Episode 109
“Please wake up. You have a lot to do; you’ll fall behind if you keep sleeping.”
As I persistently urged him, a low voice finally emerged from the quiet.
“…Let’s stay like this a little longer.”
“It’s already afternoon.”
“Do you dislike being close to me?”
He tightened his hold on my waist.
“I didn’t say I disliked it. I’m waking you up because I have something to ask, and you’ve slept enough.”
“Then ask me now.”
He was being strangely stubborn. I felt goosebumps as his breath tickled my neck.
“How can I ask you like this? It’s ticklish, so please wake up. The maids will be surprised if they see us like this.”
“They won’t come in. I’ve given them orders to just leave the meal outside.”
I froze. I hoped I was wrong, but a cold sweat ran down my back.
“Did the maids already come and go while I was asleep?”
“Yes.”
He replied casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
I quickly checked my clothes. Fortunately, I was dressed, but…
“Did the maids dress me, too?”
“No. I did. I was worried you might be cold.”
“So the maids saw me… dressed… like this?”
He chuckled, seeming to understand my concern.
“Well, they probably already know what we did.”
“Oh…”
I buried my face in the sheets and took a deep breath. I was embarrassed, thinking about facing the maids.
But I couldn’t be shy every time this happened. I lifted my head and looked at Cesar.
“Cesar, I guess I have to get used to this, huh?”
As I asked hesitantly, he brushed my pink hair behind my ear with his free hand and whispered playfully,
“You don’t have to. Your reactions are quite endearing.”
His teasing tone made me reply defiantly,
“…I’ll work hard to get used to it.”
“Suit yourself.”
He seemed indifferent. As if it wasn’t important. He just held me close, enjoying my warmth.
Unlike how carefully he had dressed me, Cesar was only wearing a loosely tied robe, so his bare skin brushed against me whenever I moved slightly.
I didn’t dislike his warmth, so I snuggled closer, then, wanting to satisfy my curiosity, I called out to him,
“Cesar.”
“What?”
“So, did anything happen at the banquet?”
Cesar frowned, as if deep in thought. A cold air surrounded him.
‘Did something unpleasant happen?’
I cautiously observed his reaction. And then my attention was drawn to the unexpected person he mentioned.
“Yes. The Spirit Summoner who approached you came to me and gave me some information about you, Lily.”
“The Spirit Summoner? What information did he give you?”
“He said the delegation from the Holy Kingdom came to the Empire to find and take you back, and that you’re… what they call a sacred artifact.”
I had been mentally preparing myself, since the Tower Master’s words and the recent events pointed towards them targeting me.
But a sacred artifact?
“The Spirit Summoner mentioned that there were people looking for me. But this is the first time I’ve heard about a sacred artifact.”
As I organized my thoughts, my hands trembled. It wasn’t fear, but a surge of anger.
“Why does that word make me so angry? I’m not an object. I’m a living being with free will.”
Sacred artifact. It was just a fancy word for a useful tool. I hated it. The emotions lingering within this body mixed, making it hard to breathe.
“Lily.”
Cesar called my name, his voice unusually serious.
“You need to breathe.”
I realized I had been holding my breath.
“Gasp… haa…”
I took a deep breath and bit my lip.
What had they done to me to trigger such a violent reaction?
‘It’s as if… I was abused.’
I clung to Cesar, trying to calm my breathing.
When I finally calmed down, I spoke,
“I’m okay now, Cesar.”
“Are you sure? Are you really okay with going to the hunting competition…?”
“Don’t say that again. You promised to take me.”
I was also surprised by my intense reaction. But I didn’t want to back down.
He didn’t argue and just stroked my back.
“Sylvia will be with you while I’m away hunting. It will be difficult for you, Lily, being among unfamiliar noble ladies.”
“Okay.”
“And… if you’re in danger, will you promise to run away?”
His beautiful eyes were clouded with worry. He seemed concerned that I might recklessly sacrifice myself for others.
“I promise. But if you’re in danger, Cesar, I won’t be able to keep that promise.”
As I spoke, almost threateningly, he gently kissed my eyelids and said, reluctantly,
“You’re so stubborn. I promise I won’t put myself in danger, so you won’t have to do anything reckless.”
“Okay, Cesar.”
I smiled and readily agreed.
If his fate hadn’t completely deviated from the original story, I was the only one who could change it and protect him.
Did he know? That I cherished him more than my own life.
That I was willing to sacrifice myself because I loved him.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the change of plans? You said it was time to get Petri back!”
The Second Prince barged into the Empress’s Palace after meeting with the delegation from the Holy Kingdom.
The Empress frowned at her son, who was acting disrespectfully, not even giving her time to recover from the banquet.
“It seems they’re quite talkative.”
“Why aren’t you telling me everything?”
“Not telling you? You know the reason better than anyone, Dian.”
The sound of her indifferent footsteps echoed in the room.
Stopping in front of her son, the Empress looked up at him and smiled brightly.
“His Majesty suspects me. It means my plans are being leaked to that damned Crown Prince. So I didn’t see the need to share my carefully crafted plans with you, who can’t even keep a secret.”
Her eyes, looking at her son, were cold and sharp. Dian felt a surge of humiliation, seeing the disdain and faint contempt in her eyes.
He directed the arrow of his inferiority complex towards his half-brother, the Crown Prince.
If it weren’t for him, his mother wouldn’t be looking down on him like this. He wouldn’t even have the wicked thought of getting rid of his mother, who had never once praised him, after becoming Emperor.
Yes. This was all his brother’s fault.
He had to eliminate the evil that was constantly crushing his pride, soaring above him, unattainable no matter how hard he tried.
He took a deep breath and replied,
“I understand. If that’s your wish, Mother, I, as your son, should obey. I have to meet with other noble families now, so I’ll be going.”
“Dian.”
Dian stopped at the Empress’s call. She asked casually, with an elegant air,
“When you met with the people from the Holy Kingdom in my stead, was there… a rat?”
Dian recalled the High Priest’s actions that day and replied,
“…No.”
“I see. Then you may leave.”
As if that was all she wanted, the Empress dismissed her son.
As soon as the Second Prince left, the Empress threw the glass she was holding onto the floor. Crash! The shattering sound echoed in the room. The wine inside spilled like blood.
“They’re all useless.”
The Empress muttered irritably and assessed the situation.
The old Emperor, whom she had meticulously manipulated, had started to harbor doubts thanks to the Crown Prince’s schemes. She had spent over fifteen years acting like a naive, innocent fool in front of the Emperor, and yet, a single nudge from someone had made him wary and distant.
She was displeased by the setback in her well-laid plans.
But the Crown Prince, soft-hearted just like his deceased mother, had agreed to hold the hunting competition at the location she chose, out of some misguided sense of goodwill.
The preparations were complete.
“My foolish son might have found out because of their loose lips, but the time is near.”
Dian wouldn’t act rashly in the meantime. He wasn’t bold enough to act on his own, and he had left without asking further questions.
The Empress smiled, anticipating the moment. The moment she would finally claim the throne she had coveted since entering this cruel Imperial Palace.
That little thing’s struggles were over.
I had been nervous about the hunting competition.
But the weather was clear, the sky was high, and there was no sign of any impending doom.
“Is today really the day of the hunting competition?”
In the original novel, it had been described as the beginning of a war.
An unsettling wind, an ominous atmosphere, the shadows of birds taking flight…
The air, however, was crisp and fresh, completely unlike the described atmosphere. Cesar even teased me about my relaxed demeanor.
“Were you expecting something else?”
“What would I be expecting? It’s just… strangely peaceful.”
“There’s a fine line between peace and war. The quieter it is, the more careful you have to be, Lily.”
“Why?”
“Sometimes, the eye of the storm is eerily calm. But if you let your guard down, even for a moment, the surroundings will be swept away, and by the time the storm reaches the center…”
It’s already too late.