Theo changed the subject, as if he remembered something.
“As I said, you’re going to need a special ship to make it across to Ios, so we made a quick stop at Delua on the way.”
“Delua?”
“There is no other nation as strong in shipbuilding as Delua.”
“Is there anyone there who can help us?”
“There is a shipwright who was originally from Asha, but emigrated to Delua.”
It would take quite a bit of money to bring that shipwright back to Asha. Recalling the birthday presents I had seen in the Empress’ Palace vault, I said.
“It’s not a very generous sum, but with the items that came in during this year’s birthday celebration, we should be able to negotiate the necessary funds.”
“We need to be more careful with this one. It’s very sensitive for Delua to steal shipbuilding expertise.”
“Nothing is ever easy.”
“That makes the results all the more valuable.”
I sent him a soft smile at his encouragement and took another drink. It tasted like juice, and I reached for my glass as surreptitiously as I usually did for tea.
He followed suit and raised his glass.
“He said he’d get back to me soon with the terms of the deal.”
“Well, at least he doesn’t seem to have patriotic feelings for Delua, so maybe we can talk some more.”
Theo said, glancing at the heart-shaped glass in my hand for a moment before refilling it.
“I guess what I made suits your taste.”
“Have you ever made alcohol before?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“It feels like you have a natural talent for it, just like the macarons you made before.”
“I’m flattered.”
“Would you like to open a dessert shop or bar with me later? We’d be famous.”
He let out a small chuckle at my joke. Soon after, I felt my eyelids slowly getting heavy.
It was weird. I don’t think I drank much…… I think I took several pours, but the glasses were small, so it wasn’t a lot.
“Well, it’s not laced with sleeping pills, is it?”
“Of course not.”
I wondered if there was anything in the favia that resembled a sleeping pill. Theo’s beautiful eyes stare straight at me.
I was perfectly fine until a moment ago, but now I feel lightheaded. On the other hand, Theo, who had been drinking at the same pace as me, seemed so sober that I wondered if we’d been drinking the same thing.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course, I’m fine..….”
“…….”
“Really, I’m fine…….”
Theo smirked, raising an eyebrow with an amused glint in his eyes.
“I don’t think so.”
“Really…… I’m…… fine…….”.
My head felt heavy, and my voice didn’t come out well. Unconsciously, the glass I was holding tilted, spilling some of the alcohol onto the floor.
Theo slowly approached me and grabbed my weakened wrist. He carefully took the glass from my hand and set it on the table.
Little by little, my eyelids grew heavy.
My body was no longer listening to me. A maddening drowsiness washed over me.
After a while, I felt as if my body was floating, but I couldn’t open my eyes. Somewhere in the distance, a faint heartbeat echoed in my ears.
Soon, I felt the warmth of the bed sheets envelop my body. I let go of my mind.
*****
Theo picked up the drunken Lethenia and headed for the bed. Their bodies became closer as he lay her down.
A half-awake Lethenia tightened her arms around his neck and refused to let go. He could have easily shaken off her slender arms, but he followed her lead as if mesmerized.
The distance between their purple and green eyes narrowed to about an inch.
Her red lips, he thought, must be as sweet as fruit. Unaware of his strange thoughts, Lethenia collapsed on the bed, defenseless.
Suddenly, Theo was seized by a strange desire. His gaze slowly moved between her eyes and her lips. He tried to pull himself up, realizing he shouldn’t be here anymore. However, Lethania seemed to resist, her face showing a touch of irritation as she held onto his arm with even more force.
She looked at him carefully, as if she were admiring something.
“Wow… handsome.”
Theo let out a small laugh at that. Soon her arm fell on the bed sheet.
He stared at Lethenia, who was fast asleep. Her normally pale skin was slightly flushed with alcohol.
It was the first time he’d ever seen her so disorganized.
His fingertips slowly stroked her heated cheeks. It was the face of Lethenia he knew.
She looked the same, she sounded the same. But every time he looked at her after that day, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was looking at someone else.
Theo remembered his last conversation with Lethenia the day before her wedding.
<Theo, forget the past and treat me only as Empress of Asha. I will treat you with the same courtesy as the heir to the Claflin family, and that’s all there is to our relationship now.>
Empress of Asha. Lethenia was about to dedicate her life to that position.
Lethenia was passionately in love with Ianhart, son of Benjamin Cassel and Emperor of Asha. Despite his cruel and heartless actions, Lethenia’s strong will remained unshaken.
For Theo, it was something he could never comprehend—loving someone so intensely. Perhaps he would never understand.
The burden on him was as heavy as holding the weight of the entire world alone, and there was no room for trivial and bothersome emotions like love.
<Lethenia, you know that this marriage will only break in the end. Even if it’s not him, you can be happy as much as you want. Now, if you want…….>
<I’ve already made up my mind.>
<It’s a fight that will only end when one of them falls, whether it’s the Emperor or Duke Bledel. If you become an Empress, you’ll be dead, too.>
<I don’t care.>
<Are you serious?>
<If it’s my destiny to end like that, I should accept it.>
Lethenia opened her mouth again, unable to meet Theo’s eyes.
<I have one last favor to ask.>
<…….>
<If you really care about me, I need you to get away from Asha right now. No matter what happens, never come back.>
Becoming Empress meant being at the center of the conflict. Already, several of Duke Bledel’s supporters had turned against him, and the Emperor would never miss this opportunity.
Soon, Bledel’s influence would tilt, and the Emperor and his faction would be relentless in their pursuit of Lethenia.
He knew that the reason she wanted to end their friendship was to keep him from getting involved with the Bledel family.
Theo realized that at some point Lethenia had lost hope in life. Looking at the saddest purple eyes in the world, he couldn’t say anything more.
For her, the world was a huge, terrible prison. He realized this on a noisy day during the celebration of the Founding Day, a long time ago when the whole world was bustling.
He snuck out of the imperial banquet hall and searched for Lethenia. She was in a ramshackle star palace, the home of the good emperor’s mistress, Vanessa.
The palace was nearly abandoned, and the gardens were in poor shape. It was full of favia, which grew everywhere without much care.
He found Lethenia lying on the grass in the farthest corner. It was an unassuming appearance that seemed out of character for the usually upright and organized woman.
Upon closer inspection, her face was serene, far removed from the joy and cheers of the crowd.
<There you are. I was worried when you suddenly disappeared.>
Theo flopped down beside her.
<I wish events like the Founding Day would disappear.>
<I agree, I’m sick of these boring festivals. Unless Asha gets screwed, I’ll be dragged here every year.>
Lethenia’s gaze was still fixed on the sky, and she blurted out something meaningful.
<Theo, is there anyone you miss so much that it’s unbearable?>
When asked out of the blue, he glanced at Lethenia. She lay motionless like a doll.
Someone he misses so much that it’s unbearable. Of course, there is. At the thought of that person, a gentle breeze blew through Theo’s heart. But it was a selfish secret that he could never tell Lethenia.
<Why all of a sudden?>
<What do other people do when that happens.>
Theo assumed she was referring to Ianhart. He didn’t like that she was thinking such gloomy thoughts, so he replied a little bluntly.
<You can go see them for yourself.>
The bastard, who must be having a “high-class conversation” where pretentious laughter and subtle war of nerves were rampant, was not far away. No matter how much time passed, he could never adapt to the world of nobles.
Even though Ianhardt is young, he is an emperor in his own way, and he must be holding his weight pretending to be dignified.
<What if you can’t?>
At the unexpected continuation of her words, Theo looked at her inquisitively. Her lifeless purple eyes stared blankly into space. Something was wrong, he thought, as he felt an unquenchable longing beneath her expressionless face that seemed to have never shed a tear in her life.
When Theo didn’t answer, she spoke again.
<To be honest, today is my mother’s death anniversary. On the day my mother passed away, my father had to attend the palace banquet, so he even deceived people about my mother’s passing.>
It wasn’t Ianhart she missed so much. It was her mother, Duchess Mary Bledel, whom she will never see again
If today was her mother’s death anniversary, Lethenia must have concealed her sadness amidst people’s joy and cheers year after year.
