Tamed or Captured

The next morning, Karaf completed one of his important daily tasks, a bath.

He enjoyed the feeling of the sunlight on his bare skin as he relaxed in the outdoor bath, absentmindedly spinning the suncatcher gifted to him by Asha.

The sunlight filtered through the suncatcher and created a beautiful pattern on his face.

However, his peaceful moment was interrupted by the memory of the conversation he had with the chamberlain a few days ago.

The chamberlain asked hesitantly.

‘Your Majesty, now that Lady Vanessa has officially become the Empress, it would be prudent for the two of you to reside in the same palace.’

‘…… What?’

Karaf stopped moving and looked at the chamberlain with slightly widened eyes. 

The chamberlain seemed hesitant to speak, as if embarrassed.

‘It’s just that…… although it may seem embarrassing for an old man like me to say this, there are rumors circulating among the nobles about the two of you using separate palaces, especially after the Flowering Ceremony.’

Karaf chuckled at the remark.

‘It seems like everyone is quite interested in other people’s sleeping arrangements.’

The chamberlain blushed and fell silent, unsure of how to respond.

‘Perhaps they are all waiting for news of Your Majesty’s flowering.’

The chamberlain didn’t say anything more, and he sighed quietly as he turned his back.

Karaf tried to act indifferent, but the chamberlain’s words left a deep impression on him.

The idea of living together with his new Empress in the traditional sense, after the ceremony, was essential for the Emperor and Empress to follow.

It was an imperial tradition, and the whole nation would bless the union.

However, Karaf couldn’t shake the thought that she might have bad memories associated with sexual intimacy.

He knew that when she recalled her first marriage, it must have been like a nightmare for her….…. 

Karaf felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he remembered that they couldn’t sleep in bed together last time, but now he couldn’t even bring up the idea of just lying in bed together.

Moreover, Karaf knew that if he didn’t carry out his own blooming, there could be even worse rumors circulating, which could torment Asha. 

However, the chamberlain relentlessly bothered Karaf about the joint palace at every opportunity.

Karaf would disappear like a ghost whenever the chamberlain appeared, turning around so that he couldn’t even bring it up.

He was afraid of revealing the fact that even if a joint palace were established, he would not be able to bloom.

But for the chamberlain, who knew nothing about his situation, it was frustrating and perplexing.

To make matters worse, monsters had started to appear in the Lilac duchy.….

He couldn’t help but sigh heavily in this helpless situation.

The servants who served in the bath were startled by Karaf’s reaction and worked even harder, assuming that he was dissatisfied. 

However, those who waited on the side knew that the two had not spent the night together. 

The chamberlain, who was nearby, quickly noticed the servants’ reaction.

As Karaf was lost in deep thought, the servants silently brought flower petals, herbs, and fragrant oil in perfect order without making a sound. 

It seemed as if he was the only one standing still while everything around him was busy moving. 

However, Karaf was too deeply immersed in his thoughts to notice anything else.

With the joint palace posing a problem and the recent monster attack adding to the instability of the empire, Karaf knew he needed to find a new way to stabilize it. 

Meanwhile, the chamberlain summoned some attendants and gave them instructions.

“The fragrance of His Majesty’s body and the radiance of his skin should be at their best. You must do your utmost to ensure that His Majesty and Lady Vanessa have a successful first night!”

“Yes!”

The attendants replied and worked more diligently upon receiving the order.

In order to create the perfect atmosphere for a successful night, they exhibited all of their skills.

Karaf, still lost in his thoughts, was surprised to find all sorts of dried petals and medicinal herbs floating in the bath when he finally came to his senses.

As a result, the bath water displayed a splendid color, as if paint had been released, and a heavenly aroma filled the air.

Although Karaf did not say anything, Karaf seemed satisfied. 

Karaf was determined to present his most attractive self to Vanessa from that moment on. 

He hoped that by doing so, he could capture her heart once again, even if it was only a little.

With this in mind, he resolved to make every effort to impress her with his beauty and charm.

Lost in his own thoughts and in a momentary bout of narcissism, Karaf wiped his face, which looked like a finely carved piece, in the water.

He picked up a flower petal and watched it flow through his palm before addressing the attendants with a serious expression.

“Take care of my hair as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Karaf secretly harbored a complex about his hair spewing pollen whenever he was excited. 

The attendants carefully lathered Karaf’s hair with fragrant flower soap, washing it with great care before applying nutritional supplements specially formulated by the imperial family to make his hair shiny. 

As they worked, Karaf placed a hand on his chest, where the curse was engraved.

     Come to think of it, Asha once said that she prefers inner beauty to outer beauty….

His inner beauty was far from beautiful right now.

Perhaps this was why the monsters had appeared at the tea party.

A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows as he pondered this.

“Darn it….”

As the attendants worked on his hair, one of them accidentally dropped the comb, causing it to roll onto the grass. 

The attendant who had dropped it paled and trembled as he saw Karaf looking uncomfortable.

“M-my apologies, Your Majesty! I deserve to die….!”

Karaf spoke, his gaze still fixed ahead.

“Dropping the comb is not a matter of life and death.”

The servant immediately bowed and said.

“Your Majesty’s kindness is greatly appreciated! I’ll get a new comb right now!”

After picking up the fallen comb, the servant hurriedly returned with a new one, just as lavish as the previous one, with its handle adorned with sparkling jewels and intricate designs. 

The combs used to groom the emperor’s hair were always of the finest quality.

As another servant was meticulously combing the emperor’s hair, a single strand was accidentally pulled out, causing the servant to cry out in distress and prostrate himself on the ground in front of the emperor.

“Please kill me, Your Majesty! I have dared to harm Your Majesty’s sacred body….”

As the other servants continued to bow their heads and plead for punishment, Karaf felt a sudden wave of exhaustion and let out a heavy sigh. 

His reaction only made the servants sob even more, sensing that he was not in a good mood.

However, Karaf did not know how to handle this ridiculous situation, although he tried to reassure them that everything was fine, they seemed not to listen to him, lost in their own remorse and fear.

Karaf was shocked and wondered if he really was a merciless tyrant.

He resolved to make an effort to cultivate his inner self from now on and change things gradually.

Karaf smiled awkwardly and spoke kindly to the servants.

“It’s okay. I don’t kill people for making a mistake.”

The servants trembled at his words, but Karaf quickly realized that his smile and tone may have come across as intimidating.

In the past, he didn’t actually kill the person who made a mistake, but cut off a part of their body and expelled them.

     This is not right….

Karaf blinked in surprise at the servants’ reaction.

It can sometimes feel awkward when people do something that is outside of their usual behavior.

Karaf cleared his throat and corrected his words.

“Actually, I don’t really like killing people.”

He said, but no one believed him.

His words came out sounding like he preferred torture over the killing. As a result, the servants all fell to the ground and begged for mercy.

Karaf felt flustered as he looked around and noticed that even the chamberlain had misunderstood him, mistaking his red eyes as a sign of madness.

“I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. I taught the servants wrong!”

“…….”

Karaf was at a loss for words, feeling shocked at the strange situation unfolding in front of him. 

It seemed that his image was already irreparable. 

In his state of shock, he muttered to himself.

“Is my personality really that trashy…?”

“No, Your Majesty! No one would dare to think of you in such a manner!”

Karaf stopped making excuses and returned to his usual cool demeanor.

“Finish your work. Once it is done, I will forgive you all.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! We are truly grateful for your mercy!”

The servants exclaimed as they resumed their work with renewed haste.

Karaf refrained from sighing openly, fearing that the servants would once again tremble in fear. Instead, he let out a quiet inward sigh. 

Perhaps it was necessary for him to continue playing the role of the villain so that people could feel calm in their familiarity with his wickedness.

To conceal his intimidating appearance, he crafted a mask using numerous flower petals.

Though it made him look rather comical, he felt more at ease knowing that his face was hidden behind the colorful petals.

After his bath, Karaf changed into his embroidered robe and examined himself in the full-length mirror.

His skin appeared fresher than usual, moistened by the water and illuminated by the sunlight.

The sickly appearance he had shown on the day of the new moon was no longer visible. 

Karaf touched his chin in satisfaction as he carefully checked his wet hair for any stray pollen.

Everything was perfect.

　

As Karaf’s expression brightened, the servants finally relaxed. 

He took a quick look in the mirror before turning to them.

“Since today’s bath was satisfactory, I will reward everyone. Chamberlain, give these servants gold coins equal to twice their usual salary as a reward.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The chamberlain replied, bowing politely. The servants were so surprised that they fell to the ground once again.

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!”

Karaf’s eyes, who had always been strict and punished those who did wrong, softened slightly at their reaction.

Before he was cursed, he had not been that type of person. However, after being betrayed by his trusted friend, he had become disillusioned with humanity and had thrown away any sense of mercy. 

He believed that only through fear could he control others and protect himself from being attacked.

He had initially been trying to impress Asha, but his actions had inadvertently led to a positive outcome. 

As a result, he was gradually changing.

The chamberlain, who was watching his change from the side, looked at him with pride.

The chamberlain immediately ran to Asha without Karaf’s knowledge.

“Lady Vanessa, it’s the chamberlain.”

Asha, who was engrossed in a book, opened the door.

“What happened?”

The chamberlain cleared his throat a few times and blushed slightly before speaking.