Tonight, I’ll just be your woman
‘You are my woman. You are my person. You are my treasure.’
Until now, the emperor had said many things that were half joking or half meaningless, but this was the first time he had confessed anything like that.
Not for anyone to hear. A confession is made while looking into the eyes, in a sincere voice that only one can hear.
“You will never even know how much you mean to me…”
“Your majesty….”
Before the tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes could flow, Herhan kissed both Riella’s eyes.
Then, he touched Riella’s lips again with his moistened lips.
Herhan’s kiss seemed to desperately yearn for something. It was that urgent and passionate.
Riella pushed Herhan’s body back for a moment.
Herhan’s eyebrows furrowed in great tension as if he thought it was a sign of rejection.
“You thought I still had feelings for Fabian? why?”
‘Is she asking because she doesn’t know that?’
However, just as Herhan was frowning, Riella was equally confused. Because she thought she had sufficiently convinced the emperor so far.
“As soon as you heard he arrived, you went to the West Palace.”
‘Do I have to say this one by one?’
Herhan’s ears turned red from embarrassment, all the more so because the places where Riella’s body had touched him were actively heating up.
“You thought it was because of Fabian?”
“Then?”
“I went to see the princess.”
Herhan’s frown, which had been distorted, straightened at once.
“I went there to show the princess that I am living a wonderful life. I didn’t even meet Fabian at that time. I saw Fabian for the first time today. I had no choice because the West Palace called me urgently.”
She didn’t pause to explain her frustration.
“Unfortunately, there were strange rumors going around in the imperial palace about my vacation.….I was worried that it would make things difficult for Your Majesty. That’s why I worked harder on purpose. Your Majesty did not even meet me when I went to show off. So I was worried that I was the one who had gotten in his way…”
Looking at that, Herhan let out all the frustration he had been holding in his chest for several days with a long sigh.
Even though the misunderstanding was resolved, there was no time to feel relieved. The guilt of not trusting Riella and making her suffer felt many times heavier and more painful.
“Didn’t you get tired of me…?”
Riella’s next question was so cautious that Herhan closed his eyes even tighter.
‘To think that Riella would ask such a ridiculous question…’
At this moment, Herhan felt the most pathetic in the world.
“What kind of punishment should I get…?”
“Yes?”
“I mean me. What kind of punishment can I have to receive to be forgiven for my sin of misunderstanding you?”
‘If I had to bow my head, I would bow, and if I had to become a servant, I would become a servant…’
‘If she wanted to relieve her anger by hitting me, I was willing to be slapped by her.’
But Riella just pulled Herhan closer to her.
“Just tell me. Your Majesty’s heart. Be honest.”
“My heart….”
Herhan followed Liella’s lead and walked closer.
“I love you. Riella Blinite. To the point of being childish about anything about you. I love you so much that I keep acting like an idiot because you’re so precious and valuable. I love you that much.”
Riella raised her deer-like eyes and looked at Herhan earnestly. Like she was begging him to kiss her before she burst into tears.
Riella’s arms wrapped around Herhan’s neck, and Herhan willingly swallowed the breath of the person who was hugging him.
* * *
Greta and Fabian were still at the banquet hall door.
It was a place between three corridors from where Riella and Herhan were and one thick mid-door.
And yet Fabian could see through the myriad walls, looking exactly where Riella and Herhan were.
There they sit, chest heaving, gasping for air, tears spilling down their faces.
What are they doing?”
Greta asked Fabian, who was curled up like an animal, crying.
“Are they cuddling? Are they kissing?”
Unlike Fabian, who was struggling to breathe due to crying, Greta’s voice was flat.
“Come on Fabian. I can’t see through walls like you do. You should at least give me an answer.”
Fabian nodded while lying face down on Greta’s hand.
As he shook his head up and down miserably, his tears fell down and soaked the carpet on the floor.
“I see. Am I right, Fabian?”
“……”
“Can you believe it now that you’ve seen it in person? Even while you are suffering like this, Riella doesn’t even care about you. She is holding on tightly to the emperor as if she is showing off.”
Fabian closed his eyes tightly and exhaled.
‘Did Riela also feel like this? When she saw me kissing the princess, did she feel like her heart was being torn apart like this?’
Even though he closed his eyes, the image of the two lovers beyond the wall did not fade from Fabian’s mind.
“Fabian. I don’t believe the people in the world who say that the power of those with abilities is a ‘curse’. You’ll understand, Fabian. Your power to peek at those two may be a curse now, but there will come a day when you’ll be grateful for it.”
“I don’t know, I’m… I’m in pain, and I want to stop seeing them. Please…”
“No, no.”
Greta grabbed Fabian’s chin as he kept trying to turn his head away, forcing him to look forward.
“Look carefully. And remember clearly. The despair and sadness you are experiencing now. Don’t forget any of that.”
Greta hugged the struggling Fabian tightly.
* * *
Descendants of Enril. In other words, a ‘talented person’.
Greta never thought she would meet such an amazing being in her life.
“You can see beyond the wall? Really?”
“Yes…Only if there are people. Am I seriously ill?”
“Oh, no. It’s not a disease…Fabian, You really don’t know anything?”
“What do you mean?”
A man who doesn’t even know that he is a descendant of Enril.
A man who is so innocent and kind that he completely believes only the things that woman tell him.
He was a ray of light that came into Greta’s life.
“Father. I found the right person to solve this problem.”
“Really? He must be someone you can trust, right?”
At that time, the Liotta royal family was under threat from the emperor of the Elschweig Empire. She wanted Fabian to take care of Crown Prince Herhan, who was hiding somewhere within the borders and had his sights set on the throne.
“Isn’t he just a wandering mercenary? He seems like he doesn’t look like anything special, does he?”
“No. He is the person who will save our royal family and build this country.”
The Kingdom of Liotta was a small country. It had nothing, unable to feed its people without parasitizing on the neighboring Elschweig Empire, and its royal family was so powerless that it had never been invited to a single international conference.
‘What if he became the ‘descendants of Enril’ who only existed in legends?’
‘Fabian will be a strength of my kingdom. It will bring light to my miserable life.’
Greta did not doubt that fact.
So she made Fabian her person and loved him. The problem was Riella Blinite, a woman who was clinging to Fabian’s side like a leech.
“Fabian. You are different from others. Because of your power, you never know when death will come to you. I’m the only one who can save you.”
“Do you want to continue to be a burden next to Riella? Wouldn’t following me be beneficial to all of us?”
“Riella is gone. You idiot. It’s not that you left, it’s that she left.”
At some point, Greta realized. It’s not that Riella is attached to Fabian, but that Fabian is holding onto Riella and won’t let go.
To help Fabian up, Greta needed a way.
* * *
That was why Greta came to the empire.
Firstly, it was to get Fabian’s medicine, but secondly, it was to make Fabian completely give up on Riella.
After coming to the empire, Riella turned out to be a much stronger and brighter woman than Greta had expected. It was something she was so upset about that it made her shudder, but it was also a good thing for Fabian.
“Fabian. Are you feeling better now?”
Greta, who returned to the West Palace, stroked Fabian’s head.
Fabian suddenly became more gaunt, as if he had lost his soul. He was crying all over his body.
Greta hugged Fabian and whispered.
“Riella doesn’t know how special you are. I’m sure she’ll shed tears of blood if she finds out what she’s missing.”
Greta continued as she put the last of the medicine she had obtained from a shadow merchant a few days ago into Fabian’s mouth.
“Fabian. Let’s go to the central temple.”
Fabian swallowed his medicine and looked up with blank eyes. His eyes were bloodshot from crying desperately.
“They say there is an organization in the central temple that worships Enril’s descendants. Go there and make your presence known and get recognized. So, proudly show everyone what a great person you are. Let’s make Riella regret it.
How is it? Are you going to do as I say?”
Fabian’s eyes began to fill with tears again.
But before the tears flowed, Fabian closed his eyes and nodded. Greta finally smiled bitterly.
“That’s right. my love.”
* * *
“Your majesty, What’s going on?”
Herhan, who had gone out briefly saying he had an urgent report, came back into the room.
But Herhan did not answer Rella’s question.
Instead, he unbuttoned his own clothes with one hand, and with the other hand, he pulled Riella to him and kissed her.
“Hmphh….”
Riella fell backward helplessly as Herhan leaned heavily on her.
Behind her was a fluffy bed. The emperor’s bedroom, where Herhan’s body odor permeates.
After running away from the banquet hall, Riella came to the emperor’s bedroom while being held by Herhan.
Herhan was indifferent to what he would do if people saw him or if strange rumors spread.
“Hmphh…wait.”
It was just as reckless now.
The short time they’d been misunderstanding each other had only made him thirstier.
It was true that Riella also missed Herhan’s touch. She almost fell for his trick, but she was not fooled.
“Are you doing this on purpose to avoid answering?”
Herhan stepped back, admiring Riella in a different way.
“Even if I attack you with my naked body, you have the sense to shake it off?”
“You promised to be honest.”
“I was just being honest with my instincts.”
“Your majesty!”
Herhan sighed and got out of bed as Riella’s eyes glared at him telling him to stop playing around.
These are names Herhan doesn’t want to utter while holding Riella.
“Princess Greta and Fabian have left.”
“What? Now? Have they left the imperial palace altogether?”
“Nope. Their luggage is still in the West Palace. They’ve gone off somewhere, but they didn’t tell us their destination.”
“Ah…I see.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Yes. The guest from Liotta left without reporting anything, so as an ambassador, it’s something I should be concerned about.”
“I don’t like it either.”
This time Herhan narrowed his eyes and turned away. It had been less than an hour since they had made up over some stupid jealousy.
Riella stared at Herhan’s back for a moment.
She could have asked, “Are you jealous again because of something like this?” or “Isn’t it you who entrusted me with the ambassadorship?”
At that moment, Herhan’s confession from earlier appeared in Riella’s mind again. His confession is that he acts childishly when it comes to herself and that he loves her so deeply.
Riella realized that she had not responded to that confession yet.
So, instead of talking about something else, she softly called Herhan.
“Your majesty.”
“…why?”
“I won’t talk about Liotta tonight.”
Herhan slowly turned around.
The face facing Riella was like a painting. The solid body with its bare skin clearly exposed under the moonlight was fascinating as if it were a sculpture.
“Tonight…”
A body that has already been hugged several times. Nevertheless, Riella gave the answer she had prepared to the man who was so beautiful that it was hard to believe it was hers.
“Tonight, I’ll just be the woman you love.”
* * *
