Chapter 108

She never imagined that when he said he couldn’t hold back his feelings, he also meant this. She wished he would at least delay it for a few hours, but it didn’t seem like Lehan had any intention of doing so.

How did she know? Because he was already shirtless.

“L-Lehan!”

“Whatever you say, you won’t be able to stop me. But I’ll at least listen to what you have to say.”

Lehan leaned over Edelis, who lay on the bed, and continued to untie the ribbons on her dress one by one. There weren’t many ribbons to begin with, so time was short. If she’d known it would come to this, she would have worn a dress tied up with knots from head to toe!

“It’s bright! Too bright, it’s embarrassing!”

“That’s why I like it. I can see your expressions clearly. At night, it’s dark and I can’t see you well.”dark,

“W-What if you saw me gradually, little by little? Wouldn’t it be better to save something for later, instead of showing everything at once…?”

“No matter when I see you, it’ll always be new. So it’s fine.”

“How would you know that when you’ve never even seen me before!”

“I’ll look and judge for myself.”

“Uuugh…”

She had no words left to argue with. And as she stared at Lehan’s sunlit torso, she began to think maybe the brightness wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

“Don’t worry, Edelis. You know how much I want you.”

“F-Fine…”

Her trembling arms reached up and wrapped around his neck.

Frache was waiting for Lehan in his office. The contents of the book he had read were so overwhelming that he was deeply worried. While reading, he realized why he couldn’t help but love the Saintess. In the book, he loved her just as much as he did now.

And, just like now, that love never received a response.

Keirhan, in both the book and reality, found his love and happiness. Frache thought, even if his own love went unreturned, as long as Keirhan was happy, that was enough. But… if the book had truly ended with Keirhan and the Saintess together, wouldn’t his heart have shattered beyond repair?

“So why hasn’t Keirhan shown up yet?”

The book that the Empress had contained their stories. Though details were different, the fact that the Saintess had kidnapped Her Majesty to seize it proved she knew about the book. Keirhan and Frache’s lives were not too far from its descriptions, but the Saintess and the Empress were completely different. According to the book, the Empress should have died, and the Saintess should have been smiling happily right now. Instead, the Empress was alive and well, while the Saintess had been discarded in the fields.

Frache waited and waited, and when Lehan never arrived, he finally went straight to the Ruby Palace himself. Normally, the head lady-in-waiting would guide him directly to the Empress’s chamber, but today, strangely enough, she blocked his way.

“Step aside.”

“You cannot pass. Please come again later.”

“I have urgent business with Her Majesty.”

“Even so, I cannot allow it.”

“…Has something happened?”

He feared Keirhan and the Empress might have been caught up in some incident. Johannes Frache, only son of the Frache ducal house and its confirmed heir, could not easily be denied. But the lady-in-waiting, with her many years of service in the palace, sensed instinctively that letting him through now would be a grave mistake.

Despite her protests, she lacked the strength to physically restrain the Captain of the Imperial Knights.

Knock knock.

“Your Majesty, it’s me.”

“Please, Sir Frache, don’t do this.”

He was frustrated. He couldn’t exactly explain about the book to her, so he thought that once she saw him talking with Keirhan, she’d understand. But no answer came from inside, and his unease deepened.

Was something truly happening to them? Since the lady-in-waiting was trying to block him, the Emperor and Empress must indeed be inside.

Bang bang!

If there was still no reply, he considered forcing the door open. Before being a friend, Keirhan was the Emperor, and nothing that had happened around them lately was normal—he had to consider every possibility.

But there was one thing Frache hadn’t expected.

The door creaked open, and out stepped Keirhan—barely wearing trousers. His shirt was gone, his chest was exposed, and even his pants weren’t properly fastened.

“…What?”

“Unless this is of dire importance, you’d best be ready to lose your head.”

“T-That’s…”

“And what’s to be done with the Captain of the Imperial Knights, who behaves like this? Should I throw you in the dungeon?”

Frache was so shocked he didn’t even know how to react, his eyes instinctively trying to glance past into the room. But Lehan, much taller, immediately blocked his line of sight.

“Do you truly have a death wish? I wouldn’t let you die an easy death.”

“….”

Ignoring him, Lehan addressed the lady-in-waiting.

“If anyone dares disturb us again, warn them their body and head will be separated.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Prepare my robe, and leave a simple dinner with plenty of water at the door.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

She bowed deeply without further comment. Lehan clicked his tongue at Frache before slamming the door shut behind him.

“….”

“See? I told you not to. I tried my best to stop you.”

“N-No! What… what is even happening…!”

“Shh! Didn’t His Majesty just say your head might roll if you disturb them again?”

Frache’s face turned scarlet. He suddenly remembered Keirhan earlier, sweating, panting heavily after the storm had passed.

If he had seen inside that room—if he had even locked eyes with the Empress—what then? The thought sent chills down his spine.

“S-Someday… someday, when the time is right, His Majesty will seek me out himself…”

Frache trudged back toward the knights’ quarters, silently thankful his head was still attached.

The next morning, Edelis awoke sore all over.

“You’re awake?”

She barely opened her eyes to see Lehan smiling brightly, offering her water. When she tried to sit up to drink, her body wouldn’t cooperate. Lehan quickly set the cup down and helped her sit.

‘I’m not some invalid…’

She accepted the cup again, but her hands shook so much she nearly dropped it. In the end, she had to rely on him to help her drink.

“…Liar.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said we’d do it in the day and at night!”

“And we did—in the day and at night.”

“You never said it would last until sunrise!”

“I didn’t expect it myself. But that doesn’t make what I said a lie.”

It was true—technically, he hadn’t lied. They just hadn’t stopped in between day and night, but had gone on until dawn.

“…How am I supposed to face Sir Frache now?”

“Shall I send him to the border?”

“What? No! I’m just embarrassed, that’s all.”

“Well, yes. Your face is red again. Just like last night.”

“….”

At his teasing, Edelis’s cheeks burned even hotter.

“See? I was right.”

“What?”

“That you’d look new to me every time.”

Her face felt like it might combust. He spoke so shamelessly, yet she was the one suffering embarrassment. His words from last night replayed in her mind:

— Edelis, you’re so beautiful.

— Didn’t I tell you? You’ll always be new to me.

— Morning, noon, evening, dawn—it’ll always feel new.

Remembering made her flush all over again. Overwhelmed, she ducked back under the blanket.

She was still exhausted, despite sleeping a few hours.

“…You didn’t even go to your dawn training today.”

Of course he couldn’t—no one could go without sleep and be fine. Thankfully, he was so diligent with training every day that at least his stamina had held out. Edelis, on the other hand, had practically passed out.

Sitting beside her, Lehan stroked her hair and murmured, “Maybe I don’t need to go every day.”

“What are you saying! You need proper sleep and daily training, or your skills will rust!”

“Even if they do, it doesn’t matter. Ah, I should be receiving reports in the office right now…”

“And?”

“…But even if the country falls, I wouldn’t care. It wasn’t mine to begin with.”

“No! Don’t say that! Go to your office!”

What was he planning to do instead?! She waved her arms, urging him.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you.”

“…That’s…”

“Every single day, even long after our wedding.”

“T-Thank you.”

“So isn’t it fine if I don’t leave the room for a day or two?”

“No, it’s not!”

He clicked his tongue softly.

“I’d like to rest tonight.”

“…What?!”

“A-As you know, it was my first time yesterday… I think I overdid it.”

“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally?”

“It’s my way of begging you to go easy on me.”

“Ahh… unfortunately, Edelis, it was my first time too.”

Come to think of it, Frache had once said Lehan was pure and untouched. Yet last night… he hadn’t seemed inexperienced at all. Could it be…?

“Don’t. I can see what you’re thinking all over your face.”

“Ah… is it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

He gave her a wry smile, then rose from the bed.

“I’ll see you later.”

She kept her guard up, watching the door long after he left, until she was sure he was gone. Only then did she relax. Her eyes fell on the book—the source of everything.

‘Lehan could read it?’

Her drowsy mind suddenly sharpened. Years of wariness toward the book had made her tense at the sight of it. She forced herself up and reached for it.

“…It’s all filled in.”

Every page was packed with writing. Edelis flipped through from the start, checking if there was anything new. It began with the Saintess’s childhood. She quickly skimmed past—it wasn’t her intention to sympathize with the Saintess for her sad past.

She saw more: the Saintess seizing the temple, falling in love with Lehan, receiving a confession from Frache.

Her heart soured at the part where Lehan whispered words of love to another. But in the end, he was here beside her, so it was fine.

The book concluded: Elaine Ryned and Keirhan Raksid Cronad lived happily ever after.

But in reality, it would be Edelis Cronad and Keirhan Raksid Cronad who lived happily ever after.

Comforted by that thought, she drifted into sleep.

And then, someone’s voice called to her.

Struggling to open her heavy eyes, she found herself staring at none other than… herself.

“Hello, Edelis?”