Chapter 23

At Lehan’s sudden proposal, Edelis’s jaw dropped. Instinctively, she pulled away from his embrace, creating distance between them.  

“What did you just say?”  

“I told you to bring your book to my office when you want to read,” he replied.  

“No, after that.”  

“I told you to come to my chamber at night from now on.”  

Edelis realized she hadn’t misheard and her face turned bright red. Lehan, however, repeated himself without a hint of embarrassment.  

“But we’re not even married yet…”  

“Aren’t we getting married in two days anyway?”  

“Y-Yes, but still… Even after marriage, most couples have separate bedrooms.”  

Traditionally, the empress lived in the Ruby Palace and the emperor in the Emerald Palace. The emperor would visit the Ruby Palace only when he wanted to see a particular woman—be it the empress, a consort, or a favored lady. Currently, there was no one else besides Edelis, but still.  

“Just because most people do doesn’t mean we have to.”  

“Still…”  

“Edelis, I’m holding myself back from being with you all day, every day, 24 hours nonstop.”  

The idea of being together all day made her blush. If he stayed in the office working, it would be manageable, but if she had to attend state meetings with him too, the ministers would definitely notice something strange. Plus, he trained with his sword at dawn, meaning she’d have to wake up at sunrise.  

‘Okay… waking up early is fine…’  

But the real problem was bathing and sleeping.  

‘…Are we going to bathe together too?’  

Her gaze involuntarily dropped from his face—broad shoulders, firm chest, and well-defined abs from years of training. She quickly forced herself to look back up—only to meet his eyes and avert her gaze in a panic.  

‘I’m insane. Edelis Brill—no, Edelis Cronad…’  

How far had her eyes almost wandered? Instinct was terrifying.  

‘Would it be better to share a chamber, then? No! What am I even thinking? That’s crazy!’  

Even if the palace was huge, it would still be the two of them, in one room, on one bed. At night. Not just any man and woman, but a married couple.  

‘It would be more surprising if nothing happened!’  

She was barely holding back the urge to sit on the floor with her hands covering her face. Lehan didn’t seem to have any improper intentions, but she felt like she was the only one thinking such things.  

“Th-Then… how about we spend time together during the day and just sleep separately?”  

That way, they’d part ways before getting ready for bed, and she’d avoid the two most nerve-wracking situations. But Lehan didn’t even pause to consider.  

“You’ll be with the guards then, won’t you?”  

“Yes, I guess…”  

“Then no.”  

“Even with Sir Ferrin or Sir Raiden?”  

“Yes. Pasis wasn’t like this from the start either.”  

It wasn’t a problem at first—just yesterday, they had only exchanged greetings.  

“But it’s not like I had feelings for Sir Pasis…”  

“I know. I’m just jealous.”  

Lehan admitted it so plainly that Edelis was caught off guard.  

“J-Jealous?”  

“Yes. Jealous. I was simply reminded again that I’m not the only one who sees you as charming, capable, and beautiful.”  

“…I’m not like that to anyone else.”  

“I wish that were true.”  

Lehan pulled her back into his arms.  

“Who would’ve thought there’d be a fool who fell for the empress?”  

“…”  

“There’ll be a lot of guests at the wedding from other nations. What will I do then?”  

“It’s okay! I’ve memorized almost all the information on the delegations!”  

She brightened up, her eyes sparkling, but Lehan sighed.  

“Do you think that’s what I’m worried about? You could ask the Serniere delegation if they came from Rodan, and I wouldn’t mind.”  

“That’s absurd! Serniere and Rodan are still clashing at the borders.”  

“Exactly.”  

She still didn’t get it, so he kissed her forehead.  

“I’m worried they’ll fall for you.”  

“Oh come on, that’s ridiculous.”  

“If anyone does, I’d want to start a war. But I can’t bring you to the battlefield.”  

“R-Right.”  

“Which means I’d have to leave you behind, and then you’ll be with guards again… Then that guard could… It’s a complete disaster.”  

Edelis didn’t know where to start correcting him. Why was he so certain someone would fall for her, and why was he so convinced that any guard would fall too? Raiden even had a lovely fiancée!  

“And I can’t even ask you to tone it down on our wedding day. You’re the bride, the star of the show.”  

“I can’t just ‘tone it down’!”  

“I know. I want to boast to everyone that my wife is this beautiful, and it’s driving me crazy.”  

“…”  

The flood of compliments left her dazed. Listening to Lehan, she felt like the incarnation of a goddess of beauty—nothing less than divine.  

“B-But wait. Don’t you have to get back to work?”  

“It’s fine for today, but if this continues, it’ll become a problem.”  

Lehan buried his face in her neck.  

“Preparing for a honeymoon is exhausting.”  

“H-Honeymoon? What are we going to do?”  

“What do you think we’re going to do?”  

She could clearly feel the muscles of his body pressing against hers.  

“…Travel, maybe?”  

“If we have the energy left for that, sure.”  

Lehan laughed smoothly and led her to the Emerald Palace. Edelis didn’t dare ask what he meant by not having the energy—because she already had a good idea.  

“If you want to read, just bring the book to my office.”  

“Got it.”  

“If you want to rest, my room is across the hall.”  

“…Okay.”  

Her eyes drifted to his room—technically the “official” bedroom, though rarely used due to constant threats of assassination.  

“If you want to do anything else, just tell me.”  

“Alright.”  

She stopped by the library to make sure that book wasn’t glowing, then picked a random one and brought it to Lehan’s office. The mountains of paperwork showed just how busy he was.  

“I’ll get back to these documents now.”  

“Okay. I’ll read my book!”  

“…‘Basic Brassel Language for Beginners’?”  

“The Brassel delegation is coming, so I thought I’d learn some greetings…”  

Lehan chuckled.  

“Hello.”  

“Huh?”  

“That’s how you say it in Brassel.”  

She checked the book and saw he was right.  

“How do you know that?!”  

“You don’t become an emperor just by swinging a sword.”  

“Well, that’s true…”  

“I didn’t learn Sernien, but I studied Brassel after I became emperor.”  

“Wow…”  

She had assumed his training focused solely on swordsmanship and tactics, but he had studied foreign languages too.  

‘…Impressive.’  

Ever since they reunited, she kept realizing how different he was from the boy she used to know—not just in status but in how he expressed himself, and how much he’d gone through. Watching him quietly focus on his work, she realized he didn’t feel like a “cute little brother” at all anymore.  

“Edelis.”  

“Y-Yes?!”  

“How am I supposed to work if you keep looking at me like that?”  

Caught red-handed, she turned red.  

“I was reading!”  

“Upside down?”  

“…”  

She quickly flipped the book the right way and forced herself to focus.  

“Ah, Lehan.”  

“Yes?”  

“Come to think of it… aren’t there other delegations coming too? I’ve only met the Holy Empire’s group.”  

With how Lehan treated her, it seemed the future had changed—no longer matching what she saw in the book. Maybe it was okay to dream of a happy marriage.  

‘Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t run away.’  

But deep down, anxiety lingered. The Saintess was still in the Empire, and Lehan’s feelings could change. That’s why she wanted to build ties with the foreign delegates—just in case.  

“All the delegations have already been welcomed.”  

“But I only met the Holy Empire group!”  

“You looked tired then, so I didn’t tell you.”  

“But greeting them is an important duty of the empress!”  

“As I said before, there’s nothing you have to do. You don’t need to.”  

She was speechless. When she’d dreamed of divorce, she’d wished to neglect her duties—but now that wish had come true.  

“I wanted to greet them…”  

“You’ve already seen how unpleasant those meetings can be.”  

“Still…”  

Seeing her disappointed, Lehan quickly tried to cheer her up.  

“You’ll see them at the banquet after the wedding anyway.”  

“…Then please at least let me know next time.”  

“Of course.”  

Looking at the situation now, it didn’t seem like she’d be leaving the Empire anytime soon. If she were to escape, befriending the delegations would be crucial—but for now, she’d have to wait until the banquet.  

‘The wedding is really only two days away now…’  

Even though she’d seen it in the book, she couldn’t stop the nervous flutter in her chest.  

‘Will he act distant like in the book? Am I the only one excited?’  

She kept sneaking glances at Lehan over her book, but he was focused on his paperwork.  

‘Should I make sure he never meets the Saintess? As long as he doesn’t fall for her, everything will be fine.’  

It felt like a brilliant idea. Honestly, she wasn’t sure she could stop herself from getting jealous if he did fall for the Saintess. If she could just prevent that, she wouldn’t become the villainess from the book. Proud of her plan, she started thinking about how to carry it out—when her eyes met Lehan’s.  

“I wasn’t looking.”  

“I didn’t say anything.”  

“…”  

Edelis sighed inwardly. Ever since finding that book, survival had been her goal. Since she was bound to marry the emperor anyway, she never thought of loving someone else.  

But now, when everyone else already had kids, she was just starting to fall in love—and it was driving her crazy.  

After much hesitation, she finally said what she truly wanted to say.  

“Lehan.”  

“Yes.”  

“…Don’t fall in love with another woman.”  

Like someone with brown hair. Or black eyes. Or a bob haircut. In her early twenties. And especially if she’s a Saintess.  

Lehan suddenly buried his face into his papers with a loud thud, startling her.  

“What’s wrong? What happened?”  

“Edelis… I don’t think I can wait until tonight.”  

When he looked back up at her, his eyes were those of a predator.