Have we met somewhere before?
Riella spoke first to the servant who was standing there, staring at her without moving.
“Are you a servant of the palace?”
“Yes.”
“Is this your first banquet?”
“…..”
“Well, it makes sense. I heard that everyone was nervous because this was the first time there had been such a large banquet since His Majesty ascended to the throne. You must have had a really hard time.”
“…..”
“Oh. Did I talk too much?”
Riela leaned against the balcony railing, smiling to herself. Was it because she had been surrounded by chatty noblewomen all evening? Or maybe because she finally felt at ease, and random words were spilling out of her?
“It’s already autumn.”
Under the starry night sky, she murmured softly.
“I’ve been so busy lately. I didn’t even realize how cool the night breeze has become.”
In the space where the laughter and music from the banquet hall filtered through the walls, Riella’s body gradually relaxed as she leaned on the railing.
‘Ah. When will His Majesty arrive?
I must apologize. He won’t just not show up, will he?’
“It’s dangerous.”
At that moment, the servant, who had been keeping his mouth shut until now, spoke quietly.
“Huh? What did you say?”
“It’s dangerous to lean against the railing like that when the wind blows hard.….”
“What? ……Whoa!”
Before Riella could fully grasp the warning, a strong gust of wind shook her precarious position on the railing.
Startled, she quickly stood upright but misstepped in her haste, causing her body to lurch dangerously outward.
“Ahh!”
Just as Riella’s body was about to tilt outward, the servant grabbed her body.
“Ahhhh!”
Riella lost her balance and fell backward while being held by the servant. Though it was embarrassing, it was a relief compared to the alternative of falling off the balcony.
“Ugh….Are you okay? Thanks for saving me.…”
Riella opened her eyes with a frown. At that moment, the face of the servant who had saved her came into view.
His Hair is as soft as the clouds floating in the clear sky. His eyes shimmered with an emerald hue, mysterious and captivating.
Riella frowned at the man’s appearance, which was too handsome to be considered a servant who simply ran away to avoid work.
Not just because he’s handsome. It was because she felt as if…somewhere…
“Excuse me…Have we…”
Riella asked slowly. It was probably around that time that her vision began to blur and her head began to feel dizzy.
The last thing Riella saw before she completely lost consciousness was the man’s slender fingers tightly holding her wrist.
Before she could ask, ‘Have we met somewhere before?’ her eyes closed completely.
* * *
“Riella….Riella!”
Riela flinched, turning her head with a groan.
“Ugh…”
When she whimpered softly, the voice calling her name grew louder and more desperate.
“Riella!”
‘Your Majesty?’
Riella lifted her heavy eyelids with difficulty.
The bright light from the ceiling stung her eyes momentarily before the pale, worried face of Herrhan came into focus.
“Your—”
“Hah.”
Before she could even call out, “Your Majesty,” Herhan buried his face in Riella’s chest and groaned.
Riella raised one hand and stroked Herhan’s hair, slowly regaining consciousness.
‘This is the banquet hall waiting room…It’s still night outside. My clothes are still the same. I can still hear the sounds of the banquet hall. Did I lose consciousness for a moment?’
It was Jess who explained the situation.
“I found you collapsed in front of the balcony. We had parted ways not even ten minutes ago, how did it happen in the meantime?…It’s my fault. I should have just told you to rest in the waiting room.”
Jess sighed deeply before continuing.
“I’m so glad you regained consciousness so quickly. Are you feeling better now? Would you like some water?”
“Have I been like this for a long time?”
“About ten minutes.”
‘Ten minutes. So during those ten minutes, His Majesty must have been…’
Feeling guilty, Riella gently stroked Herhan’s soft hair with her fingers.
“Your Majesty, I’m fine now. I think I lost consciousness for a moment because I suddenly relaxed and thought everything was over.”
“I’ll go fetch some examination tools, just in case.”
There was no need for that, but Riella quickly realized Jess was giving them space.
“Your Majesty.”
“…..”
“Your Majesty, please raise your head.”
After Riella called a few more times, Herhan got up.
After several calls, Herrhan finally lifted his head. Though he raised it, he refused to meet her eyes, instead staring at the wall with a pout.
“Your Majesty, I’m sorry. You must have been so worried.”
At those words, Herhan clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly.
Worried? Was it merely worry?
When he had come to the balcony at Jess’s insistence and found her collapsed, his vision had gone dark. It felt as though the world was falling apart.
‘Why does Riella always push herself so hard?’
Even though it was a trick to deceive the enemy, he didn’t even have time to complain to that immature lover who was holding another man’s hand.
“Your Majesty.”
“Don’t look at me like that, Riella.”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Don’t look at me so affectionately after scaring me half to death.”
As his disappointment grew, Herhan ended up speaking angrily.
But Riella accepted his words gently.
“How can I help it if my feelings for you make my gaze turn affectionate?”
At those words, Herhan turned his head back to Riella.
Herrhan turned his head back toward her, seemingly unable to decide whether to scold her or… something else
But just as Riella struggled to sit up, he couldn’t resist anymore and sat back down on the sofa beside her.
Despite the lingering frustration in his expression, the gesture that helped Riella up was infinitely affectionate and careful.
“I was wrong.”
Then, Riella, who had just gotten up, confessed out of the blue.
“I mean it.”
Riella held his hand tightly, fearing that Herhan might turn his head away again.
“Even if I hadn’t stepped forward and held El’s hand, Your Majesty would have taken care of it. I should have trusted Your Majesty and waited.”
At first, Herrhan was dumbfounded by her sudden apology, but soon, as his frustration melted away, he found himself at a loss for words.
Herhan was thrilled, but he was also embarrassed by the apple, so he remained silent.
“I panicked. I was worried he might not drop his suspicions. I was afraid that we would be in danger again…”
“I understand.”
Herhan accepted Riella’s apology, pretending not to be able to win, and added his complaints.
“Don’t do that again. Especially that guy, El Weiss.….”
He paused mid-sentence, his expression darkening for a moment.
‘Because he truly loves you.’
Herhan unconsciously averted his eerie gaze and turned his
conversation in a different direction.
“He’s still dangerous.”
Riella nodded vigorously twice.
“And what else did you do wrong?”
“What else…?”
“Yeah. Something much more serious.”
Herhan took a deep breath and touched Riella’s forehead.
It was fortunate that there was no fever.
“How could you fall sick like this? Riella, If you’re having a hard time, you should talk about it.”
“……”
“Or… was this my fault? This morning, you had to run from everyone, and then cry your heart out before finally accepting my proposal. You must be very tired, and I’m the one who pushed you too hard again.”
It was meant as an apology, but Riella blushed with an embarrassed expression.
“I told you, I didn’t run away! And I didn’t cry or complain that much! Besides, I wasn’t so exhausted that I’d collapse.”
Had she underestimated her own fatigue?
As Riella thought about it, the memory of the moment she collapsed came back to her mind.
“Your Majesty. By the way, have you not seen a servant on the balcony?”
“A servant?”
“Yes. We were on the balcony together earlier. He has blue hair. When I fell, the servant caught me.…”
Herhan frowned and answered, recalling his memories.
“You were alone.”
“Really…?”
There was a servant with Riella when she collapsed.
It was something that was concerning and something that needed to be checked, but it wasn’t the most urgent thing.
More than that, what immediately caught Herhan’s eye was Riella.
Herrhan’s attention was wholly focused on Riella—her slightly disheveled hair, the constricting dress, the red marks on her feet from the high heels she wasn’t used to wearing.
“This won’t work. Let’s go back and rest for now, Riella.”
“Yes? But the banquet isn’t over yet.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of it.”
“But the guests—”
“So again. Are you going to go out on your own without listening to me?”
Hearing his unusually stern tone, Riella closed her mouth like a child being punished.
Herhan bent his knees and brought his gaze down to Riella’s eye level.
“Do as I say, Riella. If my fragile empress pushes herself too far and something happens to her, I might truly lose my mind.”
As Riella nodded quietly to the affectionate plea, Herhan lifted Riella into his arms.
Riella instinctively hugged Herhan’s neck.
The two left the banquet hall waiting room in that position and crossed the main lobby.
‘How many times a day do I make this person beg?’
As Riella clung tightly to Herrhan, she couldn’t help but think she truly was a troublemaker. She muttered softly, almost to herself:
“That’s why I said that. I’d be an empress who makes a lot of mistakes. Since you knew that from the start, you shouldn’t abandon me just because I’m causing you trouble.”
Herhan chuckled in disbelief, a short, amused laugh escaping his lips.
Riella clung to Herhan even tighter, resting her head on his chest.
* * *
That night, just after leaving the palace—still lively from the banquet—Duke Zion cornered El.
“El. you’re not scheming something strange, are you?”
“What kind of schemes would I do, your Highness?”
“That…!”
“If you still don’t believe me even after you personally confirmed it, should I just give it all up? Would you like to handle finding the descendant on your own from now on?”
El took out the magic stone that was hanging around his neck and handed it to Duke Zion.
Duke Zion just looked at it with a displeased expression, unwilling to take it into his hands.
After all, it wasn’t his decision to send El to the palace or entrust him with the magic stone—it had all been on “that person’s” orders. Zion could not overturn those commands so easily.
“Enough. I’ll be watching you, El.”
“Understood. Have a safe journey.”
Duke Zion glared at El for a long time, then turned around, unable to control his anger.
‘It was definitely that woman. If not that woman, then who is the descendant? Since there was no response from the magic stone, it is certain that she was not in the banquet hall today.’
Inside a rattling carriage.
Duke Zion thought with his legs trembling in anxiety.
‘Anyway, I have to go and report right away. I wonder how angry he’ll be when he finds out that I went all the way to the palace and got nothing.’
At that time, Duke Zion was shivering with fear at what was to come.
He suddenly straightened his hunched shoulders and stiffened his neck
His gray eyes, once filled with irritation, were now emotionless and empty, losing focus.
‘Stop the carriage.’
“Stop the carriage.”
A ‘voice’ commanded in the Duke of Zion’s head.
He simply followed the voice’s instructions without even knowing what it was saying.
‘I’ll walk.’
“I’ll walk.”
The carriage stopped.
The coachman, who had stopped his horse, opened the carriage door and asked Duke Zion with concern.
“Your Highness, how far are you planning to walk? It’s still a long way to your house.”
Duke Zion made no reply.
Even though the coachman followed him in confusion, he ignored him, got out of the carriage, and just walked forward.
The coachman followed the duke for a while, calling him, but then suddenly stopped in his tracks and tilted his head in confusion, overcome by a sense of unease.
‘Was the Duke’s gait originally like that?’
It wasn’t just the coachman who was puzzled by Duke Zion’s strange behavior.
“Did he notice we were following him?”
“Well, I don’t know yet. Let’s just follow along quietly.”
“Yes.”
The knights sent by the Emperor moved secretly and narrowed the distance between them and Duke Zion.
* * *
