“Episode 6”
“I know too well, more than you think. When did I glance? I resent my rash gaze and closed and opened my eyes in frustration.”
“But Your Majesty, did you go to the clinic alone?”
I quickly changed the subject.
“No, Secretary Lapha suddenly had a stomachache, so I held the fort alone.”
“In the corner?”
“Yeah, like someone said, I was crammed in the corner. How about the Empress?”
“What?”
“Why did you go to ‘Confident Night’ clinic yesterday? Seemed like you were there for something.”
“I, I…”
His question made my heart sink. I couldn’t tell the truth. What should I do? What should I say?
“Empress…?”
He called me as if urging me.
“I went to buy a potion!”
“What?”
“For our confident first night!”
“…”
“It’s true!”
I shouted earnestly with clenched fists. Emperor Lionel stared at me for a moment, then pulled the blanket up to his chin. Tension filled his face. Why is he like that?
“You suddenly look tired, Your Majesty?”
“Do I? That’s fortunate.”
He replied with closed eyes.
“Hmm?”
“The Empress must be tired too.”
He asked, opening one eye slightly.
“I… I’m not tired at all from taking the potion!”
Though a yawn was coming, I resisted by pinching my thigh. I couldn’t say that I felt like passing out just by closing my eyes, hiding the fact that I took the potency potion to hide the fact that I went to buy a magic potion to remove the burn scars. If I knew this would happen, I would’ve bought and drank the potency potion as well.
“Thanks to the potion, the Empress’s stamina is overflowing, but it’s better to rest now.”
“Is that so?”
I heard a welcoming sound in the midst of my thoughts.
“Yeah. We’ll gradually see the effects of that potion.”
Gradually see what? Emperor Lionel sent me a glance, then gestured for me to lie down on his bedside.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As I obediently lay down, he covered me with the blanket.
“But, there doesn’t seem to be any thermal magic stone in this bedroom…”
His voice full of questions came from the darkness.
“That seems to be the case. Are you feeling cold, Your Majesty?”
“No, it’s just fascinating.”
“What is?”
“Empress, are we a couple now?”
He suddenly asked, ignoring my question.
“Yes… right? We are a couple now.”
I replied after a brief pause.
“Right. We’re a couple.”
He nodded and gently held my hand, which he had neatly placed on his stomach.
“Empress?”
I was startled by his unexpected touch and squirmed to pull my hand away. His grip tightened even more. He turned his head towards me and asked as if inquiring.
“Is holding hands also something that requires the Empress’s permission?”
“No, it’s not…”
“Then let’s hold hands.”
Emperor Lionel gently squeezed my fingers in the hand he held.
“It’s warm, so… Even without a thermal magic stone, it’s been a long time since I fell asleep like this…”
His voice gradually slowed down and faded away. After a moment of silence, he suddenly blurted out.
“It’s nice.”
“…”
With that short word, silence fell again, but my heart continued to beat incessantly. I kept my gaze fixed on the ceiling, tense. Then suddenly, as if some courage had risen within me, I slowly turned my head towards Emperor Lionel. Huh? Was he asleep already? Looking at his face, which seemed to be soundly asleep, I began to relax as well. Even in the darkness, his face shone with a gentle light, and as I gazed at it for a while, my eyelids began to grow heavier and heavier. *** How much time had passed? My eyes opened on their own. The surroundings were still dark.
“I didn’t wake up because I was hot.”
I often woke up in the middle of the night due to the intense heat I felt in my body every 2 or 3 days. Whenever that happened, I would always go outside to the terrace, take off my clothes, and stand to feel the cold breeze, or I would sit in a bathtub filled with cold water to lower my body temperature so I could fall back asleep. Although my eyes opened out of habit, today was definitely different from other times. Even my usually heavy head felt much lighter. It was still early dawn, but my body felt refreshed enough to start the day. With a curious mind, I tried to sit up but failed.
“Oh.”
I realized belatedly that Emperor Lionel was holding me in his arms. Did Emperor Lionel, who suffered from hypothermia curse, cool down my hot fever all night long? Conversely, did I act as a human radiator for him? Whether he sensed my movements in his half-asleep state or not, he wrapped his arms around my body with both legs, enveloping me tightly.
“Ah.”
“Don’t move. Just stay like this…”
Lionel’s sleepy breath brushed against my neck. I didn’t mind the firmness of his embrace. I gave up trying to break free from his arms and closed my eyes again. However, I couldn’t easily fall asleep because of the sound of his heartbeat resonating through my body, making it tremble. *** Creak, creak – I vaguely woke up to the sound of footsteps on the marble floor. It wasn’t just the sound of one person’s footsteps; it was several people walking simultaneously. How long did I sleep for? I rubbed my eyes and fully woke up. As soon as I opened my eyes, the splendid mural on the ceiling caught my attention. Then, I suddenly remembered that this was the Empress’s bedroom in the Raphion Empire, which made me tense again. I rubbed my head before fully waking up.
“Hmm?”
I distinctly remembered that when I fell asleep last night, my hair covered the right side of my face, but now, all of it was tucked behind my right ear. Did I do that in my sleep? Or did Emperor Lionel? My bedside was already empty. The Emperor, who fell asleep before me last night, seemed to have woken up earlier than me and left the bedroom.
“Good morning, Your Majesty the Empress.”
“?”
As the cheerful voice of a lady echoed in the bedroom, several others echoed the same greeting.
“Good morning, Your Majesty the Empress.”
What’s going on this early in the morning? I was momentarily surprised, and without realizing it, furrowed my eyebrows. Then, I turned my head towards where the cheerful voices came from. Standing side by side on the terrace, four noble ladies, dressed gorgeously, entered my view along with the morning sunlight. They were looking at me with curious eyes as if observing me as soon as I woke up. Was it okay for the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting to enter the bedroom so brazenly, especially after spending the first night with the Emperor? They seemed to be noble ladies appointed as the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting. Was this also a tradition of the Raphion Imperial Family? Well, compared to the tradition of the attendants watching over the Emperor and Empress’s first night, this wasn’t too surprising. I looked back at them as if observing them just like they were observing me. All four ladies were beautiful, and their dresses were splendid and expensive. They all had meticulously done makeup, and jewels adorned their hairpins. Any one of them would look much better than me with the Empress’s crown on their head. I felt flustered for a moment but managed to compose myself. Meanwhile, I showed my discomfort with a glance. One of them, who seemed to have noticed my gaze, spoke up.
“We are the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting. From today, we will guide you through the Raphion Imperial Palace. We will also provide various assistance to help Your Majesty the Empress adapt quickly.”
Although she used honorifics, her expression and tone made her seem just like the Empress. Judging from her voice, she seemed like the one who greeted me first when I woke up.
“What are your names?”
My voice came out somewhat blunt. I didn’t bother with pleasantries like “nice to meet you” or “thank you for becoming my ladies-in-waiting.” After all, I was just a stand-in empress, so what did it matter if I paid attention to their reactions? As long as we behaved politely towards each other, everything should be fine. However, in the Raphion Imperial Palace, I couldn’t gauge whether the current situation was against protocol or not. If I were the real empress, I would never allow anyone to enter my bedroom without my permission. But what if Emperor Lionel gave them permission to enter my bedroom first? Hmm, if that’s the case, I’ll never again play the role of a human heater for the emperor.
“Ah, let me properly introduce myself. I am Melanie Heartsrose from the Heartsrose Duchy, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Starting with Melanie, the other three ladies-in-waiting stepped forward one by one and began their introductions.
“I am Felini Asto from the Asto Marquessate.”
Like Melanie, Felini stood tall and greeted me with confidence.
“Your Majesty the Empress, I am Sophia Winston from the Winston Viscounty!”
This time, the lady who greeted me seemed the youngest. Perhaps that’s why she smiled brightly and laughed cheerfully alone.
Finally, the orange-haired curly-haired lady, who had been standing slightly apart at the end, hesitantly stepped forward. Unlike the other ladies who stood confidently, she seemed cautious.
“I greet Your Majesty the Empress. I am Rosie Adelheid from the Adelheid Viscounty. I truly apologize for unintentionally waking Your Majesty the Empress from your sleep.”
Rosie’s shy expression showed that she was the one with proper judgment. I nodded lightly to her and then addressed the other ladies.
“You all know about me already, so I’ll skip my introduction. But, I have a question from the moment we meet, if I may…”
Unintentionally, my voice sounded quite imposing even to myself. The four ladies showed somewhat surprised expressions at my stern tone. I scrutinized each of their faces to familiarize myself with them. Three of them were still looking down at me sitting on the bed, while Rosie, the orange-haired curly-haired lady who introduced herself last, kept her head bowed.
“Who dares to… allow you all into the bedroom without my permission?”
I questioned assertively, causing the ladies’ eyes to widen, and their irises shook nervously.
“Who is it?”
I asked again. Then, the three ladies glanced subtly at one person. I turned my gaze to the person they were signaling to. So, it’s you.
“I understand, Your Majesty the Empress.”
It was Melanie, who had greeted me first. She walked gracefully forward with a confident expression.
“Did you not have guards outside?”
“We did.”
“Then?”
As I calmly and coldly questioned, Melanie’s expression changed slightly to one of confusion.
“Um, w-we were already chosen as Your Majesty the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting, so we naturally assumed we had the right to enter Your Majesty the Empress’s chamber without… permission…”
Melanie hurriedly finished her sentence while maintaining eye contact with me until the end. I, too, stared intently at Melanie, and our gazes clashed for a moment before she averted her eyes from mine.
“So you entered the Empress’s chamber without permission, without even knocking, the morning after attending the ball?”
I continued my gentle but probing tone. Just as Melanie seemed about to offer an excuse, I quickly added:
“Whether the ladies-in-waiting have the right to come and go in the Empress’s chamber is my decision, not yours.”
“… If Your Majesty felt uncomfortable, please forgive us.”
Melanie’s confident demeanor faltered slightly under my firm tone.
“We will ensure such incidents do not occur again.”
Of course, such incidents won’t happen in the future. I’ll replace them with other ladies-in-waiting. That’s what I silently retorted to Melanie, but outwardly, I just nodded with a neutral expression.
“Now, shall we… help you with your makeup and choose your attire? In the style of the Raphion Empire!”
With a fake smile, Melanie quickly spoke, prompting the other ladies to chime in, each offering their assistance.
“The Empress of the Raphion Empire is known for her high standards. Without considerable beauty, one cannot even catch a momentary glance.”
“That’s right! So, Your Majesty the Empress, you must need our discerning eye.”
The ladies already seemed to look down on me. They probably think they’re more suitable for the Empress of the Raphion Empire if they adorn me. I could see their true feelings in their contemptuous gazes. Moreover, in the Raphion Empire, the Shatony Kingdom is treated as a vassal state. So, I had anticipated that they wouldn’t be very hospitable towards an empress from there. However, if they didn’t even show me the basic courtesy, then I had no obligation to smile kindly at them. After all, they were nobles I wouldn’t have to deal with once my role was done.
“Did Your Majesty not experience it last night?”
Melanie asked confidently.
“Experience what?”
“That you are a composed and cold person. Even in bed.”
It was a presumptuous statement. I shrugged my shoulders and asked.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because Your Majesty has never had a lady by your side before. It’s difficult to win Your Majesty’s favor unless you possess considerable beauty. So, Your Majesty must absolutely need our help…”
She was essentially implying that I lacked beauty. I deflected the insinuation and spoke.
“If that’s the kind of help you’re offering, I don’t think I need it.”
The eyes of the curious ladies-in-waiting began to move busily in response to my words.
