Arundel struggled to open her eyelids.
It felt like someone had hit her head, and it was throbbing. As soon as she managed to sit up, a wave of nausea hit her.
She quickly ran to the bathroom, and a maid who was nearby followed her. The maid patteArundel struggled to open her eyelids.
It felt like someone had hit her head, and it was throbbing. As soon as she managed to sit up, a wave of nausea hit her.
She quickly ran to the bathroom, and a maid who was nearby followed her. The maid patted her back and quickly left the room.
Not long after, the head maid and an old man entered. They whispered to each other with serious faces, then approached Arundel.
“How are you feeling?”
The old man, with deep wrinkles, was dressed in white and looked like a doctor. Come to think of it, her head was still dizzy and she felt weak.
“…I feel dizzy and weak.”
“You’ve lost a lot of blood, so you may have symptoms of anemia. You also had symptoms of a mild concussion, so you should rest for a while.”
Arundel nodded weakly, like a sick chick.
Then…..
Bang-!
Arundel felt like she knew who it was without looking. There would probably be only one person in the palace who would break in like this.
Zion approached quickly and sat near the bed.
The doctor explained Arundel’s condition to Zion again. After finishing his work, the doctor said goodbye and left the bedroom.
When only Zion and Arundel were left, an awkward atmosphere flowed. Zion didn’t say anything and just stared at Arundel.
Arundel was staring blankly at the floor because she didn’t even have the strength to meet Zion’s eyes. She didn’t really want to see him either.
“Why did you do that?”
At Zion’s low voice, that moment came to mind. When she thought of Hegi, Arundel felt like tears were coming up again.
“Why did you do that?”
When Arundel didn’t answer, Zion asked again.
Annoyed by Zion’s endless questions and not wanting to see his face right now, Arundel forced herself to open her mouth.
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why did you try to kill yourself?”
Arundel looked at Zion’s face, thinking she had heard wrong, but Zion’s unusually serious expression told her he was sincere.
“…kill myself?”
“I heard you tried to hang yourself.”
Arundel couldn’t understand why she was being treated as someone who had attempted suicide.
She had begged Zion yesterday, but Zion, who seemed like he wouldn’t bleed a drop even if stabbed, didn’t listen to her.
Her eyes were swollen from crying so much.
The maids comforted her, but she couldn’t hear anything because she felt sorry for Hegi, who had died because of her.
She sobbed and found it hard to breathe, so she thought he should at least take off her uncomfortable clothes and jewelry.
She took off his clothes and reached out to take off the necklace, which felt particularly suffocating today.
But the clasp was so elusive that she struggled with it alone for 20 minutes.
When her patience ran out, she looked at the dinner the maids had left for her to eat when he felt better.
Specifically, her gaze was drawn to the well-sharpened steak knife next to the plate.
She shouldn’t have done that.
She wanted to stop her past self, but she wasn’t in her right mind because of what happened to Hegi, so she reached out for the steak knife.
Swish!
She sawed at the necklace as if she was cutting wood. But it didn’t seem to break easily.
[It’s so pretty, isn’t it? It’s a pearl collected from the southern coast. It’s known for its beautiful luster and durability that won’t break even if you hit it with a hammer!]
She remembered Belle, who had cheerfully explained about the necklace in the morning.
She was annoyed at why she had chosen this necklace today, and put more force into the knife.
As she spent another period of patience, she felt like she was seeing the end.
“It’s cut!”
But at that moment.
The sharp knife, which she failed to control, cut her own neck in that state.
As blood flowed from her neck, she panicked and ran to the bathroom to find something to wipe it off.
And just her luck, the bathroom floor, which was not completely dry that day, was too slippery, and she fell with a loud thud as she rushed in.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the current situation.
‘But now, a suicide attempt…?!’
Zion seemed to be in a much lower mood. His appearance was the same. His skin was dry and his appearance was haggard, like someone who hadn’t slept properly for days.
Arundel had something to confirm right away.
“…What happened to Hegi?”
“So you did all this because of that damn dog.”
Arundel was again greatly angered by Zion’s seemingly empathy-lacking words, but she swallowed her anger and asked again.
“Please answer me. Did you kill Hegi?”
Arundel’s head was still throbbing, but she looked straight into Zion’s eyes and demanded an answer.
Zion sighed once and then ordered the maid.
“Bring the dog.”
The maid quickly brought Hegi, who was outside.
Hegi wagged his tail in all directions and approached Arundel. He seemed happy to see Arundel after a long time, running around here and there.
“Hegi!”
Arundel reached out and hugged Hegi’s neck tightly.
Tears welled up in Arundel’s eyes. She was so happy to see Hegi again, whom she thought she would never see again.
“Now answer my question.”
At Zion’s urging, Arundel let go of Hegi and looked at him.
“My heart was in so much pain.”
“So you did all this because of a mere dog.”
“He’s not just a dog. Hegi was my only friend.”
Zion seemed to dislike this conversation, but he didn’t leave his seat or sneer as he used to.
“I was so lonely. You didn’t visit me often, did you?”
Although she was saying this to take advantage of the situation, everything she was saying now was sincere.
She had been so lonely and hard. Of course, she wasn’t going to attempt suicide, but if it had continued for a long time, she would have definitely fallen ill.
“So, are you saying you’re going to attempt suicide again?”
“I didn’t try to commit suicide.”
At Arundel’s words, Zion jumped up from his seat.
“What did you just say?”
“It was an accident. I never tried to commit suicide.”
Zion laughed sarcastically.
How long had he waited for the Empress to open her eyes?
When he heard that the Empress had attempted suicide, he was filled with rage. He couldn’t forgive the Empress who dared to attempt suicide on her own.
‘You can’t die at will. Not without my permission.’
But when he faced the Empress Irina, who was lying like a corpse, he felt as if all the blood was draining from his body. Fortunately, her life was not in danger, but they said they didn’t know when she would wake up.
He frowned at the overlapping figure.
Although there was no resemblance at all, the sight of her lying pale on the bed kept reminding him of someone.
So he spent the whole day next to the Empress.
He felt empty and desolate. What had he been running for?
Was this all he had hoped for in the end?
On the second day, he couldn’t leave his seat due to an important meeting, so he returned to the main palace. Until evening, he hadn’t heard any news that the Empress had woken up.
And on the third day, she woke up. He dropped everything he was doing and ran here.
But was all this just a simple accident?
He was boiling with anger because he had been unable to sit still all this time, but when he saw the Empress Irina sitting down, he couldn’t open his mouth.
“It was an accident, but if I keep living like this, I’ll get sick someday.”
Arundel spoke quite coldly.
During the time she had been down, Zion seemed quite worried. His appearance was even worse, and just by looking at how he had barged in not long after she woke up, it seemed so.
“Do you wish for me to get sick…?”
Now was a good time to gamble.
“So, what do you want?”
Zion asked sharply. He seemed to dislike the situation.
“Give me freedom.”
Zion’s expression hardened.
“You’re smart, trying to turn this situation into an opportunity.”
Arundel was embarrassed by Zion’s sharp words, but Zion had not yet shown any intention to refuse.
Despite his cold words, he couldn’t easily open his mouth.
Arundel looked at Zion with expectation.
“I refuse.”
At his refusal, Arundell wanted to collapse on the bed again. It wasn’t easy after all.
But it was too early to give up.
“Are you saying you’re going to neglect me again?”
“I will come often.”
At his unexpected words, Arundel paused for a moment.
If Zion came often, wouldn’t she be able to improve and educate their relationship? She thought about it for a short moment, but no, it wasn’t.
If she couldn’t have normal interactions with other people, the relationship was likely to remain in an abnormal form like obsession.
She definitely needed freedom to properly educate him.
“It’s nice to see you often, but I don’t want to be a dog waiting for you.”
“…”
“Please set me free. Otherwise, I’ll wither away in this palace.”
Arundel’s words seemed to displease Zion, and he frowned.
“Please…”
Arundel pleaded pitifully. Just a little more, just a little more.
“It’s not possible.”
Zion firmly said.
It seemed that no persuasion would work against his firm attitude. With that thought, Arundel’s body slumped.
“The doctor said it’s important to rest. Don’t move and rest in this room for a while.”
Zion said so and got up to leave the bedroom.
Arundel, who was in pain, did not look at Zion until he left.
But the situation wasn’t bad. Fortunately, Hegi was safe, and Zion’s attitude wasn’t bad either.
Considering their first meeting, it was a great improvement.
“I can’t give up here.”
She felt that she could gain freedom with just a little more effort. So it was too early to give up.
“Let’s see who wins.”
To carry out the next operation, she had to take good care of her body. Depending on Zion’s attitude, it was an action that could strain her body.
Arundel burned her will, thinking about the next operation.
As the season approached summer, strong sunlight came in through the window.
The platinum blonde hair that received the sunlight shone dazzlingly. And beneath it was a man with a beautiful face.
“Is this all I have to do?”
At Zion’s question, the aide nodded.
He had been struggling to adapt to the emperor’s crazy mood swings lately, but today was quite peaceful. To be precise, it was since the empress woke up.
“I’ll finish this and go to the Empress’s Palace.”
Because he had roughly expected it, the aide nodded.
Zion quickly skimmed the documents and made the final payment, then moved his steps to the Empress’s Palace.
His mind had been uneasy and uncomfortable for several days, but today those feelings were a little better.
Although nothing had been resolved about the strange symptoms, he felt good just knowing that the empress had woken up.
Feeling this way just because someone is alive was unfamiliar, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.
The only thing that bothered him was the condition the empress had requested yesterday.
‘Give me freedom.’
That was absolutely impossible.
He already knew that the existence of the empress was not a toy or a possession to him.
Although he couldn’t define his feelings and relationship accurately yet, he didn’t want to see her sad or resentful for now.
But that was it.
Giving freedom meant denying everything he had built up so far. He still hadn’t found the answer to what he had been running for.
Zion, who had been lost in thought, came to his senses when he arrived at the Empress’s Palace.
Thinking that the empress would be behind this door, the thoughts that had been bothering his head disappeared.
Just then, the empress’s head maid was standing in front of the door. He paused for a moment to ask about the empress’s progress.
“How is the Empress’s body? What did the doctor say today?”
At Zion’s question, the head maid’s pupils trembled slightly. Zion felt uneasy as he had before.
“Tell me. What’s the problem?”
“The, the Empress is fasting now.”
At the head maid’s answer, Zion kicked the door open.
d her back and quickly left the room.
Not long after, the head maid and an old man entered. They whispered to each other with serious faces, then approached Arundel.
“How are you feeling?”
The old man, with deep wrinkles, was dressed in white and looked like a doctor. Come to think of it, her head was still dizzy and she felt weak.
“…I feel dizzy and weak.”
“You’ve lost a lot of blood, so you may have symptoms of anemia. You also had symptoms of a mild concussion, so you should rest for a while.”
Arundel nodded weakly, like a sick chick.
Then…..
Bang-!
Arundel felt like she knew who it was without looking. There would probably be only one person in the palace who would break in like this.
Zion approached quickly and sat near the bed.
The doctor explained Arundel’s condition to Zion again. After finishing his work, the doctor said goodbye and left the bedroom.
When only Zion and Arundel were left, an awkward atmosphere flowed. Zion didn’t say anything and just stared at Arundel.
Arundel was staring blankly at the floor because she didn’t even have the strength to meet Zion’s eyes. She didn’t really want to see him either.
“Why did you do that?”
At Zion’s low voice, that moment came to mind. When she thought of Hegi, Arundel felt like tears were coming up again.
“Why did you do that?”
When Arundel didn’t answer, Zion asked again.
Annoyed by Zion’s endless questions and not wanting to see his face right now, Arundel forced herself to open her mouth.
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why did you try to kill yourself?”
Arundel looked at Zion’s face, thinking she had heard wrong, but Zion’s unusually serious expression told her he was sincere.
“…kill myself?”
“I heard you tried to hang yourself.”
Arundel couldn’t understand why she was being treated as someone who had attempted suicide.
She had begged Zion yesterday, but Zion, who seemed like he wouldn’t bleed a drop even if stabbed, didn’t listen to her.
Her eyes were swollen from crying so much.
The maids comforted her, but she couldn’t hear anything because she felt sorry for Hegi, who had died because of her.
She sobbed and found it hard to breathe, so she thought he should at least take off her uncomfortable clothes and jewelry.
She took off his clothes and reached out to take off the necklace, which felt particularly suffocating today.
But the clasp was so elusive that she struggled with it alone for 20 minutes.
When her patience ran out, she looked at the dinner the maids had left for her to eat when he felt better.
Specifically, her gaze was drawn to the well-sharpened steak knife next to the plate.
She shouldn’t have done that.
She wanted to stop her past self, but she wasn’t in her right mind because of what happened to Hegi, so she reached out for the steak knife.
Swish!
She sawed at the necklace as if she was cutting wood. But it didn’t seem to break easily.
[It’s so pretty, isn’t it? It’s a pearl collected from the southern coast. It’s known for its beautiful luster and durability that won’t break even if you hit it with a hammer!]
She remembered Belle, who had cheerfully explained about the necklace in the morning.
She was annoyed at why she had chosen this necklace today, and put more force into the knife.
As she spent another period of patience, she felt like she was seeing the end.
“It’s cut!”
But at that moment.
The sharp knife, which she failed to control, cut her own neck in that state.
As blood flowed from her neck, she panicked and ran to the bathroom to find something to wipe it off.
And just her luck, the bathroom floor, which was not completely dry that day, was too slippery, and she fell with a loud thud as she rushed in.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the current situation.
‘But now, a suicide attempt…?!’
Zion seemed to be in a much lower mood. His appearance was the same. His skin was dry and his appearance was haggard, like someone who hadn’t slept properly for days.
Arundel had something to confirm right away.
“…What happened to Hegi?”
“So you did all this because of that damn dog.”
Arundel was again greatly angered by Zion’s seemingly empathy-lacking words, but she swallowed her anger and asked again.
“Please answer me. Did you kill Hegi?”
Arundel’s head was still throbbing, but she looked straight into Zion’s eyes and demanded an answer.
Zion sighed once and then ordered the maid.
“Bring the dog.”
The maid quickly brought Hegi, who was outside.
Hegi wagged his tail in all directions and approached Arundel. He seemed happy to see Arundel after a long time, running around here and there.
“Hegi!”
Arundel reached out and hugged Hegi’s neck tightly.
Tears welled up in Arundel’s eyes. She was so happy to see Hegi again, whom she thought she would never see again.
“Now answer my question.”
At Zion’s urging, Arundel let go of Hegi and looked at him.
“My heart was in so much pain.”
“So you did all this because of a mere dog.”
“He’s not just a dog. Hegi was my only friend.”
Zion seemed to dislike this conversation, but he didn’t leave his seat or sneer as he used to.
“I was so lonely. You didn’t visit me often, did you?”
Although she was saying this to take advantage of the situation, everything she was saying now was sincere.
She had been so lonely and hard. Of course, she wasn’t going to attempt suicide, but if it had continued for a long time, she would have definitely fallen ill.
“So, are you saying you’re going to attempt suicide again?”
“I didn’t try to commit suicide.”
At Arundel’s words, Zion jumped up from his seat.
“What did you just say?”
“It was an accident. I never tried to commit suicide.”
Zion laughed sarcastically.
How long had he waited for the Empress to open her eyes?
When he heard that the Empress had attempted suicide, he was filled with rage. He couldn’t forgive the Empress who dared to attempt suicide on her own.
‘You can’t die at will. Not without my permission.’
But when he faced the Empress Irina, who was lying like a corpse, he felt as if all the blood was draining from his body. Fortunately, her life was not in danger, but they said they didn’t know when she would wake up.
He frowned at the overlapping figure.
Although there was no resemblance at all, the sight of her lying pale on the bed kept reminding him of someone.
So he spent the whole day next to the Empress.
He felt empty and desolate. What had he been running for?
Was this all he had hoped for in the end?
On the second day, he couldn’t leave his seat due to an important meeting, so he returned to the main palace. Until evening, he hadn’t heard any news that the Empress had woken up.
And on the third day, she woke up. He dropped everything he was doing and ran here.
But was all this just a simple accident?
He was boiling with anger because he had been unable to sit still all this time, but when he saw the Empress Irina sitting down, he couldn’t open his mouth.
“It was an accident, but if I keep living like this, I’ll get sick someday.”
Arundel spoke quite coldly.
During the time she had been down, Zion seemed quite worried. His appearance was even worse, and just by looking at how he had barged in not long after she woke up, it seemed so.
“Do you wish for me to get sick…?”
Now was a good time to gamble.
“So, what do you want?”
Zion asked sharply. He seemed to dislike the situation.
“Give me freedom.”
Zion’s expression hardened.
“You’re smart, trying to turn this situation into an opportunity.”
Arundel was embarrassed by Zion’s sharp words, but Zion had not yet shown any intention to refuse.
Despite his cold words, he couldn’t easily open his mouth.
Arundel looked at Zion with expectation.
“I refuse.”
At his refusal, Arundell wanted to collapse on the bed again. It wasn’t easy after all.
But it was too early to give up.
“Are you saying you’re going to neglect me again?”
“I will come often.”
At his unexpected words, Arundel paused for a moment.
If Zion came often, wouldn’t she be able to improve and educate their relationship? She thought about it for a short moment, but no, it wasn’t.
If she couldn’t have normal interactions with other people, the relationship was likely to remain in an abnormal form like obsession.
She definitely needed freedom to properly educate him.
“It’s nice to see you often, but I don’t want to be a dog waiting for you.”
“…”
“Please set me free. Otherwise, I’ll wither away in this palace.”
Arundel’s words seemed to displease Zion, and he frowned.
“Please…”
Arundel pleaded pitifully. Just a little more, just a little more.
“It’s not possible.”
Zion firmly said.
It seemed that no persuasion would work against his firm attitude. With that thought, Arundel’s body slumped.
“The doctor said it’s important to rest. Don’t move and rest in this room for a while.”
Zion said so and got up to leave the bedroom.
Arundel, who was in pain, did not look at Zion until he left.
But the situation wasn’t bad. Fortunately, Hegi was safe, and Zion’s attitude wasn’t bad either.
Considering their first meeting, it was a great improvement.
“I can’t give up here.”
She felt that she could gain freedom with just a little more effort. So it was too early to give up.
“Let’s see who wins.”
To carry out the next operation, she had to take good care of her body. Depending on Zion’s attitude, it was an action that could strain her body.
Arundel burned her will, thinking about the next operation.
As the season approached summer, strong sunlight came in through the window.
The platinum blonde hair that received the sunlight shone dazzlingly. And beneath it was a man with a beautiful face.
“Is this all I have to do?”
At Zion’s question, the aide nodded.
He had been struggling to adapt to the emperor’s crazy mood swings lately, but today was quite peaceful. To be precise, it was since the empress woke up.
“I’ll finish this and go to the Empress’s Palace.”
Because he had roughly expected it, the aide nodded.
Zion quickly skimmed the documents and made the final payment, then moved his steps to the Empress’s Palace.
His mind had been uneasy and uncomfortable for several days, but today those feelings were a little better.
Although nothing had been resolved about the strange symptoms, he felt good just knowing that the empress had woken up.
Feeling this way just because someone is alive was unfamiliar, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.
The only thing that bothered him was the condition the empress had requested yesterday.
‘Give me freedom.’
That was absolutely impossible.
He already knew that the existence of the empress was not a toy or a possession to him.
Although he couldn’t define his feelings and relationship accurately yet, he didn’t want to see her sad or resentful for now.
But that was it.
Giving freedom meant denying everything he had built up so far. He still hadn’t found the answer to what he had been running for.
Zion, who had been lost in thought, came to his senses when he arrived at the Empress’s Palace.
Thinking that the empress would be behind this door, the thoughts that had been bothering his head disappeared.
Just then, the empress’s head maid was standing in front of the door. He paused for a moment to ask about the empress’s progress.
“How is the Empress’s body? What did the doctor say today?”
At Zion’s question, the head maid’s pupils trembled slightly. Zion felt uneasy as he had before.
“Tell me. What’s the problem?”
“The, the Empress is fasting now.”
At the head maid’s answer, Zion kicked the door open.
She’s on a riot 😂