“Episode 3”
“Haah, this is quite the experience. My thoughts are getting complicated.”
“But, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Hmm, it’s strange.”
Emperor Lionel halted as if he was about to say something. He threw out the words ‘it’s strange’ and waited for me to ask, ‘what is?’ I remained silent, not curious at all. If he had something to say, he would say it without me asking.
“Other women go to great lengths to catch my eye, so I thought my face was quite decent, didn’t I?”
As expected, the emperor, tired of waiting, started talking on his own. Ending with ‘decent’ alone, his face was lacking despite all the flowery words. He really has a blunt self-evaluation. I looked up at him.
“But now that I think about it, not just my face, but other parts of me are quite decent too, aren’t they?”
In the midst of seriousness, there was a hint of playful mischief in his eyes, leaving me unsure how to react.
“Even if you prefer my instep over my face, when I speak, you should look at my face.”
“Oh, yes, Your Majesty.”
Only then did I realize that I had been focusing on his instep. So, I answered, but as my gaze returned to his instep, he promptly lifted my chin.
“There are plenty of people bowing their heads in front of me. There’s no need for the empress to join them.”
It was a tone that could be interpreted as either a command or a request. I looked into his eyes as he wanted.
“Much better. I hope the empress’s gaze stays on my face. I know my instep is more likable than my face, but still.”
“Oh, my…”
Unintentionally, a sigh of admiration escaped me, seeming to tease the emperor’s humor. He seemed to be aware that his joke was a bit overboard as his lips curled up slightly, betraying a somewhat embarrassed expression. Seeing him reflect, laughter involuntarily burst out of me.
“Pffft!”
Have I finally lost my mind? Laughing so openly in front of the emperor. He looked at me with an indifferent gaze, then raised one hand and wiped his cheek. My saliva had splattered on his face.
“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
I apologized, tapping my lips with my hand seeking forgiveness. He chuckled lightly. Amidst my confusion, his well-groomed upper body approached me abruptly. As a result, my body, which had been sitting upright on the bed, leaned backward towards the bedpost. Just before falling back, I quickly grabbed the bed with both hands and pushed myself up.
“If I were to answer the empress’s question, the priests do not witness the first night of the remarried empress. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
Damn it. Princess Lyselia must be comfortable.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I replied, feeling flustered.
I nodded my head. Then, as I openly admired the faintly twitching muscles of the emperor’s chest in front of me, our eyes met. Even at a glance, his firm abdomen appeared even more sensual under the dim lighting. Even his solid abs had many small and large scars. Like memories etched by the glory of battle, the scars adorned his abdomen. Perhaps sensing my heated gaze, Emperor Lionel swept his hand over his abdomen.
“They were weak opponents.”
Pointing to the largest scar just above his navel, he said.
“Yes?”
“The one who caused this scar.”
“But, why would a weak opponent cause the biggest scar?”
“That’s a secret. I’ll tell only the empress, especially on our first day as a couple.”
He suddenly lowered his voice. A secret? Telling only me? Whether for good or bad, the words ‘especially’ and ‘secret’ made me widen my eyes and listen intently.
“I… I see…”
“Weak opponents strangely make me lower my guard.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
“Is it really such a big secret?”
I tried to sound sympathetic to his words while teasing. Worried that he might not understand my intention, I was relieved when he nodded and said, “Is that so?” in agreement. Our faces, which had come close, hastily moved apart again.
“It may be tense, but there’s nothing to worry about.”
“What do you mean?”
“After all, those incompetent priests with their fake sanctity won’t even know if we’re really having our first night together. So, I plan to fake it and finish.”
“F-fake it?”
“Yes. I have no intention of letting those priests enjoy my abilities for free.”
I wanted to ask what abilities he was talking about, but my heart had already begun to beat rapidly, understanding the meaning of his words. Heart, let’s calm down. It doesn’t seem like something you should be excited about, does it?
“I don’t intend to enjoy it in this state.”
Emperor Lionel muttered seriously. I listed his words in my mind and analyzed their meaning. Was he referring to me with ‘in this state’? Or was he talking about the situation where the priests were witnessing? What did he mean by faking it? I couldn’t find any clues from his eerily calm expression.
“Shall we begin?”
“Umm… Yes?”
Emperor Lionel chuckled at my bewildered expression, then, in a very businesslike tone, he shouted straight toward the bedroom door.
“Come in!”
**Before the priests entered, the courtiers entered the bedroom first. They quickly lowered the black sheer curtains hanging from the bedposts. Only then did I realize that Emperor Lionel’s words about ending it with a mere act of pretense were feasible. As the emperor and I sat side by side on the bed, the courtiers left the room, and soon the priests entered noiselessly, like ghosts. The sight of the priests outside the black sheer curtains appeared solemn. Each of them held a Bible in their hands. I couldn’t help but wonder why the priests entered with Bibles on the emperor and empress’s first night. The priests took their positions, circling around the bed at a distance, and began to recite prayers before the main ceremony. Emperor Lionel nudged my arm subtly. I had been staring blankly at the silhouettes of the priests beyond the sheer curtains until he whispered softly in my ear.
“As you can see, the priests only see our silhouettes. There’s nothing clear. They’re just mumbling blessings and will leave the bedroom soon. Just bear with it a little longer.”
“Yes? So, does that mean…”
Are the priests not directly witnessing the first night?
“Luck seems to be on the empress’s side.”
“Me?”
Am I lucky? I asked, eyes widened in surprise. He nodded.
“In the past, the ancestors’ first nights were directly observed by the priests, but things have changed.”
Really?
“Since when?”
“Since my time.”
He said he abolished the tradition.
“Instead, we reached a compromise.”
The agreement was as follows: The priests would enter the bedroom before the night began, pray, and then wait outside while the emperor and empress kissed. Once the night was over, they would come back in and sing blessings, completing their role.
“Why the strange expression? Did I say I’d change it from the next reign?”
“Oh, no. You’ve done a truly great thing, Your Majesty.”
He could have said that from the beginning… I was so nervous!
“But, the priests’ eyes need to be deceived a bit.”
“How so? What should I do?”
Just tell me. If I, who am currently your empress, can deceive you, so can the priests.
“You seem enthusiastic enough to act. It’s about the kiss…”
The kiss?
“I’ll pretend to move, so please cooperate, Your Majesty.”
“What kind of cooperation…?”
“Empress, just stay still. That’s all.”
In other words, the kiss would be the signal for the night. Still, it was fortunate that the tradition changed and the priests withdrew at that point, even though it’s a situation where not just acting but actually kissing is required.
“Really… just stay still?”
“Why, do you want to lead? Then go ahead.”
“Oh, no, Your Majesty. I’ll follow your lead!”
I quickly whispered.
“Good.”
Emperor Lionel let out a long sigh. He seemed tense too now.
“Anything else doesn’t need to be shown to the priests, but the kiss leaves no room for choice.”
His voice, sounding as if pleading for understanding, seemed strangely melancholic. May sweetness accompany this poor emperor. What wrong have I committed? Nevertheless, until Princess Lyselia arrives at the Raphion Palace, I must endure. It won’t be easy, but my survival game has already begun. I mustn’t get caught. Not for Princess Lyselia, not for Prince Tesla, but solely for myself. To obtain the magic potion that will remove my burn scars and live as a whole person again.
“The ceremony begins.”
Emperor Lionel’s voice towards the priests sounded endlessly dry, as if attending a boring meeting. As the emperor spoke, the priests interrupted their prayers and began muttering something new. Incomprehensible incantations flowed from the priests’ mouths with a mysterious rhythm. Could it be likened to background music before the night’s celebration? Although not audible enough, their voices intermittently rose and fell, chanting something about ‘God’. It seemed like I could join in soon. My mind went blank about what to do. Well, Lionel, who seems experienced, will lead the way, right? Listening to the priests’ chanting, I felt somewhat hypnotized and drowsy. Lionel glanced at me and whispered quietly.
“Are you responding to the priests’ incantations?”
What? Do the priests have some kind of power to affect one’s mood with their chants? Come to think of it, our lips hadn’t even touched yet, but my body trembled slightly. Moreover, unfortunately, my body was heating up from within. Since I was seven and got burned on my face, such symptoms had occurred several times a month. This sensation of heat was a symptom only I felt. Others couldn’t tell that my body felt hot, even if they saw me or touched my skin directly. When the burn scars on my face felt like they were tingling with pain and I felt like I was trapped in a pit of fire, I had to immerse my body in cold water in the bathtub for a while. In winter, the situation was a bit better, but in other seasons, cold water was the only way to cool down my body. However, even cold water turned lukewarm after a few minutes. When the heat became severe, steam rose from the water, even after just ten minutes. Why did this sensation of heat have to occur now? I wanted to throw myself into cold water right away. Despite drinking the magic potion, which made my burn scars invisible, the pain in that area was still there. It felt like someone was holding a flame close to my eyeballs. I couldn’t see Emperor Lionel’s face properly either.
“Don’t make a face.”
He whispered as he gently covered my hot cheeks with his cold hands. He seemed to think I was annoyed.
“My body is getting too hot… I feel like I’m burning… Yes.”
I barely managed to open my lips to respond. Emperor Lionel raised an eyebrow. His cold blue eyes darkened, and a puzzled expression crossed his face. Oh, did my words cause him to misunderstand?
“Excellent. You’re quite the actress.”
Emperor Lionel murmured softly as he lightly brushed his lips against mine.
“No, that’s not… Oops…!”
His lips, magnificent and noble, suddenly overlapped mine, which were slightly parted.
Oh my goodness. As his gentle and skillful kiss continued, my eyes closed slowly. In contrast, my stiff lips were being swept around like a fool. Unexpectedly, the kiss with Emperor Lionel felt like an oasis to me. My mouth, which was burning intensely, quickly cooled down as if I had chewed a mint leaf. The throbbing pain also subsided significantly. How could this be happening…? I placed both hands on his dignified face and eagerly accepted his movements. Let’s just live for now. After satisfying my thirst for a while, the sensation of heat definitely diminished. As I slowly opened my eyes, Emperor Lionel was giving me a stolen glance. His wandering eyes, because of me, asked me.
“Did I say you didn’t have to be this enthusiastic?”
I hurriedly parted my lips.
“Ha… sorry…”
Emperor Lionel exhaled a long breath and glanced at me. Looking outside the black sheer curtains, there was no sign of the ghostly priests who had been standing there.
“They left a while ago. While we were passionately kissing.”
He said, wiping his trembling lips with the back of his hand.
“They left without even saying goodbye?”
“I don’t know.”
He muttered to himself, then placed his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me down.
“Y-your Majesty, the priests have already left, haven’t they?”
I urgently asked as I lay sprawled on the bed.
“I know.”
“But why…”
“Just stay still. I need to check something.”
The distance between us narrowed gradually.
