♡ TL: Khadija SK
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“Isn’t it a bit funny that the emperor’s qualifications come solely from his mother’s position?” Annette muttered to herself in a puzzled voice.
Unknowingly, she had just committed treason in front of a potential future emperor, but since she wasn’t aware of it, Theodore didn’t know how to react. So, he decided to let it go.
“Logically, it’s natural for someone capable of becoming emperor to be the emperor. To be precise, the whole system of status for emperors and nobles in this world is ridiculous.”
Theodore, who was part of the royal family, felt incredibly conflicted witnessing this new form of treason.
The previous emperor had loved Theodore when he was a child, but he had no intention of passing the throne to him.
This wasn’t unusual, as all the emperors in the history of Odintia were the same.
The Odintian Empire rarely followed the principle of meritocracy. Looking at its long 500-year history, it was a silly mysticism.
Due to the right of inheritance by the legitimate son, there wasn’t much conflict over imperial power. However, as some heirs lacked talent, the empire gradually declined and deteriorated.
Every time someone without the necessary qualifications—beyond their blood—became emperor, the empire’s prestige slowly eroded. Yet, despite this, people still believed that only a legitimate heir could become emperor.
“Do you really want to become emperor?”
“Do you think that’s absurd too?”
“Becoming an emperor isn’t absurd. I’m just not sure whether the term ’emperor’ sounds weirder.”
“Is the word ’emperor’ strange to you?”
“Hmm…”
Annette closed her mouth for a moment and looked at the title of a history book lying on the desk. The words “emperor” and “empire” were written here and there, some of the most common terms she’d seen since learning to read in this world.
Since Annette came from a democratic society as a modern Korean woman, the concept of an absolute monarchy was entirely foreign to her.
However, this was a society where status and power reigned supreme. Ignoring or denying the emperor’s authority was a grave crime. Regardless of personal beliefs, that was the law here.
Realizing she might have spoken and acted inappropriately with someone of Theodore’s rank, Annette struggled to find words to apologize or seek forgiveness. Eventually, she managed to justify herself, albeit hesitantly.
“There was no emperor in the place where I lived.”
“Then what do you call an emperor there?”
“No, there was no concept of an emperor at all. There are people who manage the affairs of the country, but no one rules over it.”
Annette carefully chose her words to explain the absence of an emperor in her world. It was difficult for her to explain concepts like revolution, treason, or coups, as they were foreign ideas even to her.
At first, Theodore thought she was joking, but the seriousness in her tone made him realize she was telling the truth.
“So… to be honest, I don’t know the value of the throne. But if you want to become emperor, you’re right. At least in the world I lived in, it was normal for anyone to pursue anything they wanted if they desired it.”
When Annette finished her words cautiously, Theodore’s expression grew confused.
What she had said was absurd, and he didn’t believe her at all. But somehow…
… it sounded a bit like the world Theodore had always wanted.
Everyone here called Theodore’s longing for the throne arrogance and greed. Even Theodore himself was only concerned with the fact that he couldn’t become emperor, never questioning whether he truly wanted the role or the value it held.
A concubine’s son wasn’t supposed to hold anything of real value, so he believed the throne was precious simply because he couldn’t have it.
People treated his dreams as mere delusions. But how could Annette so easily dismiss the throne’s significance?
The emperor had been the dream he’d dedicated his whole life to, and she brushed it off as just another ordinary position.
It felt like a slap across his face, as if she had shattered the value of the throne with a single word.
Theodore clenched his fists. Was Annette trying to insult him?
It disgusted him how her innocent smile seemed to mock him for dedicating his entire life to becoming emperor.
However, he couldn’t blindly accuse someone who likely had no malice behind their words. He wondered if Annette even understood why her words were offensive.
His mind was in turmoil, but at the same time, he felt oddly relieved by her spontaneous, carefree attitude.
If there were no emperors or empresses in her world, then Theodore wasn’t a lowly child of a concubine in her eyes.
It seemed that this woman wouldn’t treat Theodore as useless even if he didn’t become an emperor.
Regardless of his origins and roots, it was as though she was simply telling Theodore that he was his father’s son, nothing more.
“My poor son who cannot become emperor. Just stay alive.”
This woman was the complete opposite of his mother, who looked down on her own illegitimate son despite being just a concubine herself.
Annette kept her mouth closed with a slightly tense expression, but Theodore could hear her voice echoing in his mind.
Blood ties were of no importance to her, even though he had been bound by his mixed blood his entire life, unable to move freely.
The throne, nobility, and pride meant nothing to her.
Even if he didn’t have imperial blood, in her opinion, he could still obtain the throne.
Her words were somewhat sweet, so he wanted to keep listening, but at the same time, he couldn’t accept them.
He felt both relieved and insulted.
He couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be angry, so he chose to feel annoyed as usual.
“You can’t tell the difference between compliments and words that should never be spoken to the imperial family. It seems to me that teaching you proper etiquette is the most urgent matter now.”
“Well, in my world, we didn’t bother much with etiqu—”
Annette’s voice was cut off by the sound of footsteps on the ground.
Emma entered the library, unaware that both of them were already there.
Only after seeing the two of them did Emma notice the unusual atmosphere, but she still delivered her message to Annette.
“Would you like me to set the table for dinner?”
Theodore suddenly looked outside and realized that the night sky had turned darker than ripe grapes before he noticed.
“Let’s eat.”
The two of them went to the table, forgetting about the summer heat, and Emma served the food she had prepared for them.
“What about Lisa?”
Annette faced Emma and slowly moved her lips to ask.
“She finished her meal earlier.”
Emma read Annette’s lip movements and told her where Lisa was.
Lisa had always eaten with Annette. As a nurse, she was supposed to monitor Annette while she ate and manage her nutrition.
“And she wants you to take this.”
Emma handed over some familiar pills.
They were the pills Lisa always gave Annette after meals.
It was obvious that the poor nurse had skipped dinner because Theodore was present. Emma also looked into Annette’s eyes, searching for any signs of fear toward Theodore.
“Thank you.”
Annette had to eat with a man everyone else avoided.
The dining table in the small villa was tiny, so the two had to sit close enough to see each other’s expressions clearly.
It was a space that Lisa, who feared Theodore, would never enter.
Along with the food, wine and fresh grapes were placed on the table.
All the wine made from the small vineyard was reserved for Theodore.
When the grapes ripened, Theodore would always visit the villa to enjoy the wine made from the fresh grapes harvested the previous year.
Even today, Theodore picked up the wine glass and inhaled its aroma before touching the food.
As he expressed satisfaction with the sweet scent, he felt Annette’s gaze from the other side.
It was one of the most disgusting looks Annette had ever given him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because the color of the wine is so beautiful. It’s not just red, it seems to have a strange glow. Is that due to the dim candlelight?”
“It’s mixed with brandy during the pouring process.”
Theodore’s wine was made by blending regular wine with brandy during fermentation.
His wine was more aromatic than regular wine and had a higher alcohol content.
This method of producing wine came from Cordoba, not Odentia.
“Light drinks aren’t enjoyable at all. All the common drinks in Laider are as light as if they were watered down.”
Annette continued to watch the glass he was holding, her lips hesitating a few times before she finally opened her mouth.
At last, she spoke the words she had been hiding inside.
“May I have just a small glass?”
She made a sincere request with straightforward words, but Theodore immediately thought he had misheard her.
Did she want to drink strong alcohol?
It wasn’t difficult to offer her a glass from the wine stockpiled in the cellar, but for some reason, he didn’t want to give it to her when he saw her eager, sparkling eyes.
“No. It’s made for me alone.”
“Don’t be so selfish.”
“I don’t think that’s the attitude of someone politely asking for something.”
“It’s just a sip of wine.”
Theodore was shocked the first time he heard such a trivial request, and he was shocked again by Annette’s subsequent behavior.
With a look of disappointment on her face, she picked up a piece of cheese that had been placed on Theodore’s plate and put it in her mouth.
It was a blatant disregard for table manners and a lack of respect towards Theodore at the same time.
“You don’t use utensils in your world, do you? It’s polite to eat with a fork here, so I’d appreciate it if you followed the rules of etiquette from now on.”
“We can eat cheese with our hands too. In my world, people who don’t listen to serious requests are called merciless.”
“Haven’t you given up yet?”
“How about you give me a little? You seem to be drunk now. I’m not someone you want to respect to the extent that you must be polite to under any circumstances.”
“But I haven’t drunk anything yet.”
“The alcohol is so strong that just smelling it makes you feel drunk.”
Annette said mockingly, then grabbed another piece of cheese with her hand and put it in her mouth.
Theodore felt bewildered by her liberated demeanor, which he had never seen before, but it seemed better than being ignored because she was so stubborn.
Thinking about it, Annette wasn’t afraid of him, nor was she avoiding him.
This was the first time someone treated him in such an unruly manner, considering him a member of the royal family, even if only by name.
It was an interesting situation, but it wasn’t one Theodore wanted to condone.
So he decided to give the misbehaving Annette a little warning.
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