Unexpectedly, I Became the Emperor’s Fiancé

The boy sat hunched over in an awkward posture, his right hand covering his mouth.

Through the thin fingers that covered his mouth, drops of bright red blood dripped, forming a small puddle on the ground.

I watched him from a distance before approaching the boy.

Then, squatting down in the same manner as before, I reached out to him, intending to remove a leaf that was stuck in his hair.

However, before my hand could touch the boy’s head, it was abruptly stopped by a dagger.

“……”

I blinked in surprise, merely staring at the boy. He glanced up at me, his eyes glaring through strands of platinum blonde hair.

What caught my attention were his mysterious violet irises, revealing themselves intermittently. They reminded me of violets.

Recalling the violets I had seen in the garden not long ago through the boy’s eyes, I instinctively smiled, only to erase it immediately.

The hostility in his gaze was clear. I felt a shiver run through me at this hostility, something I had never experienced before.

After reading the emotions in his eyes, I withdrew my hand. If kindness was met with threat, then there was no reason to offer it.

Although my palm ached where the dagger had touched, I maintained a calm expression.

It was born from a determination not to show any weakness to those who opposed me.

“Don’t touch…”

The boy, who had been growling fiercely while adjusting his knife, trailed off as soon as he properly faced me.

His pupils dilated almost immediately.

The murderous intent that overflowed in his gaze instantly became docile.

“…You.”

Only after a long moment did the boy barely manage to speak a word before he firmly shut his lips again.

“You’re not one of my brother’s men.”

His voice, mixed with a sigh, carried self-reproach.
Was he now regretting the words he had spilled towards me?

As neither of us spoke, a moment of silence passed between us—a silence as fragile as thin ice.

“Who are you?”

Eventually, the boy, whose hostility had softened, leaving only curiosity in his eyes, cautiously asked.

“Se… huh.”

I naturally began to murmur my name before hastily covering my mouth.

“However, should you ever catch the eye of an outsider, never reveal your name under any circumstances.”

Remembering my father’s warning from the past, I bit my lower lip hard.

I was about to make a mistake.

“Count.”

The boy let the letter I had almost dropped softly roll around in his mouth, smiling with his eyes.
His voice, so devoid of strength unlike when he was furious, seemed like it could crumble at any moment.

Feeling an ominous premonition from the lifeless sound, I thoroughly scanned the boy’s face.
Then, I caught sight of his lips, gradually showing a hint of blue, and his skin, paler than the white snow falling in winter.

“Ah.”

A piece of breath from deep below freely escaped.
Living only within the mansion, my knowledge was limited, but it was impossible not to know what state the boy was in now.

…It would have been better if I hadn’t known.
I quickly composed my disfigured face and smiled innocently as if I hadn’t noticed anything.

It was the best I could do for the boy who didn’t want to reveal his condition.

Then, trying to change the heavy atmosphere, I looked at the boy struggling to breathe in and out and broke the ice.

“How did you end up here?”

“Running away.”

The boy, perhaps exhausted from sitting by his own strength, leaned his back against the base of an old oak tree.

Leaning against the base of the oak, the boy’s breathing eased.

“So it is. Who were you trying to run away from?”

“Would it be correct to say from people who want to kill me?”

“Are the people who want to kill you include someone you call ‘brother’?”

“Yes.”

The boy diligently answered every question I asked.

It seemed he understood my intention to keep the conversation going.

“Aren’t you and your brother family?”

“By blood, yes.”

“Then why does your brother want to kill you?”
“He must have thought I would take his place.”
“All that for a position, why not yield it to a brother for once.”

I curled my lip.

It was an utterly incomprehensible reason for me.
“In the place I was, unreciprocated generosity and kindness are poison to both the giver and the receiver.”

“You must have been in a very bleak place. It must have been hard.”

“Not really. I’m used to it now.”

The boy replied with a laughter-filled tone, as if it wasn’t a big deal at all.

We continued to share many stories with the boy until he breathed his last.

Knowing that he was about to die, he did not hesitate to share his story. Although his stories were vague, he faithfully answered every question I had without missing a thing.

Perhaps because of that. Even at the moment of his last breath, there was a sparkling smile on the boy’s lips.

“How can you close your eyes after only telling your story? I haven’t even started mine.”

I approached the boy, who was hanging his head low, and playfully scolded him.

Of course, no reply came back, but I stubbornly continued.

“My name is Selena. Selena Obelton.”

I murmured my name, which he would have been curious about, knowing it was already too late.

Then, looking down at my palm slashed by a dagger, I saw a small cut filled with ‘golden blood’.

My father had said never to use the power, but this time might be acceptable.

Just this once.

I reached a compromise in my mind and lifted the chin of the boy whose warmth had vanished.

Then I let a few drops of blood, oozing from the wound, fall on his pale lips.

“So, when you open your eyes again, that’s when you’ll listen to my story.”

Just like I listened to yours.

Having said my piece, I roughly wiped the blood on my palm on my robe and took out the amethyst.

Even though I couldn’t bring the gemstone to the cabin, there was a high chance that the situation would become complicated if I didn’t return to the mansion immediately. The sky was already getting dark.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even ask for his name.”

It was only when I was about to leave that I belatedly realized I didn’t know the boy’s name.

I’ll have to ask next time we meet, whenever that may be.

With that resolution, I glanced at the boy, who was beginning to regain his color.

It was time to look forward to our next meeting, however regrettable.

Holding the amethyst and closing my eyes, I soon felt a faint wind envelop my body.

***

The gentle breeze that had been swirling around soon vanished without a trace.

As it disappeared, I opened my eyes to a familiar scene. It was my bedroom. I had returned.

The moment I realized I had returned, I felt relieved but also a hint of regret, probably because I had never felt as free as I had today.

Moreover, today, I had even managed to save someone from death.

Immersed in a sense of pride, I laughed, then checked the time, snapping back to reality.

There were barely 15 minutes left until my family would return. And in those 15 minutes, I had to erase any sign that I had been outside, which meant there was no time to rest.

First, I put the blood-stained robe and the magistone back in their original hiding spots, then went in front of the full-length mirror.

Quickly fixing my disheveled clothes and hair, it seemed I managed to hide any signs of having been out.

“That should be enough, right?” Feeling relieved that my dress hadn’t gotten any blood on it, I was about to look away from the mirror.

That’s when I remembered how strong the scent of blood had been while I was with the boy, and on a whim, I brought my wrist close to my nose to check.

Soon, the ends of his eyebrows twitched.

Just as I thought, I could smell a faint scent of blood amid the usual fragrance oil I use.

I thought it might improve if I sprayed some perfume, but that would require asking a maid.

And to ask, I needed a plausible reason, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find any suitable reason.

I just had to stay moderately away from my family today. Given the unavoidable situation, I decided to pull the bell rope next to my bed a couple of times.

Then, as if they had been waiting, a couple of maids entered the bedroom with a basin of wash water.

“You’re awake, young lady. Here is the wash water and a towel.”

“Thank you.”

I yawned lazily like someone just awakened from sleep and washed my face with the wash water the maid handed me.

Then, wiping the remaining moisture on my face with a towel, I casually asked the maid nearby.

“Is it about time my parents and sister arrived?”

“Yes, young lady. The carriage just arrived at the front gate.”

“Then I should get ready and go down. Can you bring me my shawl?”

“Yes.”

The maid, upon receiving my request, disappeared somewhere with smooth, efficient movements. Soon after, she returned with a thin shawl.

I draped the grey shawl she brought over my shoulders and got out of bed.

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes, young lady.”

Leaving the bedroom with a few maids, we went down to the entrance on the first floor, where a line of servants standing in a row and what seemed to be a family that had just entered the mansion were visible.

“Mother, father!”

I ran happily towards my mother and father, who were handing their coats to a servant nearby.

“Seri.”

My father was the first to respond to my voice.

With a tender smile, he bent down to meet my eye level.

Soon, my mother also turned her gaze towards me.

“Oh, Seri. How was your day?”

Smiling brightly at my mother, who was gently stroking my head with her clear voice, I responded.

“It was good.”

“Is that so? I wonder what made our Seri so happy today?”

“I was planning to go to the study today, but I was so sleepy that I took a nap…”

While I was talking with my mother, my father’s expression suddenly hardened.

“Wait a minute. Seri.”

My father abruptly interrupted me.

“You smell strange, have you been somewhere?”

“…Huh? That can’t be. I’ve been asleep all day.”

I made sure my voice didn’t tremble by tensing my toes as I spoke.

“Is that so? Then why do I smell blood on you?”

Despite my efforts, my father’s suspicious and chilling green eyes flashed ominously.