I Think I’m Falling in Love with You
Two days later, Herhan set out for the Kingdom of Riota with Riella.
Following the emperor and the soon-to-be empress were Asion, part of the 1st Knights Order, and the Empress’s Royal Guard.
They had minimized their numbers, prioritizing speed over a large entourage.
“This is seriously exhausting. We need to wrap this up as quickly as possible and get straight to the wedding.”
Herrhan grumbled more than usual on purpose.
Riella knew he was doing it to help ease her nerves.
For the first few days, it actually felt like an exciting journey. The occasional citizens who recognized them greeted them with bright cheers, adding to the atmosphere.
But once they crossed the border, things were different.
Kingdom of Riota.
The houses in the countryside were extremely desolate.
“Where did all the people go?”
“Most of them fled, and the rest left their farms and became bandits or went to the capital.”
There was no war.
Yet, just the fall of a decadent royal family was enough to send the people into turmoil.
The closer they got to the capital, the more the harsh realities of the kingdom became painfully evident.
“Your Majesty, Lady Riella. From here, it would be safer for you both to travel by carriage.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“The capital is full of rioters. If your identities are revealed, we may be attacked.”
Looking around, all the imperial knights had stopped their horses, checking their weapons with solemn expressions on their faces.
‘Of course. It makes sense. The empire is partially responsible for Riota’s downfall. The people’s resentment is bound to be directed at us.’
“Don’t worry, Riella.”
“But if a fight breaks out here—”
“That won’t happen. We have very powerful weapons.”
“A powerful weapon?”
Instead of answering the question of what it was, Herhan grabbed Riella’s hand tightly.
They entered the capital.
As Asion had warned, the streets were full of furious citizens from all over the kingdom.
The royal palace, visible in the distance, had its gates wide open—deserted. The palace guards had long since fled.
“It’s those arrogant nobles’ carriage!”
“Who are you? Stop hiding and come out!”
Soon, the angry crowd noticed the imperial procession and rushed toward them, weapons in hand.
Asion stood at the forefront, drew his sword, and shouted to them.
“Everyone stop attacking and clear the way!”
“Who do you think you are?”
“His Majesty the Emperor of the Elshweig Empire and his future Empress Riella Blinite!”
It was Herhan’s order to reveal his identity to the people.
But what if that only made things worse, turning that into an outright declaration of war?
Riella couldn’t shake off her worries. The imperial knights, too, kept their hands on their sword hilts, ready for the worst.
Riella shut her eyes tightly in fear.
Then, she felt Herrhan’s large hand cover hers.
“Don’t be afraid.”
“……”
“It’s okay.”
“……”
“You can open your eyes now, Riella.”
“…..”
Even after Herhan had reassured her, it was a long time before Riella finally opened her eyes.
The view ahead, which had been crowded with people, was clear.
“This….”
Everyone stood on either side of the emperor’s carriage, clearing the way to the palace.
The weapons that had been raised threateningly were all put down on their own.
“What… what happened?”
There was no sound of weapons clashing, no threats or screams.
“Did they back off because they were afraid of the Emperor?”
“Oh. I think, rather than that,…”
Before Asion could explain, the crowd themselves spoke up first.
“Lady Riella Blinite! Our Empress!”
“You have returned to your homeland!”
“Please… Save us. Save your country!”
* * *
Inside the palace.
“I met you as an ambassador in the empire, but now I meet you as Her Majesty the Empress.”
Eric, who had been waiting inside, bowed humbly before Riella.
“Not yet.”
“On the land of Riota, everyone is already calling Lady Blinite ‘Her Majesty the Empress’.”
At Eric’s affectionate words, Riella felt a surge of emotion welling up inside her once again.
Riella remembered the people she had met in front of the palace earlier, crying and clinging to her as if she were some great beacon of hope, even though she was nothing of the sort
“I guess you need to rest for a bit.”
“Your Majesty, I heard earlier that you intended to meet the king as soon as you arrived.….”
Eric, tilting his head cluelessly, finally stopped questioning when he saw the Emperor’s hand wrapping around Riella’s shoulder.
“I’ve prepared a place for you to stay. Let me guide you there.”
The place Eric led them to was the western annex of the palace.
It was such a funny thing. A twist of fate or something.
“Should I arrange for you to stay somewhere else?”
“Why bother? They say the main palace is still dangerous after the riot the other day.”
“If it’s too uncomfortable, we can arrange accommodations outside the palace.”
“I’m really fine. In fact, it’s… strangely fascinating…”
Riella looked around, overcome with emotion.
Compared to the main palace, which was in chaos, the annex palace looked the same as before.
She thought it would be really painful to come back here again.
But as she looked out at the lush gardens, she realized that this place held not only painful memories but also some good ones.
“It was there… where I first held Your Majesty’s hand and walked together.”
At her words, Herrhan’s lips curved into a faint smile, as if recalling that moment.
“It feels so strange. Back then, I never imagined that I’d return here. And even more, I never dreamed that Your Majesty would be by my side.”
“Hmm.”
Herrhan’s expression, unlike Riella’s, was somewhat enigmatic.
“Your Majesty, did you know?”
Does Herhan have the ability to foresee the future?
Herhan burst into laughter at Riella’s serious question.
“I never thought you would become my empress. At that time, I didn’t even think I would be alive today.”
“Then why….”
“But I thought I would fall in love with you.”
The eyes that had once been filled with the vibrant colors of the autumn garden now sparkled again at Riella.
“Yes. That, I was certain of, even back then.”
* * *
When the King heard that the Emperor had arrived, he went back into his room and hid.
After laying Riella down in the annex bedroom, Herhan appeared with his knights in front and ordered them to break down the door without even trying to persuade him with words.
The King’s last defense was torn apart like a sheet of paper before the Empire’s might.
The king, who had not even washed properly and looked disheveled, crawled on all fours in front of Herhan and begged.
“Just a little longer—please! I will do whatever it takes to capture Greta and hand her over to you…”
“I have already given you more than enough chances, Your Majesty.”
Herrhan gave a slight nod to his knights.
They moved to lift the king and seat him at the negotiation table, but he was too paralyzed with fear to stand on his own.
Herhan threw the agreement he had prepared in front of the king, who chose to just lie down like a dog.
“If you sign obediently, I will spare your life.”
The king, half out of his mind, couldn’t even read the words properly.
Herrhan summoned one of the few remaining low-ranking royal officials who hadn’t fled and had him read the agreement aloud.
[The permanent removal of the Feodorna family from politics; all family members to be exiled.]
[A continued warrant for the arrest of the criminal Greta Feodorna]
[Until the capture of the fugitive, King Taran II will remain detained at a location designated by the Empire]
[The establishment of a regency council for the Kingdom of Riota, with a leader appointed by the Empire]
It was, in essence, the complete absorption of Riota into the Empire as a vassal state.
The king, trembling, collapsed into sobs.
“Your Majesty, please.…Please show mercy…”
“Mercy will be given to your people. But not to you.”
“Please, just one more chance….”
“The International Council has already approved this agreement. Your people seem ready to accept their new ruler as well.”
“……”
“If you refuse to sign, I will withdraw all my soldiers from this palace and return to the Empire immediately. Is that what you want?”
“…….”
“The outside of the palace is swarming with rioters, and your soldiers have already fled. I wonder how many hours you can last in this situation.”
“……”
The king could no longer resist and stamped his seal on the imperial agreement.
The fall of the Feodorna family.
It was merely a fleeting moment, just a few lines in the pages of history—there was no one to mourn for something that had never truly prospered in the first place.
* * *
“We have finally overcome a big mountain.”
“Throwing away something broken isn’t that hard. What’s difficult is filling the empty space and making things function again.”
Everyone nodded and pondered Herhan’s words.
Sitting next to Herhan at the conference room table, Riella asked cautiously.
“What kind of person is this ‘regent’ Your Majesty personally chose?”
“Well, he is….”
Asion let out an awkward laugh and a sigh at the same time.
“I think that’s a bit difficult too. A bit of a headache, actually.”
“Difficult?”
On paper, there didn’t seem to be any major problems.
Duke Brenike, is based in the central region of the kingdom.
23rd in line for the throne.
One of the few nobles in the Riota Kingdom who owned a trading company—and a philanthropist who used most of his profits for welfare projects.
Thanks to this, he was one of the few nobles in the kingdom who was well-received by the people.
“He has studied abroad and has a wealth of knowledge, as well as an outstanding political sense. Above all, His Majesty has personally verified his abilities. He is evaluated as the person who is most capable of exercising power without any selfish motives.”
“He seems like a really nice person.”
“Well… he is. Except for one flaw.”
“Is one flaw really that bad? The situation is urgent.”
“That one flaw is too fatal for a ‘regent’, so it’s a problem.”
“What is it….?”
Throughout the conversation, Herhan had been pressing his temple.
Asion answered with a face that was as sore as his master.
“He refuses to listen to His Majesty.”
* * *
As soon as he went to bed after finishing the meeting early that day, Herhan fell asleep right away.
‘It’s unusual for Your Majesty to fall asleep before me.’
Riella caressed his wearily closed eyelids.
She gazed at him tenderly, tracing his sharp nose and soft hair with her fingers.
‘How heavy is the weight on your shoulders? Standing firm so I won’t be afraid, punishing those who deserve it, and now even bearing the burdens of my homeland’s people…’
Riella gently kissed Herhan on the forehead and then carefully got up.
She felt relaxed, but she couldn’t fall asleep at all.
Just as Herhan took care of her, she also felt that she should take care of her people.
“Lou. Where are you?”
“Yes, Lady Riella! You called for me?”
Riella smiled brightly and patted Lou’s head as she quickly appeared.
“I have somewhere to go. Come with me.”
As Riella and Lou stepped out, a royal guard waiting outside the bedroom carried a box and followed them.
The box was something that Riella had prepared in advance.
“What is this, Lady Riella?”
“Oh, just a few things I packed.”
“Wow! This isn’t just a few things! Fine fabric, jewels… even rare tea leaves and fruits. What are you going to do with all this?”
“It’s a gift for you, Lou.”
“Yes?”
Riella smiled at Lou, whose eyes were wide open.
“You’ve finally returned to your homeland. Take this and visit your family. You must miss them.”
“……”
“I know you know, but we don’t have much time. You have to be back in two days. It’s your first vacation, so I’m sorry it’s so short.”
“Lady Riella…”
Tears soon welled up in Lou’s eyes, which were wide open like the moon.
“I will give you a carriage, so go with Sir Andel. His Majesty has approved this, so don’t wor—!”
Riella couldn’t continue speaking because she was hugged by Lou.
Riella smiled and patted Lou’s shoulder.
The reason she brought Lou on this trip in the first place was for that purpose.
Not only Lou, but all the servants who had been drafted from the kingdom and sent them home.
Once their leave ended, it would be up to them whether they stayed or returned to the empire.
Of course, in Lou’s case, there was no need to ask—she would definitely choose to return to the empire.
“There’s no time for this. You have to leave quickly.”
Unlike her crying face, Lou was already shifting impatiently, bouncing on her feet in excitement.
After jumping for joy and hugging Riella again, she busied herself packing.
After repeating the process several times, she finally climbed into the carriage.
Riella went to the castle gate to see Lou off, and Lou waved from the window until the carriage disappeared into the distance.
“The wind is cold. You should head back inside, Lady Blinite.”
“You’re right.”
At that moment—
She sensed someone approaching.
The escort knight immediately drew his sword, but Riella met the opponent’s eyes, stopped the knight.
The one who approached was a noblewoman with a stern expression.
“Are you Lady Blinite?”
“Yes, that’s right. But who are you?”
“I am the head maid of this palace. I was planning to come see you, but it seems we meet here instead.”
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Do you have business with me?”
“No. Rather, I believe you have some business with them.”
“Yes?”
‘She was the one who stopped me, yet she’s saying I have business?’
It took Riella a moment to understand the meaning of her words.
“I heard you’ve come to collect all the overdue debts of the royal family.”
At the head maid’s words, a group of people was reluctantly brought forward.
Familiar faces.
The time when Riella was imprisoned in the palace.
Those horrible faces that laughed at her, pointed at her, forced her to take medicine, and threw her away.
“You….”
They were Greta’s maids.
* * *
