Unexpectedly, I Became the Emperor’s Fiancé

To my relief, dinner went smoothly, contrary to my worries.

The reactions of my sister and mother upon seeing Ian for the first time were not bad, and Ian, whom I had assumed would have terrible table manners, glanced at how we ate and roughly followed suit.

After dinner, my mother took Ian out to introduce him to the exterior of the mansion.

Thanks to that, being able to move around without Ian, I immediately went to my father’s office to ask if I could reveal my secret to Ian directly.

Knock, knock. I gently knocked on the door, and my father’s deep voice was heard from inside.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, father.”

As soon as I made it known that it was me outside, heavy footsteps from within were heard.

Soon after, the door opened, and my visibly tired father emerged from his office. He was drying his hands and widened his eyes upon seeing me.

“What is it, Seri?”

“Well.”

I looked around at the servants cleaning the hallway and stood on my tiptoes.

“May I talk to you about something important inside?”

My father burst into a hearty laugh at my whisper and nodded eagerly.

“Of course. Come in.”

“Thank you for taking the time despite being busy.”

I showed a bright smile to my father for allowing me to enter his office in one go. Then, I walked lightly and sat down on the long purple sofa located in the center of the office.

My father, watching me quietly, came over to me with a faint smile on his lips.

“Shall I have someone bring you a cup of warm milk?”

“No, it’s okay. It’s not going to be a long story.”

Honestly, I was tempted by the warm milk, but I wasn’t going to talk long enough to finish it. I wouldn’t finish it anyway, so it was better not to take it from the start.

On my response, my father pulled on the bell rope to call a maid but stopped and sat down opposite me.

“So, Seri, what brings you here?”

“Ah. That’s…”

Can I tell him about my secret to Ian? The question was already formed in my mouth, but I hesitated, unable to speak it out loud.

This always happened in front of my father.

Things I did well at other times would be ruined by my nervousness, and though I could say everything I wanted with a little effort to others, I couldn’t say a single word to my father. I didn’t know why.

It seemed like my father was displeased with my hesitation, as his brow furrowed slightly.

“Speak comfortably.”

His low voice felt like it was urging me to hurry up and reply.

Taking a short breath, I slowly started to speak.

“…I have something I want to ask about Ian.”

“About Ian?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

My father looked at me with a somewhat puzzled look before nodding. It meant he was willing to listen.

“Now Ian is part of our family.”

“That’s right. Although the registration isn’t fully sorted yet.”

“Then, can I tell him my secret?”

“To Ian?”

As I fidgeted with my fingers and asked, my father’s eyebrows twitched.

“I thought you would have already told him.”

Then, my father murmured softly, caressing his lips. His thick fingers framed his small but clearly curved pink lips.

“I remembered you said not to make hasty judgments on my own… So, I haven’t told him.”

“I might speak thoughtlessly.” When I spoke softly, my father laughed louder than before.

“I thought you were just a child, but you’ve grown up a lot. Now you even have such thoughts.”

In my father’s words, there was a strange emotion somewhere between joy and emptiness.

Why that was, even I, who prides myself on knowing my father quite well, couldn’t figure out.
After a while, my father stopped laughing and got back to the main topic.

“You asked if you could tell Ian your secret, right?”

“Yes. Can I?”

“Yes.”

I tensed my lips tightly and widened my eyes.

I almost asked, “Pardon?” with a confused face, demanding him to repeat his answer. Given my father’s thorough personality, I hadn’t expected him to agree so readily. It was unsurprising that I was astonished.

Why would this be? My father wasn’t usually such an easygoing person. Was there something good happening today? Or maybe…

Although various question marks floated around in my head, only one came out of my mouth.

“Why…?”

As I asked, my father crossed his legs and lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Did Seri hope that I wouldn’t allow it?”

“It’s not that, I was just curious.”

I swallowed the unnecessary additional words and waited for my father’s response, wondering why he would allow it now when he would normally have said no.

After a brief moment of contemplation, my father spoke.

“It seems like it’s time to trust your judgment, Seri.”

“……”

I had expected him to simply say it didn’t matter since we were going to be family anyway, but his answer was unexpectedly different.

…Trust.

I silently chewed over the word that somehow made my heart ache.

My father doesn’t casually talk about trusting someone. Not even to his own children who share his blood. The only person my father could truly say he trusts was my mother.

That’s why, since I was young, I’ve tried incredibly hard to earn even a sliver, no, a piece of my father’s trust.

Of course, when I became an adult, I did briefly go out on Wednesdays to save up money to see the ocean.

But I was planning to tell the truth when the time came. I didn’t want to deceive others with a lie for too long. And I thought that my father would understand if I explained it well.

Yes, I was sure of it…

I tried hard not to look sad as I tightly clasped my hands.

But now, I can’t do that anymore. I have a connection that must not be discovered.

“…sorry.”

Ruth. I quietly called out the name of the owner of the voice that remained distinct in my memory. I liked the way my tongue smoothly rolled with the name.

A pitiable boy who had collapsed in the forest one day.

A boy who seemed arrogant on the outside but was actually very affectionate.

A boy who might have cried more than he laughed.

That’s why he was all the more concerning.

“Ru… ah.”

I was about to unconsciously mutter Ruth’s name aloud but then bit my lips tightly as I became aware of the current situation.

If I had carelessly mentioned even one more letter of Ruth’s name, my keen father would instantly uncover my secret.

So I need to be careful….

As usual, when I was about to finish my thoughts, a sudden idea crossed my mind. What if I confessed everything to my father, just as it is?

Revealing that I had secretly met with Ruth outside would surely disappoint him greatly. Not only that, but it was likely that his surveillance over me would become much stricter.

However, if I disclosed Ruth’s existence to my father, I wouldn’t have to fear being caught lying to him anymore. Moreover, my father wouldn’t have to be swayed by my lies in the future, and Ruth might even be able to recover in a much better environment.

And I…

“…”

I…

For a moment, something seemed off. But then, things started to return to normal.

“Seri?”

When I was drifting away from reality, my father lightly tapped the table.

Coming back to my senses, I awkwardly smiled at my father’s green eyes.

“Thank you for believing in me, Father. I’ll talk to Ian properly.”

I responded with a monotonous tone, hiding my nervousness.

Although I had my concerns, it seemed too early to confess about Ruth to my father. Therefore, I decided to postpone that matter for later.

But wouldn’t it be alright if I asked about leaving the mansion? Suddenly, a new weight was placed on the scale, and it began to tilt slowly. Then, at some moment, the scale tipped completely.

“Um, also, father.” I put all my strength into my toes, which made my voice less shaky.

“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“Speak. I’m listening.”

“If I’m very careful, could I possibly go outside… outside the mansion?” My question was almost complete when my father, who had stood up hurriedly, grabbed my shoulder roughly.

Startled, I lifted my chin, and I could see my father’s expression, which had been relaxed until just a moment ago, had now become stern.

“Hic.”

Hic. Hic.

I tried to stop the involuntary hiccups but to no avail.

While I was struggling with the hiccups, my father spoke in a low voice.

“Seri. What have I always told you?”

“Ah.” I realized too late that this was a mistake and regretted it.

But the water had already been spilled. It couldn’t be gathered up again.

I took a deep breath in and out for a few seconds, which alleviated the tension considerably.

“Once I leave the mansion, there are those who might harm me, coveting my abilities… That’s why you said I must stay within the mansion.”

“Yes, you understand well.”

My father seemed somewhat pleased after I finished talking. He liked the fact that I remembered everything I was always told to recite.

“The outside world is too dangerous for you, Seri. People are greedy and selfish.”

The grip on my shoulder weakened, but the sense of intimidation emerging from his eyes intensified.

I swallowed to moisten my increasingly dry throat, feeling something hot and scratchy slide down.

“There are also numerous variables that could poison you. So, the moment you step out of the mansion, there will be no more certainties. Still, do you want to leave? This safe mansion?”

At that moment, the glint in my father’s eye somehow resembled a coiled snake, sending a chill down my spine.