Chapter 21
Hessel Olfenster fell into deep thought as he stared at the body of the man lying in the grass. He watched for a long time as the familiar chestnut hair soaked up the grass stains. His uncle approached and asked,
“Do you feel guilty?”
Duncan, who was then the Count of Retentor, thought that if his nephew uttered any words of guilt or regret, he might have to resort to the cane after a long time. His nephew was perfect, but he had a bad habit of occasionally showing weakness of heart.
Violence was an effective means to correct such a habit.
If he were locked up and beaten without knowing day from night, he would come to understand the pain of losing power and naturally realize that foolish emotional whims like sympathy were of no use.
“He said he has a woman he loves. That she’s pregnant… and that he hopes it’s a girl.”
His perfectly sculpted features contorted into a frown.
“Why did he tell me such a thing?”
“To elicit your sympathy. He thought that if you were foolish, you might spare his life.”
Despite Duncan’s explanation, he continued to stare at the body with an expression that showed he was not entirely convinced. Then, he murmured,
“He said he would name the daughter Chloe. I wonder if his wife knows that.”
“What does that have to do with us?”
At Duncan’s perplexed retort, he fell silent.
* * *
What exactly is power?
Chloe shook her head inwardly as she thought of Princess Sylvia and the young lord of Retentor, who seemed more like father and daughter than an engaged couple.
‘It’s madness.’
Chloe had come out to the drawing room, saying she had something urgent to discuss with the young lord, but she was too anxious to leave an eleven-year-old girl with her twenty-six-year-old fiancé. So, she kept circling the garden visible from the drawing room window.
Pretending to admire the roses was one thing, but the young lord of Retentor showed no signs of coming out, so Chloe finally sat down among the roses near the drawing room window with a basket and shears.
She slowly cut the roses with one hand and carefully trimmed the thorns before placing them in the basket.
‘He’ll come out before I fill this basket.’
When the basket was about half full, Chloe glanced back at the drawing room window, cursing herself for not wearing a hat.
“It’s so hot…”
She swallowed her muttering and gathered her hair. Her limp white hair looked painfully unhealthy, so she couldn’t bring herself to tie it up.
Chloe hesitated, then let her gathered hair fall back down. Her hair stuck to her cheeks and the nape of her neck again.
At that moment, a man’s voice, which she had missed while focusing on the drawing room, fell from above her head.
“The mark is already gone.”
Startled, she looked up and met the eyes of Luke Olfenster, who was standing right behind her, so close that she wondered when he had gotten there.
“…Your Majesty?”
Against the bright, radiant rose garden of the daytime, Luke felt oddly out of place. The aura of an arrogant scoundrel living as if there were no tomorrow seemed to have softened a little—just a little.
“What are you doing here?”
“Picking flowers…”
“Did the princess order you to?”
The question was filled with certainty. Chloe carefully chose her words to avoid offending the emperor, who seemed displeased.
“No. I wanted to try it myself…”
“With those hands?”
There was a mocking tone that implied disbelief. As she fiddled with the splint on her wrist, having no words to reply, he clicked his tongue softly.
“You don’t have to indulge the princess’s whims.”
She sighed inwardly, knowing he would think whatever she said was just an excuse. At that moment, the back of the emperor’s hand gently touched her forehead.
“You have a fever.”
Well, it’s hot. Chloe gently pushed his hand away and stood up. From a distance, she could see servants at the entrance of the greenhouse picking up what looked like discarded clothes.
… It was him. The culprit.
Chloe realized why the emperor was wearing a thin shirt in late autumn. He had thrown off the rest of his clothes at the entrance because it was hot.
She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or sad that Luke Olfenster was living his life so recklessly. The problem was that such a life should at least seem happy, but he didn’t appear happy at all.
… It’s probably because he hasn’t been sleeping.
“Marie Edant. Should I punish the princess?”
The emperor’s sudden and incoherent question piqued Chloe’s curiosity about his mind. Was this what happens to people when they don’t sleep?
“She must be bothering you. Don’t you want to get back at her?”
She wasn’t being tormented, but even if she were, she didn’t want to entertain the idea of retaliating against an eleven-year-old.
“I think Your Majesty misunderstands the princess.”
“Well. I think I know well enough how sly and antisocial she is.”
“She’s just shy. She’s still young.”
In truth, Sylvia wasn’t just shy; she was hiding her true nature, but Chloe, unaware of this, defended her earnestly.
He watched her dispassionately before muttering to himself,
“I thought you’d be crying because of the princess by now. Usually, it only takes a few days… Strange.”
For a moment, Chloe doubted her ears. She managed to keep her slow tone as she spoke.
“Your Majesty, that sounds like you deliberately put me in a situation to suffer.”
“Yes. So, were you miserable?”
A faint expectation flickered in the emperor’s eyes. Suddenly, the man in front of her felt terribly unfamiliar. Who was this person? The man who considered others’ suffering as mere amusement—was this Luke?
Was he ruined by Langsher?
Or had he always been this way?
“If I say I am miserable, does it make Your Majesty happy?”
He shook his head.
“It’s not about being happy. I’m just curious.”
About what?
“How you would beg.”
The emperor seemed to be testing her, or perhaps expecting something. But the moment she discerned the vague resignation underlying his ambiguous interest, Chloe realized this wasn’t a unique moment for her. The emperor had likely repeated the same actions with many before her.
Pushing them into moderate suffering, appearing as if to resolve it, and observing their reactions—a damnable act.
Why? What exactly was he hoping for?
“I’m not miserable, so I have no reason to beg Your Majesty… What should I do?”
She added slowly,
“Would pretending to beg satisfy you?”
“You seem to think I enjoy others’ suffering and pleas—.”
He let out a laugh, as if tired of the frequent misunderstandings.
“—I’ve never found it enjoyable. I told you, I’m just curious.”
The emperor’s eyes, staring at her pale face, were like those appraising an object. Persistent yet emotionless.
It was stranger than when he was the impulsive man she’d stayed with at the Edant mansion’s annex.
“Why are you curious about that?”
He answered her question straightforwardly,
“For material to imagine.”
It was as if he didn’t expect her to understand even if he answered.
“….”
In the ensuing silence, the emperor tilted his head as if nothing was going his way.
“Usually, this is where resentment comes out.”
“Is that also what you’re curious about?”
“After pleading, it’s the next thing.”
“Who imagines such things out of a desire to see resentment and pleading?”
For the first time, the emperor was at a loss for words. He observed the woman standing in the bright sunlight again. The vivid yellow eyes that seemed darker in the shadows were excessively bright in the day.
Yet he thought of Chloe Langsher there.
If Chloe were alive, perhaps she would look at him this way.
Why are you living like this?
He would be ready to retort that it was her fault for dying. Truly, the woman who died had done wrong…
Chloe, did you ever love me?
* * *
“My father is planning to investigate the merchants in the eastern part of the empire because something strange is happening there. It seems some iron is being siphoned off bit by bit….”
Her red-painted lips moved continuously, spilling out information. Luke Olfenster laughed, kissing the cheek of the woman in his arms.
“So what?”
“Doesn’t your uncle’s family live in the east? If you’re worried, I could secretly get you the list of the merchants under investigation.”
She never once doubted his excuse about a non-existent uncle. It was as if she believed he could never lie to her.
Her innocent brown eyes curved towards him. Everything was going well. Chloe Langsher was utterly infatuated with him, delivering all sorts of information without suspicion. Even when he didn’t ask, she would sneakily bring valuable tidbits.
So naïve.
“Is that why you came? You tend to talk too much about your father….”
He buried his head in her neck, pretending to be upset. She flinched. He ignored her attempt to pull away and held her waist. He preferred the feel of bare skin over lipstick-smeared lips. But as soon as he opened his mouth and lightly bit her skin, she pushed him away.
“If it’s about your uncle, it’s your family’s business, so I’m worried.”
“Why do you push me away when you’re so concerned about my family?”
“We were in the middle of an important conversation.”
Her whisper was soft, mixed with a gentle smile, but it was more an attempt to escape the situation than genuine enjoyment. At least, that’s how he felt.
“What important conversation?”
“Are you angry, Luke?”
“Chloe, do you dislike me?”
He struggled to smile kindly. It wasn’t easy. He cupped Chloe’s head with one hand, holding her in place.
“I asked if you dislike me. Do you really dislike me? Is that why?”
How dare you push me away? I came all this way because of you….
He laughed as he buried his lips in her neck again. Her body was stiff. He suddenly remembered he should be kind, but then he wondered, what did it matter?
You said you loved me, without even knowing who I am.
“No, I don’t dislike you, Luke. Why are you….”
“Then?”
She whispered reluctantly.
“I love you.”
Really?
