Episode 88. The Final Event (1)

Percy had always been a mysterious person, but this was the first time I had seen magic before my very eyes. With my arms still wrapped around his neck, I met his gaze and asked, “How did you do that?”

“Who knows.”

“Is ‘who knows’ your only answer today?” I retorted, feeling a bit sarcastic. He responded with a silent smile, and I pouted before leaning in to kiss him.

His lips, warm and soft, lightly brushed against mine. Feeling mischievous, I bit down gently on his lower lip. In response, he pressed closer, his warmth enveloping me like a comforting embrace.

Even after our long kiss ended, we exchanged smaller, tender kisses, like birds pecking at each other affectionately. I felt the rough texture of his glove slide up my calf, and I tilted my head curiously.

“Why do you always wear gloves? Is it to cover up a scar?”

“Something like that.”

I had always assumed that he simply preferred cleanliness and neatness, which was why he never forgot his gloves. But it seemed there was more to it. I chuckled softly.

“Lately, Julius has been wearing gloves too, so I thought it was just a fashion statement among the upper class.”

“Did you now?”

“You don’t wear them to bed, do you?”

“I don’t, because I don’t like it.”

Was it a large scar, then? Perhaps noticing my curiosity, Percy began to remove his glove, hooking it with the fingers of his other hand.

“Would you like to see it?”

If it really was a scar, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it. Besides, he said he didn’t even like it himself, so why would I want to make him relive something unpleasant?

“Not interested,” I replied, feigning indifference. It wasn’t that I wasn’t curious, but in this world, acting too eager could lead to penalties. So I had to play it cool.

Percy smiled at my response. “Your eyes say otherwise.”

“They do not!”

Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious. But I didn’t want Percy to recall something that might bring back painful memories. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

Seeing my reluctance, Percy chuckled again and gently cupped my cheek with his large hand, his thumb brushing lightly over the corner of my eye. It was like he was soothing a cat. I squinted at him, wondering what he would say next.

“This scar… it happened 15 years ago.”

The story that the Stewart family maids had started to tell me before abruptly cutting themselves off came to mind. They had called it a family tragedy.

‘There’s no need to talk about something so painful.’

I wanted to tell him that. But before I could say anything, the glove slid off, revealing smooth skin that was entirely different from what I had imagined. And on the back of his hand…

“What?”

Just as I furrowed my brow, recognizing something familiar, there was a loud knock at the door.

“Princess! Please open the door!”

The door shook with the force of the pounding. Percy, who had been holding me just moments before, quickly stepped back, his demeanor instantly changing.

“It seems we’ve been interrupted.”

“I’ll send them away,” I offered.

“No need,” Percy replied, neither stubborn nor willing to linger.

“Next time…”

He started to speak but left the sentence unfinished as he disappeared through the window. I let out a sigh and buried my face in my hands.

‘That… that was it, wasn’t it?’

The mark on Percy’s hand, something that resembled a scar.

Percy might have said it was something he didn’t like, but I recognized it immediately.

It was a barcode.

* * *

The upcoming banquet was fast approaching, and the palace had become more hectic than ever. Even with minimal preparations, time was already tight, but this was the first event under the new emperor, so it was obvious that nothing less than the best would be acceptable.

Naturally, this meant that a mountain of documents had piled up, most of which required my approval. As a result, I found myself buried in paperwork, gritting my teeth in frustration.

“Julius, I swear I’m going to kill you.”

I muttered under my breath.

Across from me, Julius clicked his tongue and shook his head, an amused expression on his face.

“I didn’t realize my sister was the type to make open threats of murder.”

“Murder? If I did kill you out of frustration, it would be your fault, not mine!” I snapped, standing up from my seat and yelling.

“Yes, I’m a fool! So just let this idiot go free!”

“Now that I think about it, you’re not quite a fool. More like a noisy calculator,” he said, smirking.

“Julius!!!”

My shout echoed through the office so loudly that I instinctively covered my mouth with both hands, shaking my head in disbelief. It had been perfectly timed to coincide with my yelling, but I knew it wasn’t me who caused the commotion.

“I-I didn’t shout.”

I stammered, glancing at Julius, who was now frowning and looking toward the entrance.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and the door burst open to reveal none other than Julius’s mother, the Empress Dowager.

“Mother.”

Julius said, rising from his seat.

The Empress Dowager marched up to him, pointing an accusing finger at me and shouting in a sharp voice.

“It wasn’t enough to spare that wretched girl’s life, but now you’re giving her the Zulatán name? My ears must be rotting! Tell me it’s not true!”

Julius, who usually appeared cowed in front of his mother, responded calmly this time.

“It’s true, Mother.”

“Unbelievable! This is outrageous!”

The Empress Dowager staggered as if the news had struck her physically, bracing herself against Julius’s desk with both hands. After a few moments of heavy breathing, she fixed Julius with a bloodshot glare.

“How could you do this, knowing how much I’ve suffered because of Marigold?”

“It wasn’t Marigold who caused you suffering, Mother; it was Father. You need to face reality.”

“And you’re keeping that girl by your side?”

“Mother.”

Julius’s voice lowered into a warning tone as he realized his logic wasn’t getting through to her.

“Don’t make me lose the last shred of respect I have for you.”

It was at that moment that the Empress Dowager, without giving Julius a chance to defend himself, slapped him across the face with all her might.

I was so shocked that I froze in place. Even the Empress Dowager seemed stunned by her own actions, staring at her son with wide eyes. She must have struck out instinctively, unable to process the fact that Julius, whom she had always considered beneath her, was now defying her.

Julius’s closest aides were the first to react. His bodyguards and advisors quickly stepped between him and the Empress Dowager, shouting in outrage.

“What are you doing?!”

“No matter who you are, you cannot act this way!”

Julius’s cheek, which had been struck with such force, quickly swelled and turned red. Despite this, he regarded the Empress Dowager with a cold, emotionless expression.

“My own child betrays me. Have you been bewitched by that girl?”

“And what if I have?”

Julius retorted, his voice dangerously calm.

“What did you just say?”

Julius gave a lazy smile that bore a striking resemblance to the late emperor’s. The resemblance was so uncanny that it was as if the emperor had returned from the dead.

“I’m asking, Mother, what will you do if I say that I’m in love with Sienna and want to keep her by my side? That’s my decision, and it’s not for you to interfere with.”

“Ha… Hahaha!!”

The Empress Dowager’s laughter was sharp and frantic, clearly provoked by Julius’s words, expression, and tone. She turned her furious gaze toward me and screamed.

“I should have killed her when I had the chance! Like a pest that refuses to die no matter how many times you try!”

She must have made quite an effort to kill me before! Her raw hatred made me instinctively shrink back, clutching my clothes tightly as my face turned pale.

Julius, rubbing his face as if weary, spoke up.

“It seems Mother is no longer capable of rational thought.”

He then issued an order to his guards.

“Escort the Empress Dowager to the secluded palace. It would be best for her to rest there.”

At Julius’s command, soldiers rushed forward to restrain the Empress Dowager. She struggled violently, screaming his name.

“Julius!! Julius!”

She was his own mother, so I couldn’t imagine how Julius must have felt. Yet his face remained so impassive that it was impossible to gauge his emotions as he watched her being dragged away.

Once the Empress Dowager was completely out of sight, Julius collapsed into his chair with a thud, his voice low as he dismissed everyone from the room.

“Everyone, leave.”

His advisors and bodyguards, all with somber expressions, slowly exited. I watched the back of Julius’s head as he sat slumped in his chair, the only part of him visible above the desk. I grabbed the cup of ice water I had been drinking and walked over to him.

Standing behind him, I gently pressed the cold cup against his swollen cheek. Julius responded in a rough tone.

“…Why are you still here?”

“I couldn’t just leave after you got hit because of me. That would be too heartless.”

“It wasn’t because of you. I’m the one who brought you to the palace in the first place.”

So he does know how to make sense sometimes, even though he usually spouts nonsense.

I stared at his brown hair for a moment before speaking softly.

“Julius.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t love me too much.”