120. Her Purpose

I let out a small scoff at his words.

“It sounds like you’re saying you became the emperor because of me.”

His ascension was merely a bit earlier than expected. However, he didn’t respond.

“Because of me? Don’t make such cowardly excuses.”

He couldn’t possibly be serious. You’d say anything to catch someone trying to run away.

Yet, his eyes were sincere, as if he wasn’t joking.

“I couldn’t keep my promise not to lose you. So now I’m going to watch over you. Therefore, you keep the words you said to me.”

“What did I say?”

“You said you’d outlive me. And that you needed a place by my side.”

“That was a childish statement. You know that’s not possible now. There’s no need to keep it.”

Every word Deon said was a forced argument.

“You’re saying you’re binding me because of a promise? So if I keep the promise, will you let me go?”

“You’ll keep it?”

Deon removed his large hand from my shoulder.

“You’ll really keep it? Can you even swear an oath?”

“It’s not difficult. Then first, send me back to Ethan’s mansion.”

“…Alright. Fine.”

Deon surprisingly let me go without resistance.

His behavior puzzled me. His expression relaxed as if he had heard the answer he wanted.

He even seemed relieved, making me, who proposed the deal, feel more uneasy.

* * *

Despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t fall asleep. I propped a pillow against the headrest and buried my face in my knees. The rustling of the golden brocade followed.

My mind was a mess.

Looking back at today’s events… First of all, Deon has no intention of killing me. His attitude shows that the reason he’s keeping me here isn’t because of my blood.

So, can I stay here? Accept his unreciprocated kindness? Live by his side and take anything valuable I can?

As I thought about it, I shook my head.

No. He could change his mind at any moment. I can’t afford to be complacent. This time, it might not be just an expulsion but a beheading.

I sprawled out on the bed. The chandelier above was too big to cover with my palm.

“Keeping me tied to the Empress’s palace? Why do you need me?”

He was someone who didn’t care about anything that had no value to him, whether it was a beast, an object, or a person.

As if he was indifferent to anything that didn’t involve the plot of a novel. In that sense, he was fair to everyone.

Yet, he tries to draw me into his world, as if he wants to disrupt it.

“When will this prologue ever end?”

As I kicked around and flailed, the blanket lightly bounced up. The sound startled Suren, who tossed and turned.

I pretended to sleep again, lying straight. Suren, who was blinking and looking around, soon fell back asleep.

* * *

From early morning, there was a thumping noise in the hallway of the imperial palace. Someone was running roughly through the corridor.

It seems the palace isn’t well soundproofed. Just as I was rubbing my eyes and about to ask Suren what was happening, the door burst open.

The guard who was standing outside hurriedly followed her in. But no one could stop her from storming in, clutching her skirts.

She rushed to the bed and grabbed me by the collar.

I couldn’t breathe. Gasping for air, Suren, who had been outside, ran in startled.

“Let go and talk!”

Suren roughly tore her hand away.

Even though we were separated, she couldn’t calm her anger and panted heavily. The maids standing behind her were at a loss, anxiously shuffling their feet.

I had no intention of becoming his mistress to avoid such troubles. Yet, here I was, facing such trivial and troublesome matters. But staying in the Empress’s palace, this situation was inevitable.

I seemed to understand why Deon’s proposal had left me uneasy. The memories of living as a mistress weren’t easily forgotten.

Anyway, from her perspective, I was just a sudden intruder. Looking at her seething with anger, I adjusted my disheveled clothes.

“Let’s stop.”

“What did you say?”

“I’ll be leaving soon, so let’s stop. There’s no need for unnecessary power struggles, right?”

There was no need to act or make excuses for Deon anymore. Dusting off the clothes she had grabbed, I spoke in a dry voice.

After all, the one who would be trapped in this splendid palace was her, not me. There was no need to fight so fiercely. I had always been cast as the tragic role, always abandoned.

And the curtain on this play was about to fall. I planned to use any means necessary to persuade Deon and escape the palace.

I rubbed my sore neck. The area where her long nails had scratched stung as my fingers touched it.

But contrary to my expectations, she scoffed as she stared blankly at me.

“You’ll be leaving soon? Are you kidding me?”

“Excuse me?”

She glared at me fiercely and said,

“I am leaving the palace today. I was informed that my purpose here is over. Just a few minutes ago!”

“…What do you mean? What purpose?”

Before I could get an answer, the maids standing behind her pulled her away.

“Please stop. If His Majesty finds out, you won’t be safe. How will you deal with the consequences?”

“Let go. I’ll walk out on my own.”

She roughly shook off the maids trying to restrain her. Then, just as she had stormed in, she stomped out forcefully.

Even as she left, unable to contain her anger, she kicked a decoration placed by the door. Suren held her head as she watched the vase shatter into pieces.

“Suren, do you know what she meant by her words?”

Suren, who had been observing everything from a distance as if she knew everything, didn’t ask her what was going on.

Suren, picking up the fallen decoration, replied.

“Exactly what she said. Her purpose for being in the palace has ended, so she’s leaving. Until now, she enjoyed power she’d never experience in her lifetime while pretending to be the mistress. It’s a fair deal, isn’t it? She’ll be given a substantial sum of money for her time in the palace.”

Suren clearly knew everything. Instead of chasing after the woman, I grabbed Suren’s wrist.

“What was her purpose?”

“There’s no need for you to worry or be hurt. She was just one of the many people employed by the palace, like me. The rumor that she was a candidate for the empress was false.”

“Still, I want to know.”

I couldn’t ignore the truth any longer. Gripping her wrist harder out of frustration, Suren let out a small sigh.

“Would you like to see for yourself?”

“See what?”

“Her purpose.”

Suren fetched my indoor slippers from under the bed and put them on my feet.

She led me through the cold hallway to the room where the woman had stayed. The hallway, similar in structure to the prince’s quarters, carried a strange tension with every step.

Suren forcefully opened the door. The room appeared ordinary, like any other house. It was decorated lavishly to her taste but had no distinguishing features. However, as soon as I stepped into the room, following Suren, a pungent smell hit my nose.

At first, I thought it was the smell of hair dye from her head. But the deeper we went into the room, the smell changed.

It was the smell of oil paint. The room reeked of an artist’s studio, making it hard to believe she stayed here.

Scattered paint stains confirmed it. An easel was knocked over, perhaps in her fit of rage. Next to it, though the chair was moved, traces of someone painting were evident.

Paint had smudged the underside of the fallen canvas.

I calmed my racing heart. Why was such a trivial trace making me so anxious?

Suppressing my pounding heart, I carefully flipped the canvas over. On the revealed front side, a face was painted.

It was an unfinished portrait. Even someone unfamiliar with painting could see the effort put into it, with layers of paint and brushstrokes indicating a long period of dedication.

A woman sitting gracefully on a green chair, facing forward. The facial features were yet to be completed.

And… the woman in the portrait had breathtakingly beautiful red hair.

The clothing the figure wore was also familiar. It was the fur coat I had worn in the north. The one I sold to save Deon.

Upon recognizing the similarities in the portrait, my body froze. I stood there, staring at the painting.

A stand-in was needed. One that resembled me.

“Miss.”

Suren, who had been standing behind me, approached.

“Now you understand why she was needed, right? I don’t think further explanation is necessary.”

She stood the easel back up. Then, she placed the canvas I had flipped over back onto it.

* * *

Every meal served was tailored to my taste. But I had little appetite. Deon hadn’t come to see me since that time.

Contrary to his threatening attitude of reminding me of a forgotten promise, he hadn’t appeared in front of me, perhaps sensing my discomfort.

I stood by the terrace door, quietly looking at the sprawling lawn. In front of the Empress’s palace, there was no one coming or going.

Unable to sleep through the long night, I decided to get some fresh air.

Opening the terrace door brought a chill. The weather had become quite cold.

I stepped barefoot onto the grass. The short grass rustled, tickling the soles of my feet.

The Empress’s palace and the Emperor’s palace stood side by side like twins. And behind the palace, the garden connected to the terrace stretched out endlessly.

I considered walking towards the lake to enjoy the view.

On the path leading to the greenhouse, stones reflected in the moonlight caught my eye. Six stones, arranged in pairs and in an orderly manner. I changed direction, thinking they symbolized the imperial palace.

As I got closer, the rounded stones became clearer. Instead of carvings representing the palace, familiar names were engraved on them.

The same names I had caressed in the north, now etched deeply into gravestones.

The inscriptions, meticulously carved, stood out clearly even after years, as if refusing to let their names be forgotten. And there were names I could never forget.

Then, I saw a gravestone without a name on the far right. Instinctively, I knew it was mine.

I approached the smooth gravestone with no engravings.

In front of the ownerless gravestone, there were flowers. The petals, touched by the night dew, looked fresh as if just placed.