128. Misunderstanding

In the empress’s palace, the newly crafted imperial crown rested on a plush cushion.

It was a crown that the artisan had given a final touch to before delivering.

Traditionally, before the coronation procession, it was customary for the emperor’s spouse to hold the crown.

However, the finished crown had been delivered into my possession.

Not to the empress, nor the emperor, but into my hands.

The more I looked at it, the more the blue gem reminded me of him. Gazing at it quietly, I felt as though I was making eye contact with Deon.

I gently touched the decorations on the crown. As I traced the edges with my fingers, a familiar voice sounded behind me.

“You’re still awake.”

When I turned around, I saw Deon holding a candlestick.

As expected, he visited the empress’s palace tonight to deceive others’ eyes.

Every night, he passed through the empress’s palace to reach the emperor’s quarters. The act continued until tomorrow’s coronation.

“I was waiting for you.”

I put down the crown I had been fiddling with and spoke.

“For me?”

He asked back, seemingly surprised.

“There was something I wanted to ask.”

“Alright. What could be so important that you waited up for me in the dead of night?”

Deon replied as if soothing a child.

I wasted no time and went straight to the point, aiming to shatter his calm demeanor.

“What were the terms of the deal you made with Lady Isella?”

Deon’s expression quickly turned to one of confusion.

“Who told you that?”

But soon, he seemed to understand without needing an answer and let out a shallow sigh.

“You must have met the marquis at the outing.”

“I think it’s time you told me. What was the deal you made with Lady Isella concerning me?”

Deon remained tight-lipped, his expression troubled.

“Deon.”

When I called his name, Deon looked at me. Then, he released his bitten lip and answered.

“I had to protect you. Keeping you by my side was too dangerous. I thought collaborating with her was the best option at the time.”

His voice was deeply shaken. His clenched lips trembled slightly.

“…I don’t understand. Why didn’t you inform me of the plan? And if you intended to send me to the villa for safety, you should have provided ample support for the innocent servants. They were at least loyal to His Majesty.”

“I couldn’t trust even the secretary handling finances. I needed a way to evade their scrutiny.”

“You could have at least hinted to endure until the end.”

“I couldn’t trust even the knights accompanying me. If I had provided you with a comfortable life and explained the reason, assuring you to keep it secret, could you have avoided detection?”

His cold response left me speechless.

He already knew that I couldn’t act. He was the one who had witnessed my awkward improvisation up close.

I quickly moved on to another question, perhaps the most crucial one right now.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You could have made up an excuse when I returned.”

“What use would any words have been when I couldn’t protect you in the end?”

“At least I’m here in front of you now.”

Deon was silent, simply staring at me blankly.

I glared back at him, refusing to back down.

Deon didn’t seem inclined to defend himself. I was annoyed by his lack of answers or even excuses.

“Explain yourself, if not for my sake!”

I punched his chest hard with my fist. I couldn’t erase the resentment, knowing all this was his plan.

He didn’t flinch or show any sign of pain, just stood there, looking down at me.

“…Leonie.”

After enduring in silence, he called my name in a low, subdued voice.

“I just wanted to protect you. I wanted to reach a position where no one could threaten you, and if that meant walking the path of an emperor, then I thought it would be alright to do so. That’s… all.”

He was saying that he became emperor because of me.

“So, now that you no longer need my blood, are you keeping me here out of spite? Do you think it’s arrogant for a mere blood bag you protected with your life to live freely?”

My sharp words made Deon’s eyes waver.

“…No.”

“Then why are you keeping me here?”

“…I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? How can you say something so irresponsible?”

“When I made the deal with Isella, I promised to protect you as a blood bag. But after that, I don’t know.”

Deon slumped into a chair, covering his face as if in anguish.

A low groan escaped from him as he rubbed his face.

“I don’t know either, Leonie. I thought I needed to remove all obstacles. But maybe I was wrong. When I saw you again in that greenhouse, I was more concerned about your emaciated body than the thought of dealing with you.”

He reached out and took my hand. He was asking me for an answer he couldn’t find himself.

I had to brush off all the emotions surging up at this moment. I stared at Deon, who was gripping my wrist tightly.

“Now that everything is over, I’m no longer needed, right?”

“No. I still need you.”

As expected, he intended to place a gilded shackle on me and keep me forever.

As I lowered my head, Deon’s words continued.

“I need your blood, your body. No, I just need you.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke.

“I thought my feelings would settle while traveling with you. But it hasn’t. I still can’t figure it out.”

The strength in his grip loosened.

“Even so… live happily. I’ll give you any house, land, or honor you want.”

Don’t leave.

Though no tears were falling, it felt like I was crying.

In the ensuing silence, I clearly heard the words he couldn’t say aloud.

Please don’t leave. Though it was only a small murmur, I could read his lips effortlessly.

Tears rolled down my cheeks. As I wiped them away, Deon approached, looking more bewildered than I was.

“Why are you crying?”

Yeah, why am I crying? I questioned myself as I roughly rubbed my eyes.

No matter how much I tried to hold back, tears continued to flow with every blink. His hand hovered in the air, unable to touch my face.

He didn’t know what to do.

He had lost his sharp claws and now, standing before me, he was just an ordinary man.

“Why are you crying?”

Yet, Deon’s eyes were also moist as he spoke.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally placed his hand on my face, gently wiping away the tears from my eyes.

His touch was so delicate that every part he touched tickled.

I took a step closer to Deon. As I approached, I could see his piercingly blue eyes even in the darkness.

Standing close enough to feel each other’s breath, I whispered to him.

“Deon, don’t use the excuse of protecting me to hide the truth.”

“I swear.”

“Be honest with me, always.”

“I understand.”

I’m sorry. He repeated the words like a parrot.

To anyone else, our conversation would have been shocking, but in the darkened bedroom, it was just the two of us.

In this space where no one else intruded and no titles mattered, we were alone. The surroundings were deeply enveloped in darkness.

Finishing our conversation left me a bit drained. As I sat weakly on the bed, he spoke.

“It’s better to get some rest. Tomorrow will be busy.”

The long-awaited coronation was finally happening the next day.

“It will be held in a temple owned by the royal family. It’s a quiet place where ordinary worshippers don’t frequent, so you don’t have to worry about being seen.”

Deon had never been welcomed by the public, even when he entered the capital. Without a coronation parade through the imperial streets, he would be the only emperor who had never been congratulated by the empire’s citizens.

“It would be nice if it were held grandly…”

At my small murmur, he chuckled.

“The parade is just a performance for the commoners. The actual coronation ends with the high priest’s blessing. We’re just skipping the cumbersome procedures, so don’t worry.”

I could tell it was a schedule made with me in mind, even without him saying it.

It was a process that considered my discomfort with drawing attention. It ensured that I could leave without anyone knowing I had crowned the emperor.

“Once the coronation is over, you’ll be leaving soon. Have you decided where to go?”

He asked about my destination.

Deon assumed I would leave, as it was part of the initial agreement to leave the palace once everything was over.

“Not yet.”

I hadn’t even arranged for a travel pass. Without realizing it, staying by his side had become so natural that I hadn’t thought about where I would go.

“I heard there are many spring flowers in the Duchy of Rahu. And many birds you like live there. Plus… it’s the closest to the empire.”

A warm spring breeze blew in through the open window. The wind gently tousled his hair before passing by.

“Do you dislike places close to the empire?”

Deon asked cautiously, his voice soft and careful not to upset me.

“I plan to discuss it once I leave the palace.”

Maybe I could ask for help from Elizabeth or Edan. Having never been outside the empire, I would need to ask those who had visited the duchy.

At my words, his lips parted before closing again.

“Are you leaving with your husband?”

Deon firmly believed that I was married.

Unlike at Edan’s mansion, I didn’t welcome his misunderstanding now.

He believed my words so blindly without even questioning their validity. In this aspect, he was clueless.

Feeling frustrated, I brushed my fallen hair back.

“I understand what you’re thinking. But no, it’s not true.”

“What?”

“I’m not married. I’ve never been married.”

I mumbled quietly.

Deon stared blankly at my lips as I spoke the truth. His expression showed he couldn’t understand. He even seemed slightly bewildered.

“But… I heard you were married.”

“Did you check the marriage certificate?”