“Episode 34”
“Why would I be surprised?” I asked, tilting my head. “What kind of imagination do you have about me? I said with a smirk.
“If I were to express what I want to do with you in words… Zelda, you might just run away from here right now,” I said, feeling a bit cheeky as I lightly touched my neck.
“I’ve thought about what I want to do with you, but I haven’t properly tried any of them yet. But tonight, I plan to do at least one of those things,” I continued.
“Is that so?”
“Just now, was that not a question, but rather a request? If I hadn’t raised my voice, I would have kissed you right away,” I teased.
“You have a strange talent for making the Emperor hesitate…” I trailed off as I pressed my lips firmly against his. It was an impulsive move, even surprising myself. I wondered how wide his blue eyes must be right now. His lips, which had been teasing me just a moment ago, seemed stunned into stillness. Without hesitation, I acted on my feelings. Kissing was surprisingly peaceful without having to worry about etiquette, without the gaze of others, just moving according to my emotions. Though my heart was racing, my lips felt like they were caught in a whirlwind in the middle of the ocean.
“Oh, Zelda!” It was me who had first led him to the bed.
He suddenly placed my hand on his heart and stared into my eyes earnestly. As the sound of his heartbeat resonated clearly in my palm, my whole body seemed to vibrate. And when my heartbeat joined in, the vibration intensified. I even had the thought that if our hearts, pounding away, were to burst out of our chests, they wouldn’t be easily contained.
“Lionel, I feel like my heart is about to leap out of my mouth right now.”
“Well, that wouldn’t be good.”
He responded seriously to my foolish confession. This amusing conversation soon turned into action.
“Let’s put our hearts back where they belong.”
Lionel pulled me closer and resumed kissing me, as if dancing in celebration.
“Do you know how terrifying it is to be crushing the Emperor like this?”
As his words trailed off, our positions suddenly switched.
“I’ll make sure you do.”
Lionel whispered as he looked down at me, sparking anticipation in every nerve of my body. His grip on me was as fierce as it was relentless. I wanted to ask if it was okay to kiss so aggressively, but his movements were rough, yet the sensation was incredibly gentle. Though our positions changed, the desire emanating from our gaze remained unchanged.
“How curious are you about the severity of that crime?”
I asked somewhat boldly.
“Are you provoking me?”
“Would you prefer I call it seduction?”
“Is that why you’re dressed like this?”
Lionel grabbed the hem of my dress sleeve discontentedly. It seemed like a tantrum, yet it was amusing.
“I chose the lightest dress.”
“Sounds planned.”
“Then are you coming over?”
“What? When did I ever… say something like that?”
Lionel said incredulously. Somewhere along the way, I seemed to have become addicted to this man. His deep and serious voice had become a great pleasure to listen to.
“Did you really come over?”
“Didn’t you know?”
As I burst into laughter, he deliberately spoke in a more solemn tone.
“My heart has already surrendered, but why hasn’t my body made any progress? What do you think about this situation?”
“It’s sad.”
“Let’s handle this dress before it gets sadder.”
He attempted to pull down the sleeve of my dress covering my shoulder line.
“Darn it, can’t we loosen the dress a bit? Why is it clinging to my skin like this?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his serious demeanor.
“This dress isn’t some torture device, you know.”
As he examined my dress, he suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! Can I actually…?” and muttered to himself. His hands came towards me like ghosts.
“Not the dress!”
“Huh?”
He stopped with his arms extended in front of him.
“Then?”
“Completely tear off this dangling shoulder part.”
“Oh, that’s what you meant? I… ”
Lionel chuckled awkwardly as he completely tore off the dangling fabric of the right shoulder line. He held the torn sleeve carefully in his hands and looked at me with bewilderment. I let out a deep sigh and started taking off the dress. I felt grateful for Sharon choosing a dress that was easy to put on and take off. Thanks to Sharon’s sense, I could easily remove the dress alone. His eyes widened as I undressed.
“Lionel, could you look away for a moment?”
Even though I was wearing a slip dress underneath, I still felt a bit embarrassed by his intense gaze.
“Why? We’re already… No, let’s just turn off the lights. That should work, right?”
It seemed much less embarrassing that way, so I nodded. All the lights in the bedroom disappeared in an instant. At first, nothing was visible, but after a few minutes, Lionel’s facial contours became visible. He kept his gaze fixed on me even in the darkness. I wrapped myself in the blanket after undressing. I heard him rustling around. I had an idea of what he was doing, even though I couldn’t see in the dark. It wasn’t visible due to the darkness, but I averted my gaze for a moment too. After a while, his large hand gently stroked my head and turned my face towards him. Our eyes met in the darkness. As the night deepened, our cautious instincts gradually revealed their true colors. Lionel’s clear blue eyes made his expression vivid. His large hand, which had lovingly encased my face, passed my jawline, sending shivers down my spine. It felt like everything in the world was folding in on itself. Even our souls. Knock, knock, knock. Of all the moments, a knock sounded from outside the bedroom door.
“What’s going on?!”
Lionel shouted nervously towards the bedroom door.
“Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty. I have received a message that the Second Consort, Lady Melanie, has tumbled down the stairs!”
At the urgent tone of Secretary Rafael’s voice, Lionel and I exchanged surprised expressions simultaneously. However, he soon erased his surprised expression and furrowed his brow deeply.
“Why would she be fine one moment and then tumbling down the stairs?”
He muttered grumpily.
“First, let’s hear the details from Rafael.”
I said as I raised his chest muscles with both hands as if lifting a temple pillar.
“Do we really have to?”
“Because she fell down the stairs.”
“It might be a hobby.”
“…”
“Or a talent.”
“Regardless of whether it’s a hobby or a talent, we should hear the details first.”
“Ah, we should’ve fallen first; we’re a step behind.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, it’s a valid point.”
“Is it? Melanie’s situation was different. It could have been dangerous.”
“Falling down the stairs can be just as dangerous as falling off the bed, isn’t it different?”
His murmured words sounded oddly plausible, almost making me nod in agreement.
“Hurry up and get dressed, and listen to Rafael.”
I quickly picked up my silk dress, missing one sleeve, from the marble floor and put it on. Despite getting dressed promptly, Lionel lay on the bed, not moving and with both arms tucked behind his head.
“Get up, come on!”
I urged him, forcing him to sit up and tuck his shirt into his pants. Even after doing all this for him, he still refused to move. His expression seemed deliberately obstinate. I had to button up his shirt sleeves for him. Despite hearing about his own Second Consort tumbling down the stairs, he was too indifferent, as if he had heard news about another country’s Melanie. Lionel watched me button up his shirt sleeves with a quick smile. Strangely, his attention seemed focused on the wrong place.
“You’re buttoning from top to bottom, while I’m buttoning from bottom to top.”
Lionel said profoundly, like a magician discovering a profound truth.
“But why am I nervous even though I’m just buttoning?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
He smiled as he stroked my right shoulder, where the sleeve had completely disappeared.
“That’s it. Tell Rafael to come in now.”
I got up from the bed first, turned on the lights, and walked towards the mirror.
“Now?”
“When else would you call him?”
“Rafael will be surprised again.”
As Lionel mumbled something behind me, I didn’t hear properly as I focused on fixing my disheveled hair in the mirror.
“If the Empress commands, so be it. Rafael! Come in.”
At his call, Rafael, who had been waiting outside the bedroom, quickly entered.
“Your Majesty!”
“What on earth happened?”
“Yes, about that…! Oh, my eyes!”
Rafael, who was walking confidently towards Lionel, suddenly stopped and covered his eyes with his hands. What’s wrong? I turned to look at Rafael as I asked, inadvertently catching Lionel in my sight. He was buckling up his pants with confidence. Ah, I think I knew why Rafael was so surprised. Lionel asked Rafael cheerfully.
“Rafael, did you see?”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
