It was autumn.
‘Good.’
It was a pleasant season. It was a good season because it was the season when he wanted to see Kaela. Though it was regrettable that peaches and sweet fruits that Kaela couldn’t resist were disappearing, autumn had apples.
It would be enjoyable just to watch Kaela eating various things while leisurely enjoying the cool breeze in Kerniola where the leaves were turning red.
Of course, even now he was holding Kaela, who had eaten her fill, in his arms.
While the carriage heading to the royal palace should normally be stuffy, Peon, who could easily control the temperature, deliberately made the inside of the carriage slightly cool and dry.
That way, his wife, who was sensitive to cold, would snuggle closer seeking warmth.
“Aren’t you hot?”
To his deliberate question, Kaela shook her head.
“It’s cool.”
While others were fanning themselves or leaving Craine altogether for vacation during this time, neither Kaela nor Peon could do so. They were both members of the Regency Council, and a secret imperial order had been issued forbidding the Grand Duke of Lusenford from leaving Craine.
Peon was looking out at the Craine city streets, which were always magnificent, classical, and even arrogant, before turning his gaze away.
Rather than this boring city, it would be more worthwhile to look once more at his lovely wife in his arms. Moreover, she was currently staring up at him while gently tugging at his clothes.
“What is it, honey?”
Kaela, who had been trying to just tug at his clothes to avoid saying that still awkward and embarrassing term of endearment, blushed. Hearing it was more embarrassing and awkward than saying it, but at the same time made her feel proud.
“I suddenly had such a thought.”
“What thought?”
“Is this really the end?”
“What kind of end?”
“His Majesty the Emperor has collapsed, and Her Majesty the Empress has left.”
Kaela thought it was appropriate to express it as ‘left.’ Just as she had wanted to leave Lusenford, Empress Evelyn must have wanted to leave Craine.
“Beatrice ended up like that too.”
The word ‘that’ included many meanings.
That was one of the elegant words that anyone in high society would use when speaking euphemistically. It was like referring to Beatrice Ravalley as ‘that woman’ instead of using her name.
While an intense investigation into ‘that woman’ was being conducted under Lord Isidore Dakiten’s leadership, there were rumors that ‘that woman’s mother’ would be found guilty of charges of murdering her husband.
The Monde duchy was ruined, in a word. All the real estate and assets that belonged to the duchy were being ransacked by inspectors and taken over by the merchant guild who were creditors.
“Are you disappointed?”
“What is there to be disappointed about?”
“It’s not interesting.”
Kaela looked up at Peon. He calmly took her hand and kissed it out of habit.
“Although I hadn’t expected much, I still gave them quite a few opportunities.”
“Why?”
“After all our struggling only to be helplessly defeated, I was curious to see how far they would go.”
Even though he had appeared disguised as a merchant guild member, neither Beatrice Ravalley nor the Emperor had properly utilized it and easily tired and collapsed.
At any rate, they were people who were ruthless to others but incredibly lenient and weak toward themselves. They should have worked tenaciously and racked their brains hard.
“But they couldn’t even seize the opportunities.”
“Maybe they didn’t take them because they knew they’d suffer even more if they did?”
Kaela made a very sharp observation.
“And they probably couldn’t think straight because you kept pressing them before they could grab anything.”
“They should have at least grabbed what was thrown to them, but instead they committed unnecessary acts.”
They shouldn’t have thought about clumsily targeting Kaela in an attempt to counterattack. Though it seems they instinctively knew who to target for retaliation.
But that was as far as they got, so he was quite disappointed. It seems only Kaela could make him happy. Only his brave wife who had decided to live and to simply receive Peon’s love.
“I’m ashamed to have made you think it’s already over.”
Peon, who had been irritated, ended up shaking his head saying it was his fault.
“Why should you be, honey?”
“It was all prepared by me for my wife, but I’m ashamed I couldn’t make it very entertaining for you.”
The carriage entered the royal palace. The guards uniformly cleared the way after confirming the Grand Duke of Lusenford’s cold face.
“I prepared within the limits you allowed, but it must not have been entertaining since everything collapsed too easily?”
“I think everything collapses easily because the opponent is you.”
Kaela replied with a slightly shy expression.
“You’re even praising me now, I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Her copper-tinted cheeks and moving lips were tempting. Peon lowered his head to devour them right away, but Kaela slightly dodged. Why? Peon stared at Kaela in bewilderment, like a child who had suddenly had candy snatched away.
“This is the royal palace.”
“So what?”
He finally kissed his wife who would unconsciously become very tense whenever they came to the royal palace. Her eyelids and long eyelashes trembled delicately when he touched them softly. That was lovely too.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Kaela. All those useless magic tools have burned up anyway.”
Thanks to that, the Emperor lost his place to indulge his voyeuristic tendencies that were no different from perversion, and instead became paranoid.
“My lipstick will smear,”
Kaela, who was wearing light makeup, muttered in embarrassment.
“You know I’m good at fixing it.”
“The problem isn’t me, it’s that you don’t fix it.”
Recently, Peon had committed the outrage of wandering around the house with lipstick marks or trying to go to work like that, making Kaela panic twice. She slightly pursed her lips and shook her head.
“No.”
But he, with his eyes half-closed languidly, came close and murmured.
“Let me do it and you can wipe it off.”
The Grand Duke of Lusenford’s carriage was leisurely heading toward an increasingly heavily guarded direction.
Even though it was the royal palace where they always had to be careful of their behavior, and even though they were in a carriage heading to Soleil Palace, Kaela felt rising heat and tension.
The arrogant man who looked down on the world was pleading with her, saying “just once.” That was quite thrilling.
“Hurry.”
The moment the woman’s eyelashes, spread like a fan, lowered, the man who had been pleading and begging decided to take that as permission.
Their breaths entangled messily, and his large hand cradled the back of her falling head.
Kaela reached out and clung to him. Peon’s outpouring of affection sometimes revealed too intense a true nature, making it difficult for her fragile self to handle. It didn’t matter. She was someone who chose the path of just receiving until death.
But before she could stagger, Peon would rescue her and breathe life back into her again.
Today too, he shared his diluted energy. Even while doing so, he regretted the fact that it hadn’t been long since he discovered this method.
“…I love you.”
When her lips finally found the leisure to speak, without fail this stoic man confessed with an expression that showed he truly couldn’t help himself.
Though he had received permission to say it, he had been holding back due to guilt, but when his lovely wife was before his eyes, he couldn’t contain these overwhelming feelings.
Kaela smiled and wiped off the smeared lipstick at the corner of his mouth. By now the carriage was approaching Soleil Palace.
“Kaela.”
The blue eyes that used to not even respond when called now respond with life, saying ‘yes?’ He cradled her face and whispered.
“This isn’t the end, there’s still more to see.”
This too was his love dedicated to her.
“Go and take a look.”
The carriage finally stopped in front of Soleil Palace. A servant was walking over to open the carriage door.
“The people we’re dealing with have so much greed they can’t control themselves. They’ll keep moving without letting go of that greed until death, so it’s not the end.”
Here lies a man who dared to have the ambition to become a dragon. As the carriage door opened, Peon got out first and extended his hand to Kaela. It had been nine days since the elegant Grand Duchess had visited the royal palace after her tea gathering with the Marchioness of Schroz.
Today too, she received her husband’s escort with the perfect standard of etiquette befitting the only woman of the current royal family, in an appearance so pure and beautiful that noble ladies would admire.
“Shall we go, My Lady.”
Peon, who elevated his wife even more respectfully in front of others, moved forward. Kaela walked toward the spectacle he had meticulously prepared.
****
“Just once, and then the empire will be yours, Your Highness. You can become an even greater monarch than His Majesty.”
Evil woman. Gregory shuddered at Beatrice’s whispered words. How dare she talk about killing his father! But if his father dies, he would be Emperor.
The position of Emperor that he had seen since childhood was omnipotent. While everyone dared to tell him what to do now, once he ascended to that position, no one would look down on him!
“But what if we get caught?”
“There’s no way we’ll get caught. He’s already collapsed several times, so it wouldn’t be strange if he passed away anytime.”
“How can you say such…”
“This is an opportunity for Your Highness.”
Beatrice knew full well that although the Crown Prince was angry saying she was being disrespectful, he was still listening to what she was saying.
“And besides, what does it matter if we get caught?”
“What?”
“Your Highness becomes Emperor at that moment anyway. No one would dare accuse the new Emperor. How could they dare.”
No one will reproach him no matter what he does, and everything will be fine no matter what he does. The Crown Prince gulped hard.
“If… if it comes to that, we can’t use poison. They say the Grand Duchess is still alive.”
“We don’t even need to use poison. He’s just a bedridden old man.”
While Beatrice shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing, she grumbled internally.
‘This man is such a coward.’
But she had no choice but to stick close to the Crown Prince.
Inspectors carrying the Regency Council’s warrants throughout Crania were chasing her. Twirling the large aquamarine ring on her finger, Beatrice was pretending to be calm.
‘I just need the new Emperor to ascend. Then I can live. That’s what the prophecy said!’
She would become the pure white rose blooming alongside the crown built upon the burned crown and remaining ashes. Beatrice, who was beside the legitimate heir, could become that rose. That was her only way to survive.
As for the Crown Prince’s fiancée, she could deal with her later. Honestly, though he was less attractive than the current Emperor, he was easier to handle.
“You could strangle him.”
The Crown Prince frowned, saying it was barbaric. Peon could snap a neck easily with those large hands.
“Or smother him with a pillow.”
‘It’s not Princess Keruzhan who should go first. I need to kill that btch Kaela. The taboo no longer works after marriage. It’s because of that btch.’
Then Peon would be hers too. Beatrice still wanted to have everything. Even when pushed into a defensive position, desire doesn’t die.
“You could go right now and just smother him with a pillow. Just do it and come out saying he passed away in his sleep.”
Gregory’s expression changed at the friendly advice. He seems to like that method.
‘Really have to help with everything from start to finish. Ah, I’m stiff – isn’t there a way to sleep with that merchant guild man? Need to contact the Light Dragon.’
****
Kaela looked down at the Emperor who had tormented and played with her life.
This shabby man lying there with his face turned black was the one who had provided all the reasons she had wanted to die. He was just as ugly after the regression as he was before it.
“Hyperion, you must not… return to Lusenford.”
The Emperor spoke while rolling his bloodshot eyes. His face was so gaunt his bones showed through, probably because he couldn’t eat properly.
“But, Your Majesty. Shouldn’t we find mother?”
“Let’s ask the new dragon. Let’s ask the one called Light Dragon… No, you stay here. If you disappear too, I…”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will stay here.”
As soon as Peon answered that way, the hand that had been waving through the air finally came down.
The hand that had pulled triggers without hesitation now had no strength. But Kaela knows. Even if that hand has no strength, if the opportunity comes, he would pull the trigger even if he had to use both hands and both feet. That’s the kind of man the Emperor was.
“You, you tell the evil dragon to return Evelyn.”
Until the end, he was a brazen thief who would very proudly insist he had done nothing wrong.
“Evelyn was kidnapped by the evil dragon. Only you can do this, Hyperion.”
Even lying down, the Emperor spoke of nothing but the Empress. Empress, Evelyn, Hyperion, evil dragon, bad guy, that was all.
“How could I possibly move the evil dragon?”
“You can do it…!”
“For what reason do you say so, Your Majesty?”
Kaela, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. The fragile woman who always trembled and bowed her head trying not to upset the Emperor’s mood now asked with her eyes wide open.
“If you tell me, I will understand the reason well and do my best to try.”
So go ahead and say with your own mouth that my husband is the son of a dragon.
There was venom in the blue eyes looking down at her withered enemy.
🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷