Chapter 62
The perfectly smooth, wrinkle-free sheets on the bed felt eerily out of place. It was as though the Emperor hadn’t stirred in his sleep at all.
A foreboding sensation made her hesitate.
Clyde pulled the curtain aside completely and hooked it onto the bedpost. Morning sunlight flooded the Emperor’s once-still bed without restraint.
“Ah…”
The sight before her startled her so much that a gasp escaped her lips. She quickly covered her mouth, belatedly trying to stifle the sound.
The pristine sheets draped over the Emperor’s head, leaving him motionless beneath them.
His entire body, shrouded in white fabric, lay as still as the dead.
“How… how could this…”
“He’s been gone for a while now. He didn’t last long after the poisoning incident.”
“But at the last tournament’s opening ceremony… His Majesty made an appearance, didn’t he? I saw him.”
“That person was someone under my management—one of the attendants of the Imperial Palace.”
Clyde lit the incense placed at the head of the bed. A thin wisp of white smoke rose into the air.
In the silence of the room, reminiscent of a mausoleum, Clyde began recounting past events in a low, steady voice.
He told her about his late sister, the former Crown Princess, who had passed away so suddenly that there was no time to intervene. He spoke of his father, the Emperor, writhing in agony before succumbing within a month. He mentioned the oppression he had faced at the hands of the influential noble families.
As a commander stationed at the borders, Clyde had little support within the central power structure. His sister’s brilliance had allowed him to enjoy his military career without much concern.
But when he was suddenly burdened with the responsibility of leading the Imperial family, he found himself utterly powerless. His resources were so lacking that he had to use everything he had to conceal the Emperor’s death.
Clyde carefully checked the Emperor’s body, which had been thoroughly embalmed and dried.
As he lifted the sheet, he made sure to shield the sight from Edith’s view. She, aware of this, closed her eyes tightly for a moment.
In a voice deep with emotion, he muttered, “Just wait and see.”
Edith remained silent, listening intently.
“I will never forgive those who did this to my father and sister.”
She watched him grit his teeth, his jaw set with unyielding determination.
For the first time, she fully understood his antagonism toward the noble families and why he constantly clashed with them. It felt as if she were witnessing the very justification for the original novel’s narrative.
There could be no compromise between the noble factions and the Imperial family.
At this rate, a bloody purge seemed inevitable in the future. While the romance in the story had taken a different turn, the main plot remained unchanged, its roots tied to this very room. Clyde’s lingering resentment was the same as it had been in the novel.
The novel she had read before being reincarnated never mentioned the Emperor’s mummified state.
Not long ago, she had seen this scene depicted in the latest serialized chapters in a holographic update. She had been startled at how closely it mirrored her own experiences, and now, it seemed to be happening again. Reality seemed to be advancing ahead of the novel’s timeline.
Would the deceased Emperor make an appearance in later chapters?
When Clyde restored the curtains to their original position, Edith bowed her head in silent respect, mourning the Emperor. As she turned to leave, her emotions were far more tumultuous than before she had entered.
If Clyde had shown her the Emperor’s body in an attempt to keep her by his side, it had certainly been effective.
Despite her earlier resolve to leave the Imperial Palace, Edith found herself unable to sever her lingering attachment to him.
In the study of her family home, Edith stared blankly at a sheet of paper for what felt like an eternity.
The floor around her was littered with crumpled drafts. She had tried numerous ways to write a resignation letter, but none of them seemed right. Every attempt felt like a flimsy excuse, a cowardly attempt to run away.
The fact that this was the truth only made it harder to find the right words.
After what felt like an endless night, she finally managed to finish drafting her letter of resignation.
As the dawn broke, she glanced eastward toward the horizon. The rising sun brought to mind the Imperial shooting range. It was time for morning exercises. Was Clyde riding his horse by now? He was the type who loved physical activity, regardless of tournaments. Surely, he was busy with something already.
Her gaze lingered on the white envelope atop her desk before shifting to the pale light illuminating the barren garden walls.
“Showing me the Emperor’s body was his way of reaching out to me.”
It wasn’t the gesture of a lover or a future consort, but a plea to share the burden of his struggles, to be his partner in life and death.
Through his actions, he had shown her his complete trust. By revealing his greatest vulnerability, he was likely asking for her help. Asking her to support him in exacting revenge on the noble families.
“It’ll be hard. The path ahead won’t be easy.”
It was a well-known fact that if the nobles joined forces, they could surpass the Imperial family. No matter how much Edith supported Clyde, the road ahead was bound to be a thorny one.
And this wasn’t a situation where they could maintain a mere lord-and-vassal relationship.
Clyde clearly had feelings for her. She could feel the intensity of his emotions often, no matter how hard he tried to hide them. His feelings were evident in the undercurrents of his actions.
*“Can I follow his heart?”*
For the first time, she began to think of Clyde not as a character in a novel but as a man. The world she once considered frivolous now felt increasingly real. What she had once seen as a fictional creation felt authentic.
She found herself yearning to join forces with Clyde and change the future that seemed so stubbornly unyielding. Taking the place that originally belonged to Adrian as Crown Princess—or perhaps Empress—didn’t seem so bad after all.
*“Is it okay to like him?”*
Falling in love with someone probably worked like that. You feel a little flutter, find them impressive for no reason, and then, before you know it, you’re holding hands and walking down the aisle.
Maybe it wasn’t necessary to be head over heels.
If she spent more time with Clyde, perhaps words of love would spill from her lips naturally.
Sometimes, she wanted to try. There were moments when she longed to embrace Clyde as he looked at her with those melancholy eyes.
Even without declaring her affection, she wondered if it was okay to comfort him in small ways.
In the earlier days, when she was confused about this world’s rules, she’d hesitated to approach him, fearing it would disrupt the original plot. Later, when she realized how far she’d already deviated from the story, she had been too preoccupied with ensuring her own safety to care.
Now, however, she could see the people of this world—the farmers, merchants, and children living their lives.
At the center of it all was Clyde, with his lonely yet broad shoulders.
“Sigh…”
Her worries continued to spiral.
Even as the sun reached its zenith, she sat there, her hair disheveled from an all-night battle with her thoughts, unable to decide what future to pursue.
—
The vacation time Edith had been given wasn’t particularly long.
If she truly didn’t plan to return, it wouldn’t matter. But with her wavering heart, she found no peace. After all, the royal banquet was set to begin as soon as the tournament concluded.
It had been years since the Imperial family hosted such a festival, and events had been prepared for all social classes: food distribution and street festivals for commoners, the tournament for Imperial prestige, and the banquet for the nobility.
The banquet, in particular, was a significant event, as the Great Hall of the Imperial Palace would be opened for the first time in ages. Naturally, as the Crown Prince’s attendant, Edith couldn’t miss it.
Arriving at the office in time for Clyde’s workday to begin, she walked through the familiar corridors and entered his study.
The large study was filled with familiar faces. The attendants in charge of records, scheduling, and miscellaneous tasks greeted her with polite nods.
Clyde’s eyes met hers.
He looked visibly surprised. He probably hadn’t expected her to return so soon.
The vacation she’d been granted was much longer, and she hadn’t been assigned any responsibilities for the banquet. She was only meant to focus on the tournament, so she’d been free to enjoy the banquet as a guest.
“Ah, hold on.”
Clyde raised a hand, halting the person standing across the desk from him.
“I’ll hear the rest later. Something urgent has come up.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Shall I take my leave, then?”
“Yes, please do.”
The report he’d been receiving was about the banquet’s budget. The Minister of State had been explaining the financial situation.
The hall decorations were in full swing, and the banquet was set to begin tomorrow.
Surely there wasn’t much time to delay.
But Edith didn’t question Clyde’s decision. While they addressed each other informally in private, she’d never seen him interact casually with higher-ranking officials, even the Minister of State.
As the minister left, Edith immediately spoke up.
“How could you just send him off like that? I overheard something about the banquet exceeding its budget—this sounds like a serious issue.”
“I’ll call him back later.”
“If you’re going to do that, then why—”
“Edith, shall we take a walk in the garden?”
Clyde interrupted her abruptly, his tone resolute, as if nothing else mattered. He stood up and gestured for her to follow.
Edith, feeling as though she were worrying about the country on her own, felt awkward but followed him hesitantly.
The Imperial Palace garden, though close by, was a place neither of them had much time to visit. It was as beautiful as ever.
The trees and grass were still damp, as if they’d just been watered, and dew clung to the leaves. A small rabbit darted out from a corner of the flowerbed but fled in fright upon seeing the two of them.
Clyde subtly offered her his elbow.
Edith hesitated for a moment but decided it was just a polite escort and carefully rested her hand on his arm.
His chest rose and fell slightly, as if he were relieved, and Edith could sense his quiet satisfaction.
“I thought you’d take more time to rest.”
“I thought you might need my help.”
“Not at all. All you need to do tomorrow is wear the dress the palace has prepared for you.”
“I could just wear something from home.”
“They’ve already been tailored. Out of the many options, I’m sure you’ll find one you like.”
During the busy period of preparation for the marksman tournament, Edith had reluctantly met the dressmaker Clyde had summoned. She’d had to go through several portfolios spanning multiple volumes, but at the time, she’d been too preoccupied with shooting practice to make a careful selection.
Moreover, the outfits were not suitable work uniforms for an attendant but rather elaborate dresses for the royal banquet, making it difficult for her to choose quickly.
“Multiple dresses… I don’t think I’ll need that many,” she said.
“The banquet lasts five days. You’ll need at least five dresses, one for each day. I added a few extras to give you options and accounted for designs you might not like,” Clyde explained.
“Do I have to attend the banquet all five days?” Edith asked.
Clyde raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his expression.
“I’m only obligated to attend the opening ceremony on the first day, so I’d like you to stand by my side then. For the rest of the time, you can enjoy it as much as you like.”
Edith could sense the careful hesitance in his tone. He seemed nervous, as if constantly on edge, wondering when she might submit her resignation letter.
