Chapter 17

“…What do you mean by that? She’s just a maid, isn’t she?”

Like Lehan, the maid also looked flustered. Edelis silently apologized to the poor girl who had just brought refreshments and ended up getting caught in the middle.

“She’s a woman who can walk into the Emperor’s office!”

She was clearly grasping at straws, and the embarrassment of that filled her to the top. Her mind was functioning just fine, and she knew exactly how unreasonable she was being.

“She’s a maid. Of course she can come in.”

“But I don’t want you to be with any other woman but me.”

“Is that so?”

“If I wasn’t here just now, you would’ve been alone with her!”

If Edelis hadn’t been there, the maid probably wouldn’t have brought the refreshments in the first place.

“Leave us.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As soon as the Emperor gave the order, the maid quietly wheeled the cart out.

‘Ah, no! My snacks! I should’ve told her to leave them before she went!’

“You don’t like me being with other women?”

“Yeah, even if she’s a maid, I don’t like it.”

“What about knights?”

“Still no. I don’t want any women around you but me.”

They were all just doing their jobs. Knights, administrators, and maids alike. But Edelis kept pushing forward with her irrational demands for the sake of their broken engagement.

“Starting today, there will be no maids left in the Emerald Palace.”

“What?! What about the ones who already work here? Who’s going to do all their work?!”

Though Lehan was agreeing to her tantrum, Edelis hadn’t expected things to go this far. Now she was seriously worried about how the Emerald Palace would operate. Lehan, on the other hand, looked utterly unconcerned and even asked with amusement, “Then will you do it for me?”

“…Do what?”

“Help me change clothes, make my bed…”

“W-what!”

“Assist me when I bathe. I’ll assign all other duties to male attendants.”

Edelis instinctively gave Lehan a once-over—from his broad shoulders, his firm, muscular frame, to his strikingly handsome face. Just imagining seeing that in the bath made her dizzy. She was sure she’d get a nosebleed.

“What are you imagining?”

“Nothing at all!”

“Hmm.”

Lehan casually undid one button of his shirt. Edelis swallowed hard at the faint glimpse of his chest. When Lehan slightly lifted his shirt to look inside, she nearly stood up to peek with him.

“What are you doing?”

At his words, she quickly sat back down and pretended like nothing had happened, but it was already too late. The embarrassment she felt now was on a whole other level.

“Do you want to see?”

Lehan’s hand moved to his second button. Edelis, heart pounding, barely managed to speak.

“You’ve done this kind of seduction more than once, haven’t you?”

“That couldn’t be true.”

“I almost fell for it!”

“You could’ve, and I wouldn’t have minded.”

He popped open the second button.

“In broad daylight! What are you doing!”

Panicked, Edelis tried to button up his shirt again, but her trembling fingers kept missing, taking forever to get it done.

“H-have the maids do it. I won’t say anything anymore.”

“You’re okay with another woman doing it?”

“Yeah, I think I was wrong.”

She deeply regretted her actions. Knights didn’t have this problem. She couldn’t just say, “Fine! I’ll do it!”—that would be a disaster. Helping him bathe, change clothes, and make his bed? Those were all far too intimate.

‘Is this the normal reaction I’m supposed to have?’

She wanted to find whoever had written that advice column and ask.

‘Even if feelings don’t vanish overnight, there’s not even a hint of them fading…’

But this was her last hope—she couldn’t give up so easily.

“The maids from the Emerald Palace can switch places with the male staff in the Ruby Palace. I’d prefer if I were the only man around you.”

“I don’t care! I don’t pay attention to other men.”

“I don’t pay attention to other women. I just don’t like seeing other men around you.”

“…F-fine, then.”

She had no rebuttal to that.

“Then I’ll have Sir Pasis removed from his post.”

“No! You can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“You just can’t! He’s my guard. Absolutely not.”

Lehan clicked his tongue softly. It seemed like he’d seen an opportunity to get rid of Pasis, whom he disliked.

‘That was close!’

In the end, Edelis had gained nothing. All she was left with was overwhelming embarrassment and the inevitable gossip among the maids.

“The Empress is crazy-possessive of the Emperor,” they’d say.

Edelis felt a headache coming on. Lehan, however, still smiling, came to sit beside her.

“Edelis.”

“…Yeah?”

“Are you starting to like me?”

“What?”

“You care about me, you’re curious about me, and you don’t like other women around me. Just like how I feel about you.”

Everything he listed was exactly how she’d acted while pulling her obsessive tricks.

“…I don’t know.”

“That’s enough for me.”

“You’re not bothered that I’m being clingy?”

“Clingy, huh. I like it very much. Please cling to me more—much, much more.”

Edelis forced a smile, though inside she was crying, screaming, I’m doomed!

“What if I snap at a female administrator who just came to give a report?”

“Could you? I’ll summon her with a report right away.”

“No! That was just an example!”

“I see…”

The droop in his shoulders and the sadness in his eyes looked far too genuine. Why was he that disappointed?!

“Is it okay if I get really annoying?”

“Can you even be annoying? Please try. I’m looking forward to it.”

‘Looking forward to it…? You’re not supposed to do that!’

“Th-then I’ll think of ways to annoy you.”

When she tried to stand, Lehan grabbed her wrist and gently guided her back into her seat.

“Where are you going? You have to annoy me.”

“To think of ways to do it?”

“You can think right here. While annoying me.”

Edelis thought about it and nodded. He had a point.

‘Interrupting his paperwork didn’t work. Accusing him over some random woman failed, too. Then what should I do…’

She was deep in thought, but something kept brushing her hand. Lehan was stroking her fingers.

“Lehan, what are you doing?”

“I felt like touching you.”

“…Go back to work.”

“I can do that a little later.”

Edelis wanted to focus on thinking up ways to annoy him, but he kept distracting her.

‘Ugh, seriously! Annoy him… wait. That’s it!’

She sprang up and grabbed a document off Lehan’s desk, placing it in front of him.

“What is this?”

“Work.”

She had given him something to focus on—now all she had to do was distract him.

Edelis leaned on his shoulder.

“E-Edelis?”

“You should focus on your work!”

“But…”

As Lehan reluctantly turned his gaze back to the documents, Edelis began stroking his hand and tapping on his arm. Lehan read the same page over and over again, eventually giving up and putting the papers down. He gently laid Edelis, who had been leaning against his shoulder, onto the sofa—and a shadow fell over her. It was Lehan.

“Eek!”

“Edelis. Please stop testing me.”

“Testing you?!”

“I told you I’d wait, didn’t I?”

“Y-yes, but—”

Lehan cupped one side of her face, brushing his thumb across her lips.

“Don’t test my patience anymore.”

“When did I ever!”

“Just now, a little earlier, always.”

“…So it’s not annoying?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be annoyed, even 20 or 30 years from now.”

‘I might not even be alive in two years!’

“There are only about ten days left, Edelis.”

Edelis knew exactly what he was talking about. Every time he tried to express his affection, she had delayed it by saying it was too early, that they hadn’t even had the wedding yet.

“I hope those ten days pass safely.”

Lehan stepped aside and helped her sit up. Edelis clutched her pounding heart and fled from the Emperor’s office.

‘Why… why isn’t he getting annoyed?! I’m trying to break off the engagement! Is my method wrong?’

Even afterward, she tried watching his dawn sword training and bombarded him with questions, or poked around his office asking about random things. But instead of drifting apart, Lehan only seemed to grow more fond of her. Edelis’s final attempt had failed miserably.

‘…I’m doomed. The wedding is just a week away now!’

To make matters worse, she hadn’t even managed to build any kind of connection with Sir Pasis. With only a week left, the foreign envoys would begin arriving starting today.

‘Even if breaking off the engagement failed, the female lead hasn’t arrived yet! I still have time before the divorce!’

So Edelis decided to focus on building rapport with Sir Pasis. Preparing herself to be divorced while also trying to get closer to him. Edelis went out for a walk with Sir Pasis and tried to strike up a casual conversation.

‘I don’t even know how to start talking!’

Since discovering the book, she had been mostly secluded at home, so socializing with others had become very difficult. But for the sake of her own life, Edelis had to take the initiative.

“Sir Pasis!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Um… what do you think of me?”

“Pardon?! How could I dare evaluate Your Majesty?”

“Still.”

Looking flustered, Sir Pasis hesitated, glancing nervously at the maids nearby who were serving Edelis. Finally, he opened his mouth with great difficulty.

“I believe… you are a very… pleasant person to serve.”

“And?”

After a long pause, Sir Pasis let out a deep sigh and confessed his true feelings.

“Sigh… Your Majesty. Do you wish to have me executed?”

“How did you jump to that conclusion?!”

Startled, Edelis unintentionally shouted at him.

“If His Majesty the Emperor were to find out that Her Majesty asked me such a question, I’d lose my head.”

“Oh come on, really?”

Would it be that serious just for asking what he thought of her? But Sir Pasis answered her with silence. Edelis, mouth agape, asked again in disbelief.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

She had simply wanted to know how he felt about her. Whether it was positive or negative. Whether they could become closer in the future. Just like how she once wanted Lehan to protect her at the Emperor’s command, she now hoped Pasis could protect her from Lehan—just like it had happened in the book.

“So please refrain from such questions.”

“…Alright.”

She should’ve kept her mouth shut. Now she didn’t even know what to say next. While Edelis was mentally panicking, a maid came running from afar.

“Your Majesty!”

“What is it?”

“An envoy from the Holy Empire has arrived.”

It was the first diplomatic delegation—and Edelis’s first official duty as Empress. Lehan had said she didn’t need to attend, but Edelis wanted to make connections with other nations in case she needed to flee someday.

‘I can’t ignore the Holy Empire if I’m going to meet with all the others.’

“Understood. I’ll head over shortly.

For now, Edelis still saw this lightly—as simply establishing diplomatic relations. But what the maid said next sent a crack through that peace.

“And… they’ve asked for understanding regarding a last-minute change in the delegation’s composition.”

“The delegation’s members are usually fixed unless there’s a major reason, aren’t they?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And yet they made a sudden change, even risking diplomatic impropriety?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“…What kind of change?”

Of all the countries, it had to be the Holy Empire. According to the original documents, one high priest and two lower-ranking male priests were supposed to come.

‘They were all men, so I hadn’t been worried…’

With a sinking feeling, Edelis looked at the maid, who calmly relayed the news.

“They’ve replaced the high priest with a young female Saintess. It’s the first time such a change has happened, so everyone finds it rather odd.”

“…”

A young female Saintess making her first appearance—right before Edelis’ wedding. A deep sense of dread crept over her.