“Episode 22”
“The child was fortunately unharmed when he fell off the cliff, presumably because he was held in the arms of the adventurer at the time of discovery.”
“Hmm, is that really fortunate?”
Duke Martens placed a hand on the shoulder of his shadow knight, Rolf Kye, and asked.
“Yes?”
“When I think about the child’s future, surviving seems fortunate, doesn’t it?”
“Duke, if that adventurer doesn’t wake up and dies… what will you do with the child?”
“Why, would you like to raise him, Rolf?”
In response to Duke Martens’ question, Rolf Kye smiled and scratched his head, prompting the Duke to cluck his tongue in disdain.
“Oh, have you grown attached to him?”
As a Duke’s knight, Rolf Kye had been Duke Martens’ sparring partner in their first knightly test. Despite constant practice, Duke Martens couldn’t improve his swordsmanship, so he gave up and took Rolf Kye as his squire instead. Although he was loyal, his heart was too soft.
“Let’s leave it at that for today. Oh, Rolf. I have one more question.”
“Please ask.”
“What business does a man have with a woman at this hour? And in such a hurry.”
“Do you know what kind of relationship they have?”
Since such a question was unusual coming from Duke Martens, Rolf Kye looked at him with a strange look, but he was also curious.
“They’re a married couple, as far as I know.”
“Then there’s only one possibility, isn’t there?”
“One possibility, what?”
Duke Martens’ sharp face twisted slightly.
“The husband is in a hurry.”
“What’s the rush?”
“Well, you know. Going to share some hot passion…”
“What? That cold-blooded man?”
“Even cold-blooded people have desires, don’t they?”
“I heard the Emperor doesn’t get close to women, so why…”
“Duke! Did you just say the Emperor? Oh, are you already getting busy with the concubines?”
Just a moment ago, Rolf Kye was puzzled by Duke Martens’ question, but suddenly he became curious and asked with a curious voice.
“Not concubines, it’s Zelda von Troba.”
“Oh, Empress?!”
“Hey, aren’t you saying that the Empress’s name comes out very naturally?”
“Well, isn’t it true? Until the divorce, at least.”
“That’s right.”
Duke nodded in agreement with Rolf Kye’s words.
“This is unexpected. Linel Gadian Edpa, the Emperor who seems very picky, has a taste for the Empress.”
“It seems that the Emperor has eyes. I didn’t see it that way…”
The opinions of the two men differed.
“What did you just say? The Emperor has eyes? That sounds like the Empress is quite attractive, doesn’t it?”
Am I the only one who’s late? Duke Martens thought to himself as he pushed Rolf Kye’s chest with his fist.
“Be careful with your words, but I must confess that I have seen the Empress from afar a few times while in the kingdom.”
Rolf Kye recalled the moment he saw Zelda as if reminiscing about a secret love.
“Look at this? It’s not a joke, it’s sincere? Are you making that face because you saw what the Empress looks like back then?”
The Duke observed Rolf Kye’s face.
“At the royal court.”
“Where?”
“I’ve seen her practicing swordsmanship alone in the training grounds several times.”
“What? The Empress knows how to wield a sword?!”
The Duke doubted his ears.
“Yes, watching the Empress practice swordsmanship is so mesmerizingly beautiful that it’s almost enchanting.”
“Surely the Empress isn’t more skilled than you?”
“Oh, no, compared to her, I should just put a knife to my throat right now.”
“The Empress… practices swordsmanship?”
As Duke Martens stroked his chin, Rolf Kye quickly added.
“And she’s exceptionally good at it.”
The way Rolf Kye spoke with admiration implied that her skill was truly extraordinary. So, did the Empress know about my failure to become a knight? How much did she secretly laugh at me?
“This is unbelievable.”
Upon hearing that Zelda was skilled in swordsmanship, Duke Martens couldn’t help but curse unintentionally. Despite the Duke’s deep concern, Rolf Kye continued to praise her.
“We, um, when we see someone with superior swordsmanship, it’s like falling in love. Knights feel that way, of course, although it’s an emotion you might not understand, Your Grace.”
Rolf Kye didn’t intend to mock Duke Martens, who had failed the swordsmanship test repeatedly, but sometimes he couldn’t resist teasing him like this.
“Hmm, leave it at that for now.”
“Yes, Your Grace. And although it’s not certain yet, I thought it might be best to inform you about something.”
“What is it?”
“That Norton, the mercenary, whose origins are unclear, may not be of humble birth.”
“On what basis?”
“The jewel embedded in the handle of the sword he carried was broken, revealing something like an emblem inside.”
“An emblem?”
“Yes, it wasn’t a seal used in the Kingdom of Shahto’nil.”
“How did the emblem appear to you?”
“I’m not sure, but it might have been a seal used by noble families or royalty… But he could have stolen the sword from somewhere.”
For a moment, Duke Martens’ gaze sharpened.
“Rolf Kye, bring me that sword.”
***
“Wait, the towel should be in the bathroom! Why did I come out?!” I muttered to myself as I frantically searched around the bedroom. With a slap to my forehead, I turned back towards the bathroom. But in my confusion, it seemed I had left the bathroom door ajar. If his cursed cold body were to turn into an ice statue, half of it would be my fault.
“Oh, the towel is in the bathroom, I must have been mistaken and looked for it in the bedroom. Haha,” I said casually as I entered the bathroom. He was standing with his back turned. As the hazy steam began to dissipate, revealing his silhouette, it was truly mesmerizing. His back resembled that of the war god Tefuro. He glanced back at me as he wiped the moisture from his body with the towel, and he flashed a faint smile. His moist smile, so lacking in reality, made me feel dizzy.
“Zelda, I think I’ve lost sensation in my toes.”
Oh my goodness!
“Um, wait a moment!”
I needed to find a new towel quickly. I regained my composure and tried to remember where the servants had left the towels. Losing my composure, my body and mind were out of sync, and I kept doing foolish things. Like a person who had lost their sense of direction, I rummaged through the wrong places, and eventually, I slipped on the wet floor, flailing my arms wildly.
“Ahh!”
As my body fell backward, it stopped in mid-air as he grabbed me around the waist and looked down at me. It was a reassuring posture. In the meantime, most of the steam had dissipated from the bathroom, and Lionel’s handsome face came into focus in my sight.
“That was close.”
Lionel furrowed his brows slightly.
“Nearly caused a catastrophe, didn’t you?”
He paused for a moment as if lost in thought. I suppressed my laughter and asked calmly,
“Oh, were you trying to say that I’m a bad ‘woman’?”
“What?”
“Usually, ‘bad man’ and ‘bad woman’ come as a pair, right?”
“Is that so?”
“Originally, it was ‘bad woman.’ That’s what I was trying to say.”
“That doesn’t seem right?”
“Do you really think so? But suddenly my arms hurt too much.”
He released his grip on my waist with a slight shrug.
“Ah, you scoundrel!”
I desperately clung to his body and shouted.
“!”
Wait, what did I just say…?
“Are you trying to stop me before I die?”
Lionel threatened, seemingly about to release his hold on my waist.
“No, not at all! It’s just that I blurted out those words out of the fear of dying!”
“I don’t believe you. Was that made up just now?”
“Absolutely not! It’s just that…”
Thankfully, Lionel burst into laughter, still holding me close and stood me up straight. A towel was already wrapped around his waist.
“Thank you for saving me. As they say, even a dying person may not recognize a god…”
“Don’t mention it. But if a wife doesn’t recognize her husband, calling him a scoundrel isn’t a good idea, is it?”
“Of course not…”
As he held me for support, our proximity made it difficult to breathe, and now, just standing face to face made my breath quicken. Despite my efforts to focus solely on his forehead, my eyes kept wandering to that part of his neck. Internally, I hypnotized myself not to look there and forced myself to maintain eye contact with his forehead.
“What were you asking?”
***
“Is my forehead strange?” he asked, running his hand over his forehead.
“No, your forehead is… quite impressive,” I replied.
“Take another look.”
“Excuse me?”
“Where else could be impressive but my forehead?”
He stepped back and spread his arms wide as he said.
I thought he would make a full circle, but he didn’t. Thankfully. He didn’t need to find a fancy spot to stand in; he himself was a work of art. As the door to the bedroom was left open, the steam that had filled the bathroom began to dissipate, gradually brightening the room. It was then that I noticed an extra towel on the table behind the bathtub.
“Here, use this to dry off the remaining moisture,” I said, offering him the towel with both hands.
“Someone might think we haven’t even spent our wedding night together. How modest,” he remarked.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Modesty.”
As he dried off the remaining moisture with the fresh towel, he said mockingly, “Given the circumstances, we haven’t even properly spent our wedding night.”
Oh, why did he have to bring that up? I couldn’t understand why he kept blurting out such remarks as if he were a person with a terminal illness unless I responded promptly.
“I agree with that thought.”
He nodded vigorously. No, don’t agree!
“Let’s talk in the bedroom first. My feet feel paralyzed.”
Looking down at his wriggling toes, he said. Oh no.
“Yes, let’s go!”
“Grab me.”
He reached out his hand to me. A caring man. And quite sexy too. My heart raced as I imagined the towel that had been haphazardly draped around his hips might accidentally go on a long journey.
“Come on. Can’t afford to slip.”
“Thank you. I’ll walk carefully so you don’t slip.”
I tried to hold his hand gently, but his touch was as cold as ice. Well, as long as his heart was warm. With a shy smile, I took his hand and gracefully walked across the slippery bathroom floor.
“Not you, me.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I shouldn’t slip.”
“Oh.”
“Think about it. If I slip and get injured, imagine the misunderstanding. The Empress of Shaftonile tries to assassinate the Emperor Raphion by knocking him over during a bath! It’s a perfect misunderstanding, isn’t it?”
“Oh, haha. Is it? Since Your Majesty is so dignified, you should be careful. With four concubines besides me, I don’t mind slipping, you know.”
Even though my face was undoubtedly expressing a range of emotions, he laughed and patted his stomach. We held hands again and walked out of the bathroom, careful not to slip. ***
“Get under the covers quickly.”
I quickly pulled back the covers on the bed and urged him to get in first.
“My body is quite cold.”
He climbed onto the bed and pulled the blanket up to his neck, sitting up.
“Just lie down completely, so your body gets warmer.”
“Yeah, sure.”
He immediately lay down on the bed. At times like this, he seemed like a obedient child.
“Are you going to lie down too? You seem to be the final weapon to raise my body temperature.”
“The final weapon has something to do before that, so wait a moment.”
I pressed the blanket firmly around him to prevent any drafts from entering his body and went out of the bedroom. Outside, I asked Stian, the waiting chamberlain, to bring his pajamas and tomorrow morning’s uniform, and I asked Sharon to bring warm lemon tea with honey. When I returned to the bedroom, Linel was sitting with the blanket wrapped around him. He watched me as I walked towards the bed. As we got closer, his expression hardened. What did I do wrong?
“Who are you?”
I blinked, taken aback by the sudden question, and stood awkwardly in front of the bed without even sitting down.
“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to buy some time.
“What’s your identity?” His voice lowered a notch this time. Could it be that he’s starting to doubt my identity? But when and how?
“Was that a difficult question?” Linel narrowed his eyes.
“Zelda, what’s your identity?”
