that it?”
Even if a feast is laid out in front of you, you can’t eat it if it’s not your house’s dining table. It’s not because you’re not hungry. You shouldn’t touch what’s not yours. It’s not allowed. Rinel, it’s not because I dislike you… No matter how much I appeal with my eyes, he will never understand my heart.
“I also hate sharing what’s mine with others! I’m extremely individualistic.”
I blurted out whatever came to mind, fearing that too much silence would negatively impact my lifeline. Even though I said it seriously, Rinel erased the serious expression he had just had and burst into laughter.
“Well, I roughly understand the Empress’s intention.”
He cleared his throat as if to adjust his voice and laughed off the remaining laughter.
“Let’s talk about it again when Duke Martins arrives.”
“Yes…”
“Let me be clear once again, this wasn’t my decision. Of course, avoiding introducing concubines was unavoidable, but I really didn’t intend to make you aware of it in this way.”
I nodded obediently at his sincere expression.
“I also hate sharing what’s mine with others. Plus, I’m very picky.”
“…So?”
“So, I don’t like trying different things. I only eat what I like.”
“What if you get tired of it? Will you look for something else then?”
“I haven’t gotten tired of anything I like yet, so I don’t know.”
Rinel’s face came closer to mine. As if making a promise, our lips trembled simultaneously.
“Hmm?”
As if sealing a letter, his lips lightly touched mine.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
I pushed his firm chest with both hands, but he didn’t even flinch.
“Why all of a sudden…”
“Because you seem to keep asking foolish questions.”
His voice flowed through the slightly parted lips.
“So, I decided to stop you here. Is that unpleasant?”
“Oh, no, it’s not unpleasant, but…”
“Then, is it good?”
“Well, I’m not sure…”
“If you don’t know, you’ll find out when you try.”
“Oops.”
My resistance to his persistent kisses waned. What started lightly was deepening. Rinel’s hand lingered on my neck for a while, then slowly slid down under my collarbone. Near my pounding heart, his hand began to roam. Knock, knock, knock-. At that moment, cheerful knocking reverberated throughout the study. Startled by the sound, I pushed Rinel’s chest abruptly.
“Huh? Did I put too much force into it than I thought?” I realized that I had exerted more force than intended as I watched him tumble behind the sofa. He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. Before that bewildered expression turned into anger, I quickly responded to the knocking.
“C-Come in!”
Until the study door opened, his gaze remained fixed on my face. I quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him to help him sit properly on the sofa. Despite moving as I directed, his face still showed shock.
“Zelda, if you reject my kisses in the future, then…”
Rinel whispered in my ear, watching the study door slowly opening.
“I won’t be the only one falling back.”
The threat sounded strange.
I love their relationship lmao