My Will Did Not Mean This

“Why are you doing that?”

 

“Are you asking because you don’t know that?”

 

The hunting festival lasts for a week. Therefore, you should stay here for at least a week. But there was only one bed in this bedroom. No matter how hard she looked, there was only one bed! Moreover, no matter how luxurious it was, this was still temporary accommodation located on the outskirts of the capital. Moreover, it was a sacred site that was opened to the outside for the first time this year. There was no way there was a fancy space like a dressing room or separate bathroom to change clothes. 

 

Aslan, who sat down next to Vivian, perhaps aware of Vivian’s agony, massaged her shoulder with a thoughtful expression.

 

“I couldn’t let you sleep outside like the others because you were already so sick. Cold air is not good for your lungs.”

 

“That’s true, but…”

 

“If you’re uncomfortable, I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa.”

 

Aslan gently loosened Vivian’s stiff shoulders with his large, hot palms. As if she had no reason to be nervous.

 

“It may be difficult to use separate rooms because of the attention of those around you, but other than that, you will do whatever you want. It is my duty as a fiancé to protect you.”

 

“…”

 

Vivian rolled her eyes in embarrassment. This nice bedroom was originally a space where Aslan should have stayed comfortably alone. However, she thoughtlessly threw away that convenience in order to share the privileges between herself and her royal family. She was only his fiancee in name and she was no different from anyone else, just because he was worried about her.

 

‘Aslan must be tired and want to take a shower.’

 

On one side of the bedroom was a portable bathtub with warm steam rising. She felt like she wanted to take a dip in that place right away, but that would have been the same for Aslan as well. When she realized the silent consideration, the mood naturally became heavier. She felt ashamed that she had interpreted Arslan’s sincere concern in a different way.

 

“Sorry. I wasn’t wary of you. I just…”

 

Vivian carefully raised her upper body. Aslan’s palm slowly fell down her delicate shoulder. When she lifted her gaze, she saw Aslan’s clear golden eyes. He had straight, clear eyes.

 

“Vivian.”

 

A heated look seeped into her eyes. Vivian’s chin lifts, and Aslan’s head tilts cautiously. It was a moment when the two people’s breathing became closely intertwined.

 

“What do you mean, you’re canceling the engagement ceremony, Vivian?”

 

With the sound of the door opening, Alex rushed in. Dylan was hanging on Alex’s waist like a key ring. He tried to stop her by putting his life on the line, but it seemed like it all came down to power. As if to prove his guess, Alex asked Dylan.

 

“I don’t understand at all. Why do you keep telling me I shouldn’t ask questions?”

 

“Your Excellency, that’s…”

 

Dylan’s sorrowful eyes turned to Alex. He even whispered earnestly, saying, “I’ll go out and explain it to you, but please don’t stand in front of my wife.”

 

But Vivian wasn’t the one who couldn’t hear it.

 

“What do you mean, it’s an engagement ceremony? I haven’t heard anything.”

 

She got out of bed and grabbed Alex and Dylan at the same time. Cold sweat ran down Dylan’s back as her escape route was blocked. Vivian heard the full story of what happened to Alex. The fact that she was not ‘Dylan’s cousin’ was the woman who almost suffered a shame that would remain in the history of the empire…

 

‘This human?!’

 

Vivian’s fierce anger was directed at Aslan.

 

“It was an accident.”

 

Aslan quickly excused himself. However, his bright eyes were glaring at his dear aide, Dylan.

 

“I can explain.”

 

Vivian didn’t answer. Instead, she shook off Aslan who was clinging to her awkwardly, picked up her outerwear, and motioned to Alex.

 

“Let’s go, brother. Where are our barracks?”

 

“It’s quite far. I may not be able to see you throughout the hunting festival. Are you okay?”

 

“It’s okay. It’s not like I’m going to suffer the shame of being remembered as a nightmare for the rest of my life.”

 

Vivian smiled brightly as if listening and soon closed the door. The siblings’ footsteps echo down the hallway and move away.

 

Aslan sat down on the bed, lowered his head and let out a deep sigh. He could clearly feel how angry he was holding back from the rough sound of his breathing.

 

“Okay, then I’ll just go too.”

 

The premonition that he would never be safe if he didn’t run away now spread like wildfire. It was the moment when Dylan slowly took a back step.

 

“Dylan.”

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

“It seems I’ve been leaving you too comfortable, don’t you agree?”

 

The temperature in the room dropped in real time. Although Aslan clearly had a human appearance, Dylan saw a completely different image in his eyes. This was the image of a black lion fiercely baring its teeth behind the lord’s back.

 

“I will be more careful next time.”

 

“Next…”

 

“I will definitely find a proposal that will satisfy you!”

 

Dylan quickly knelt down, asking for one more chance. As he lowered his gaze, he noticed that the bed sheets were a mess. A bed sheet with traces of the two men and women sticking closely to each other. Dylan realized that satisfying his wife wasn’t the problem right now.

 

‘Now that I think about it, when I just entered the bedroom, the mood between my lord and madam was very…’

 

Aslan’s needs were currently unsatisfied. Dylan solemnly shut his mouth. Dylan felt like he could understand Aslan’s beautiful golden eyes that were glaring at me as if he were going to kill him.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

The hunting season has already entered its fourth day. Even the nobles who had been passionately roaming the hunting grounds were quietly taking a break for the day. Crown Prince Johannes, who had been consolidating his forces through the Hunting Festival, was also having a leisurely time today by attending the Empress’s tea time.

 

“You look like you’re in a really good mood, mama.”

 

“Is it so?”

 

The Empress put down her teacup and answered indifferently. But a very satisfied smile appeared on her lips. The emperor’s mistress, Amelia, who had been a thorn in her eye, was dealt with. When she found out that she was trying to attack her with poison, she had a hard time allaying her anger. She almost got slapped in the face several times in front of the nobles. But when she thought about it again, she laughed out loud because she wondered how much that ridiculous thing would have been cornered.

 

‘There is no force to follow, but you are just greedy.’

 

In return for coveting a position that she couldn’t occupy, Amelia would suffer such misery that she would rather be dead.

 

“Like my son said, I don’t feel too bad.”

 

“The joy of a mother is the joy of a child.”

 

“I was just picking up some trash that was rolling around at her feet. There is nothing good or bad. More than that, I think the prince…”

 

Johannes’s current age was just right for marriage. Understanding the Empress’ hidden meaning, he smiled silently and lowered his gaze at her. The bright red Darjeeling shimmering in the teacup reminded him of someone’s face. Skin as white as milk and red cheeks. She was usually expressionless, but when she smiled, she was a fascinating woman who seemed to bloom like a rose.

 

The Empress, watching him, let out a sigh of satisfaction.

 

“It looks like this mother’s long-held wish is finally coming true.”

 

Vivian Eleonora. She was a young lady whose wit and cleverness impressed her every time. At first, she thought he was a woman running amok, believing only in her family name. Therefore, she rejected her solicitude to marry Johannes, and pretended to be very generous to her, making her Aslan’s partner.

 

‘I never thought she would have such great talent and humility.’

 

The more she looked, the more satisfied she became. It was definitely the crown prince’s long-awaited sorrow.

 

“I heard that a doctor has recently discovered a cure for lung disease, right?”

 

“Yes, although he is from a foreign country, there are rumors that he has cured a severe lung disease. Soja will contact you first.”

 

The Empress’s mood became more satisfied.

 

“Her body may be weak, but it is not a flaw compared to the excellence of the princess, so the prince should first become acquainted with Duke Eleonora.”

 

“Don’t worry. Although the duchy personality is a bit mysterious… If you put in a lot of time, it will definitely pay off.”

 

“It’s said that he studied abroad for a long time. He will not be familiar with the imperial culture, so please help him a lot. It will be a good opportunity to recruit the Eleonora family.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

In fact, it seemed that Alex’s unique words and actions were not just a cultural difference, but Johannes nodded without adding any more. After hearing the crown prince’s answer, the empress immediately called her maid. When she politely ordered Vivian to be brought in, her maid bowed her head and silently continued her steps. An expression of supreme satisfaction flashed across the Empress’s face as she looked down at her empty teacup.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

On her way back from meeting the Empress, Vivienne trudged down the streets of her sunset.

 

‘If you think about it, it was around this time. There was a fake doctor episode.’

 

When she heard that the Empress had suddenly called her, she wondered what kind of trouble this was. However, when she actually faced him, she said she would not talk much and recommended that he see a new doctor. The Empress’s eyes looked very satisfied as she said that.

 

‘Were you that happy,’ she wondered, ‘to overthrow the Emperor’s mistress?’

 

Otherwise, she couldn’t guess why the Empress was suddenly showing her good will. Even if the doctor’s real identity was nothing more than a fraudster.

 

‘It’s a fake cure episode… So much time has already passed.’

 

It was the greatest fraud ever recorded in the history of the empire, in which even the original Vivian was fooled. In the original, Vivian clung to the fake doctor with a feeling of grasping at straws. However, when it was revealed that he was a fraud, he went berserk out of despair and ended up attempting the life of the female protagonist, Iris. And so, before her lung disease took her life, she was horribly murdered by Aslan. In other words, this point was the last episode in the original where Vivian was alive.

 

‘There may be no reason for Aslan to kill me now, but it’s still creepy.’

 

It was at that moment that she decided that I needed to be especially careful with her words and actions for the time being. Someone caught her as she passed by without thinking.

 

“…!”

 

Startled, she shook off her hand. Only then did Aslan’s puzzled face come into view.

 

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