Episode 8

Episode 8: “How to Capture Someone’s Heart”

A peaceful morning. I sipped my tea leisurely, smiling to myself. Thanks to my efforts in meeting and persuading people for a while, there had been no further reports related to Jerome. The subtle glances from various corners of the imperial palace had also disappeared. It seemed my intention to show I had no more interest in Jerome had finally reached everyone. There would be no further unnecessary misunderstandings now. At last, it felt like I was one step closer to the peaceful palace life I had always wanted.

“Your Majesty the Empress.” At that moment, Mary approached me with a cautious voice. She looked like she had something to say.

“What is it?”

“The book you ordered has arrived.”

“Book?”

“You showed interest in a book I was reading before and asked me to quietly get a copy, remember?”

“…?” Interest? Quietly get a copy? Of course, I had never asked her to do such a thing. That must have been Helena’s doing before I possessed her body… Why was I starting to get an ominous feeling?

“What should I do?”

“Bring it here.”

When I opened the box Mary brought, several books were inside. And when I saw the titles, I was stunned.

“Oh my god.” What in the world were these…? All the titles were outrageous. “101 Ways to Capture a Man’s Heart.”“Practical Advice for Those Who Want to Be Loved.” “Why Did the Lady Give That Knight an Extra Scone?” From advice on winning over men to bold, scandalous red covers. There was… quite a variety.

“Do you like them?” Mary studied my reaction. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything harsh while looking into her sparkling eyes.

“They’re… really intriguing. I’ve been meaning to read something like this.”

At my words, she beamed. “If it’s for Your Majesty, I’ll get you ten or even a hundred books like this!”

“Oh, that’s okay. I appreciate the thought.”

“If you need anything else, just call me.” With that, Mary stepped away. It felt like a storm had just passed.

Naturally, I had no intention of opening those books. I had absolutely no interest in Jerome! All those “practical” tips on capturing someone’s heart? Useless. Especially the mystery of the lady and the extra scone—I couldn’t care less. I set the books on the terrace railing and let out a small laugh.

Helena must have really loved Jerome. 

In the original story, she was portrayed as a crazed villainess desperate to claim the male lead. But after possessing her body, she felt more like a woman starving for love than a villainess. She even tried to monitor his every move and went so far as to collect these books…

“If someone could be swayed by books like these, Helena wouldn’t have had such a hard time.”

I recalled what had happened the night before. That unexpected visit from Jerome.

― “Why did you say you did something you didn’t do?”
― “Just what kind of person do you think I am?”

Once again, he’d said things I couldn’t understand, then left without even waiting for an answer. No—perhaps he’d never expected an answer in the first place. Why did he say such things? I’d been pondering it ever since, but no clear explanation came to mind.

Ugh, thinking too deeply was only giving me a headache. Just as I turned to shake off the thoughts—

Thunk! 

Something caught on my fingers. One of the books I had set on the railing slipped and fell below. A dull thud followed.

Thwack—

“Ouch!” Was that someone’s voice?

I rushed to look over the terrace. A man was rubbing the back of his head.

“I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?”

He looked up at my voice. “Your Majesty?”

“Wait… Sir Leonard?” To my shock, the person struck by the book below the terrace was none other than Leonard.

“Was this Your Majesty’s book?” He picked up the book and asked. Wait. The book?! A sudden memory of the title flashed through my mind. I shouted in panic.

“Ah—don’t look! Whatever you do, don’t read it!” Forget about dignity or appearances, this was a disaster of embarrassing proportions.

I bolted down the stairs like a madwoman and reached Leonard, panting. He looked at me, surprised.

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to drop it. Is your head okay?”

“I’m fine. But it seems this book is quite important. You ran down in a rush.”

“Yes. It’s very important.” So please… just hand it over. I reached out my hand, clearly asking for the book.

But he didn’t give it back. Instead, he subtly hid it behind his back as if he didn’t want to part with it. I stared at him in disbelief.

“What are you doing?”

“Returning the book isn’t difficult, but…”

“Then return it.”

“The pain in my head still lingers. If it’s not too much trouble—” His lips curved into a playful smile.

“Could I trouble you for a cup of tea?”

“…Excuse me?”

It was a brazen request, but I couldn’t bring myself to say no. It wasn’t intentional, but I did hit him with a falling book, after all.

“The tea is lovely.” Leonard said with a cheerful expression after sipping the tea Countess Chloe had prepared. As usual, his beauty was dazzling. He was just drinking tea, and yet… it felt like watching a photo shoot. Is that too dramatic? Bathed in sunlight streaming through the window, he looked breathtakingly handsome.

You… your appearance is criminal.

Without realizing it, I found myself staring at him, spellbound. Then Leonard asked me a question.

“How often does His Majesty the Emperor visit this place?”

It was strange question. Why ask something like that?

“Hardly ever.” 

Jerome had visited me recently, but that was rare. Even in the original novel, he almost never came to see Helena. When he did, it was usually to scold her for bothering the female lead, Fay.

“…Is that so?”

“There’s no reason for His Majesty to come here.” Right. He’d rather spend that time visiting Fay’s palace.

“Strange. I don’t understand why His Majesty behaves that way. If it were me…” He looked directly at me and continued. “I’d come here quite often.”

“You have quite the sense of humor.” That’s a terrifying thought. If he came every day, I’d be on edge constantly. Never mind Jerome—just seeing you so often would be a hazard to my heart.

Yes, if I didn’t know who this man really was, I might have been flustered and felt my heart race right now.

“Are you done with your tea? Then how about returning the book now?” I asked plainly, and Leonard smiled gently.

“Your Majesty doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

“That isn’t true. I’m spending time with the most popular man in high society. What’s not to like?”

“I see. Then why do I feel like Your Majesty doesn’t want to be in the same room as me?” He lowered his dark lashes in a melancholy expression, but his voice didn’t sound sad at all.

“I just want my book back.”

“These books must be quite important.”

“They were a gift.” I reached out my hand again. “So please return your hostage.”

He made a mischievous face. “And if I refuse?”

I frowned. Was Leonard really like this? I’d always thought he was polite and proper.

“Didn’t you say one cup of tea would be enough?”

“The tea is wonderful. May I have another cup?”

“…You sound like you’re planning to drink all the tea in this palace.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

“You, seriously…” I was rendered speechless for a moment by his shamelessness.

“By the way, what are you doing here? This isn’t your assigned area.”

“As the knight commander—even if my skills are lacking—I’m not limited to a specific area. I patrol the entire palace, so I ended up here.”

Something about it felt off. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

“You just happened to be inspecting right under the terrace I was on?”

“I was concerned that someone with ill intent might try to scale that height in one leap.”

“…” Seeing how smoothly he responded, I was convinced: he hadn’t just shown up by chance. If it had been any other knight, I wouldn’t have doubted their excuse.

“Be honest. What’s your real reason for coming here?”

“A purely innocent inspection of the security. Or perhaps…” He tilted his head slightly, adding, “I simply wanted to see Your Majesty.”

I laughed lightly at his words. “I’ll be honest. I find you a little difficult to deal with.”

“Oh, no. If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask why?”

“More importantly, how about telling me the real reason you came to see me? What’s your business?”

“Business, you say…” He briefly touched his teacup. “It seems Your Majesty believes I came here with some hidden motive.”

I nodded. “Honestly, yes.”

“Why is that?”

“Because…” I was about to answer naturally but shut my mouth. I almost said “because you’re the villain.” Right. This man standing in front of me, Commander Leonard, is the hidden villain of this novel. He might even be more dangerous than Jerome, the main character. I didn’t know what scent had drawn him here to me, but for the sake of my happy and peaceful life as empress, he was the number one person I needed to keep my distance from.

“Because… well, it’s just a feeling.” I deflected. I couldn’t exactly tell him I knew who he really was.

“A feeling?”

“Yes.”

“I see. Understood.” He nodded briefly. Then stood and bowed.

“It was a pleasure, Your Majesty. I’ll take my leave now.”

As he headed for the door, I called out to stop him.

“Wait a moment.” He turned back with an innocent look. Don’t you dare pretend you don’t know.

“You have to return the book.”

“Ah. The book.” He held it up and said calmly, “I’ll return it next time.”

“What?”

“I’m quite interested in it as well.” He whispered with a lazy smile.

“How to Capture Someone’s Heart, that is.”