Chapter 13

The man had silver hair tinged with blue and pitch-black eyes. It was a rare and distinctive appearance—one that would be easy to recognize. But the problem was, there wasn’t a single clue in the book about whether the Empress had met him inside the palace or outside.  

Edelis let out a deep sigh and decided to organize her tangled thoughts. After confirming that there was nothing new in the book, she hid it inside a drawer and locked it with the key slotted into the side. Then, careful not to wrinkle her dress, she sat on the couch and leaned back as if to lie down.

“I hope I find him soon… that man.”

She had wanted to ask Lehan to stop the Emperor. But Lehan was the Emperor. So now, she needed someone who could stop Lehan. Whether or not that man was a main character in the book was unclear, but at least he had taken her side—there was potential. Lehan had made her realize that being a main character didn’t necessarily mean someone would be helpful.

‘I can’t exactly ask the heroine for help, can I?’

That chilling smile the heroine wore at the end still haunted her. As she wondered how she might find that man, time seemed to slip by unnoticed until the sun had nearly set.

* * *

By the time Lehan came to escort her for dinner, enough time had passed that Edelis was startled. It was as if he were keeping a promise—Lehan came directly to where she was and offered his hand.

“I’m glad I arranged for your study to be next to my office.”

Lehan spoke with satisfaction, and Edelis smiled faintly at his attitude. Just as he’d said, the chef from her favorite restaurant had been scouted to the palace, and the food was truly delicious.

‘If only my life weren’t in danger, I might have thought coming here was the best choice I’d ever made.’

After enjoying a dessert that melted in her mouth, she walked through the gardens surrounding the Ruby Palace with Lehan. The gardens were filled with red flowers of every kind, living up to the palace’s name.

“Edelis.”

“Yes?”

The moonlit walk was beautiful. A small pond reflected the full moon, and the stars looked close enough to touch. Lehan called her name and then, after hesitating for some time, took out a small box he’d been discreetly fiddling with. More precisely, it was just that Edelis hadn’t noticed—she wasn’t paying him much attention.

With trembling hands, Lehan opened the tiny box to reveal a beautiful ring. It was the same ring the Empress had worn in the vision she saw earlier that day. In such a romantic setting, it would have seemed a perfect scene—if only Edelis didn’t know what she knew.

“Thank you… for saying you’d marry me.”

Lehan spoke carefully, gauging her reaction.

“…No.”

Even if it was technically her choice, it hadn’t felt like one. Oblivious to her thoughts, Lehan blushed as he took out the ring and gently placed it on her left ring finger.

“…I swear to always protect you.”

‘Lies. You’ll kill me with those very hands.’

But she couldn’t blame a Lehan who knew nothing yet. There was still a chance the future could be changed. So there was only one answer Edelis could give at this moment.

“…Alright. Thank you.”

“Even if I have to use everything I have.”

‘You’ll wipe out the entire Brill family with your power and army.’

Despite Lehan’s firm vow, Edelis nodded with false gratitude.

“Lehan.”

“Yes.”

He smiled brightly at her.

“Shall we go in now?”

Whenever she read the book, the stress left her extremely exhausted. She just wanted to rest now—but it seemed Lehan had something more to say.

“Edelis.”

“Mm?”

As she expected, Lehan looked at her steadily and opened his mouth.

“There’s something we need to talk about.”

“W-what is it?”

“What we discussed earlier today.”

Earlier? She struggled to recall what conversation he meant. Caught up in trying to remember the book’s details, she had nearly forgotten the rest. Then it finally came back to her.

“…Taking in concubines?”

“…”

Lehan’s face went cold. It was the same expression she’d seen on the Emperor in the vision, and Edelis froze. She felt a cold sweat beginning to form.

‘W-was that not it…?’

Sensing her distress, Lehan took her hand.

“I’m not blaming you. I was just… hurt.”

“….”

“Edelis.”

When her tension didn’t ease, Lehan pulled her into his arms and patted her back, softly whispering that it was okay.

“This afternoon, we talked about marriage.”

“…”

“I wanted to ask you what you thought about it.”

She remembered now—he had brought up the topic and said they’d talk again later. Though she was in his arms now, Edelis had never believed her marriage would be normal. According to the book, the Emperor would one day stab her to death. Her goal had become to avoid that fate, cut ties after a brief marriage, and live peacefully on the divorce settlement.

‘But I can’t say that out loud.’

Even just mentioning the topic of concubines earlier had made Lehan’s mood shift dramatically. She wasn’t that clueless.

“Have you thought about it?”

He still held her and patted her back. Though his appearance was unfamiliar and her life was constantly in danger, the way he comforted her like this felt familiar.

Quietly, she leaned into his arms and replied.

“…Well…”

She could hear his heartbeat pounding. As she trailed off, Lehan grew nervous and kept glancing down at her. The moment made her laugh.

‘I keep telling myself to stay away from the Emperor… but at times like this, Lehan still feels like the boy I knew.’

Edelis still couldn’t quite believe Lehan and the Emperor were the same person. Maybe it was because the Lehan from her childhood didn’t seem like someone who would kill her.

‘When will I get used to this situation?’

As she struggled with what to say, a memory surfaced—when she’d faked a wedding night with Lehan to avoid becoming Empress.

‘What did I think back then?’

She had believed that marrying Lehan would prevent a union with the Emperor. Because Lehan was a commoner, she thought her father would give him a knighthood or bring him into the family. And…

“Well, back then, I thought if I married you, I’d be the one wearing the pants.”

He had been sweet, obedient, and easy to persuade—and her status had been much higher. But now she was just a Marquis’s daughter, and Lehan was the Emperor. Worse, he held her life in his hands. In such a marriage, having control was impossible.

But Lehan had a different answer.

“Then everything went according to your plan.”

“What?”

She stared in shock.

“Haven’t I been trying to win your favor this whole time?”

“Come on.”

She waved a hand dismissively. Even if that were true, it wouldn’t stay that way for long. She’d seen it in the book—he would imprison the Empress, fall for another woman. But Lehan, oblivious to all that, sounded certain.

‘Maybe for now.’

It would all change once the heroine entered the picture. For now, she decided to shift the topic.

“What about you, Lehan?”

“Yes?”

“You said you’d thought about it too. What kind of married life did you imagine?”

“…”

His face flushed red as he turned away and tried to cover his smile with his hand. But he kept sneaking glances at her, his reaction impossible to miss.

‘What on earth is he imagining?!’

She was getting flustered just watching him. Finally, Lehan began to speak.

“…I want to fill your world with only the things you love. I want to give you everything you want. Then you’ll smile and say thank you…”

He glanced at her and blushed harder.

‘What kind of daydream is he having?! I want to know but I also don’t!’

She debated asking, but then he added: “And I want a balanced number of sons and daughters.”

“Kids?!”

She quickly looked around, embarrassed that someone might overhear. Though they were an engaged couple about to marry, it still made her blush.

‘Kids? KIDS?! It’s not like they magically appear…’

Thoughts of where babies came from flashed through her head. As she blushed, Lehan brushed his cheek against her hair.

“No one’s watching.”

“They say the palace is full of eyes and ears.”

“Even so, who would dare object to our conversation?”

Lehan said it lightly, but the meaning beneath his words was heavy.

“Unless they don’t value their life.”

“….”

Edelis instinctively inhaled sharply. Realizing his slip, Lehan patted her gently and changed the subject—but even that wasn’t entirely welcome.

“Most people think about children after marriage.”

“W-well, yes…”

But still—talking about children at night, before they were even married, made her nervous. Especially after the side of Lehan she’d seen the night before. Lehan seemed to know exactly what was going through her mind. As the silence stretched on, she grew anxious.

‘Please say something—anything!’

Unable to bear it alone anymore, she broke the silence.

“Um, can you let go of me now?”

She feared he could hear her pounding heart. Lehan began to release his arms—then pulled her close again.

“No.”

“…Huh?”

She hadn’t expected that. In the past, Lehan would let go when she seemed okay, even before she asked. But not anymore. Lehan didn’t seem to care about her surprise at all. If anything, he was openly affectionate now, no longer trying to hide it.

“Aren’t you overreacting a little?”

“…”

This wasn’t good for her heart. She wanted to say something, anything to break the mood, but nothing came to mind. Lehan watched her wide eyes darting nervously and smiled softly.

“I told you before, didn’t I? That I regretted letting go of you.”

He had, indeed, said that once. Lehan smiled gently at her.

“Now… I don’t have to let go anymore, do I?”

“…You could let go.”

“I don’t want to.”

Then Lehan patted her back again. Just like he used to, as if to soothe her. But the familiarity of it didn’t calm her. It only made things more complicated.

‘Will Lehan really hurt me…?’

* * *

The next morning, Lehan came looking for Edelis early. It was even before breakfast, and since the chief attendant had said it was an urgent matter, she had to hurry and get ready. Just as she finished, Lehan entered with a bright smile and called her name.

“Edelis.”

“Yes?”

What could be so urgent this early? Edelis had thought today would simply involve choosing the design of her wedding dress.

“…I’ve brought the candidates for your personal guard.”

Lehan’s tone was reluctant, and Edelis looked surprised. He had only been on the throne for a year—having ascended via a coup—so his days were packed with back-to-back affairs of state. He knew that personally protecting Edelis was more wishful thinking than reality. In truth, he wanted to prepare a corner of his office just for her, so he could see her now and then while he worked. But he also knew that if he did see her while working, he might not be able to focus. He didn’t want to confine her in the somber space of his office.

Moreover, he needed to deal with his duties ahead of time so he could spend more time with Edelis after the wedding. Cutting into his work hours just wasn’t feasible.

“A guard?”

“You were attacked on the way from the Marquisate to the palace.”

“Oh…”

Edelis’s expression darkened immediately, and Lehan chose his words carefully.

“Though we’re taking great care with palace security, just in case, I want you to have a personal escort. But please, don’t worry.”

“…Thank you.”

Most of the attackers had either been killed on the spot or committed suicide. A few had been captured, and the investigation was underway to uncover who was behind it. But just last night, the Commander of the knights, Haut, reported to Lehan that although they had removed the poison capsules hidden in the prisoners’ molars and imprisoned them in the underground dungeon, the captives were still murdered.

For someone to orchestrate killings inside the imperial prison—before the investigation had even begun—meant they were up against a dangerous force. There was no guarantee that such hands couldn’t reach Edelis in the Empress’s quarters. After all, she had been the original target.

As much as Lehan wanted her to live without worry, they had to be cautious. So he set aside his personal desires for her safety.

“There will always be a guard with you. Three will rotate shifts. If any of them make you uncomfortable, or if you don’t like them, just let me know.”

“Alright.”

“I wish I could protect you myself, but…”

Edelis worked hard to maintain her expression. He wasn’t someone who would protect her—he might be the one to kill her. Honestly, she wanted to keep as much distance as possible.

“N-no, I’m sure you’re very busy!”

Lehan hesitated, clearly regretful, then finally motioned for the candidates waiting outside to enter. Five men came in, all renowned for their swordsmanship. Some had served in the imperial knights since before Lehan became Emperor, and others had fought alongside him on the battlefield and helped him ascend the throne.

“Good day!”

At Lehan’s nod, each man introduced himself in turn, giving his current unit, a brief description of his skills, and his name. All of them tried hard to appeal to the Empress and win her favor.

But Edelis only had eyes for one of them.

‘The man from the book.’