Chapter 24

Edelis met Lehan’s gaze and abruptly stood up from her seat.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“…F-Far away.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

Edelis nodded quickly, putting all her sincerity into it. But sincerity meant nothing to Lehan. She opened the door, intending to head to the study. And then—bang!—the door slammed shut. The shadow looming over her told her Lehan was right behind her.

“Going somewhere without an escort, are we?”

“T-To the study.”

Lehan’s arm wrapped around her waist. The breath she felt immediately at her ear made her tense.

“If you’re going somewhere, let it be the bedroom right in front of us, not the study.”

“Why the bedroom all of a sudden…”

“‘All of a sudden’? It’s not sudden at all for me.”

Lehan kissed Edelis’s hair. Once, then again.

“Edelis. Don’t run away.”

“……”

“I won’t love anyone else.”

They were so close there was barely any space between them. Edelis worried he might hear her pounding heart, but she was genuinely happy at his words.

“Who else would I possibly like if not you?”

“…Right, then. Could you back off a little?”

“No.”

Lehan turned her head and placed kisses all over her face.

“Y-You said you had work! That you needed to finish to get time off!”

“Ah, yes. At this rate, I might not earn that vacation, so I’ll need to work for it properly.”

“Then I’ll take a walk!”

Seeing her chance, Edelis quickly proposed a walk to get away from him. If she stayed with Lehan any longer, her face might explode from the heat.

“…Sigh. Then I’ll call an escort for you.”

It hadn’t been long since he said no escort was needed, but realistically, with the emperor’s packed schedule, it was unavoidable. Especially since he wanted to free time to be with Edelis after the wedding.

“Sir Ferrin.”

“Yes, I didn’t hear a single word.”

“……”

The escort hadn’t been completely dismissed—he must have been standing outside the door all along. Hearing the door slam earlier, he likely stayed alert, wondering if something had happened inside. And of course, he’d heard their entire conversation—very naturally.

“Don’t embarrass my wife too much.”

“I believe it was Your Majesty who did that.”

“…I-I’m going for a walk.”

Hearing the two culprits blame each other made her face burn even more. Edelis quickly escaped from the greatest culprit—Lehan—for a bit of real-world breathing space.

‘Come to think of it, there’s no way Lehan would kill me, right?’

He might have changed a lot since returning, but they had been incredibly close since childhood. Rather than worrying about him killing her, it seemed more appropriate to worry he might eat her alive. She thought she’d cool off a little, but then she spotted someone in a ceremonial robe sitting in the distance. The brown hair brushing her shoulders gave away that it was the Saintess.

‘…I should go back to the palace.’

According to the book, the two figures who had the most devastating impact on her future were Lehan and the Saintess. While Lehan had shown her nothing but kindness, the Saintess hadn’t. Just the sight of her made Edelis feel suffocated, killing the happy mood she’d been in moments ago. She tried to turn away before the Saintess saw her, but it was too late—their eyes met.

“Ah!”

The Saintess smiled gently and began walking toward her. Edelis had no choice but to return the smile.

“Hello, Your Majesty.”

“…Yes, hello.”

With a bright smile, the Saintess approached and greeted her warmly. But Edelis couldn’t relax in the face of that friendliness.

“I’m glad we finally got to speak.”

“Yes, me too. Are you comfortable here?”

“Thanks to everyone, yes, very.”

But Edelis felt anything but glad. In fact, her anxiety only grew. She thought it might’ve been better to have stayed with Lehan, suffering the tension of being with him, than face the dread of meeting the Saintess.

“I tried greeting you a few times before, but we never crossed paths. It was a shame.”

“Really? Then, when I have time, I’ll invite you for tea.”

“Please do.”

Edelis had meant it as a mere courtesy, but the Saintess accepted it with a bright smile. She didn’t seem as threatening as the book described. In fact, after talking to her, Edelis felt her nervousness ease. Maybe the book was just a book, far removed from reality. Perhaps she’d been overly concerned for no reason. She regretted not enjoying life a little more.

‘Still, I got to meet Lehan, so it’s fine.’

She couldn’t hide the smile on her face. Seeing Edelis, who was usually tense, smile so freely made the Saintess tilt her head slightly.

“You look like something good happened.”

“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

“No, no. If it’s a good thing, that’s wonderful. May I ask what it was? They say joy grows when shared.”

“Well… I suppose it’s because the wedding is approaching.”

Marriage. The word finally began to feel real. Most nobles entered into political marriages. She had nearly been forced into one by the former emperor. But somehow, she was lucky enough to marry someone who loved her. It wasn’t a love match from the start, but it felt like one now. And that made it even better.

“I see. So you must be happy now.”

“Yes.”

Edelis smiled softly. The days of sadness and despair now felt like a lie. The Saintess returned the smile.

“That’s good. It’s wonderful that you’re happy.”

“But… the happier I am, the more anxious I get.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know how long this happiness will last. That’s the scariest part.”

That Lehan’s heart might change. That he might treat her like the cold emperor from the book. Just imagining it made her chest ache.

“Don’t worry too much. I believe there’s a happy ending waiting for you.”

“A happy ending…”

“Yes. A happy ending.”

The Saintess smiled even brighter as she said it—like she truly believed that such a future was guaranteed.

“I hope so. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I hope for it too.”

“Thanks for listening. I’ll really invite you to tea next time.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

After speaking with the Saintess, Edelis felt much more at peace. She finally understood why people went to the temple for confession. She decided she’d go herself if she ever had worries again.

“I’ll head back now.”

“Alright. See you next time.”

The Saintess waved, and a junior priest who had been waiting nearby came to escort her away. Edelis continued her walk around the garden for a while. She didn’t feel drawn to the shadowed paths anymore. It genuinely felt like she could live peacefully in the palace like this.

‘If even the Saintess says I’ll have a happy ending, then maybe I really will!’

All that remained was the wedding. After that, she could continue living like this. Edelis returned to the Ruby Palace with light steps. She was relaxing in her room when Lehan came looking for her.

“Lehan! Did you finish your work?”

“…Edelis.”

Lehan entered with a dark expression and quietly closed the door.

“Did something happen?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?”

“To me?”

Since leaving him, she’d walked around, met the Saintess, and talked for a while. Though the Saintess hadn’t officially revealed her identity, Edelis felt lighter afterward. She even thought it was a blessing to have found the book—it was just fiction, after all. The stories of rebellion or death were terrifying, but she decided to treat them like a bad dream.

“Nothing happened.”

“Then, why…”

“What’s wrong? What is it?”

As Lehan continued looking troubled, Edelis hurried to check on him. Then, in a low voice, he spoke.

“Why didn’t you come back to my office?”

“This is my room… Oh, right.”

She had forgotten their agreement to stay together. The encounter with the Saintess had been so impactful she’d completely forgotten.

“I forgot.”

“How could you forget that?”

“Sorry.”

She stared at Lehan and smiled faintly as she said just one word. “Sorry.”

“If you think I’ll forgive you just for that…”

“……”

“If you really think that…”

Lehan sighed deeply and pulled her into a hug. He could never win against Edelis—not that he ever intended to.

“I trust you haven’t forgotten we agreed to use the same chamber tonight.”

The reality Edelis most wanted to forget had come rushing back. It was no time to be lounging around. Lehan smiled victoriously and led her to the dining room. He’d actually come to invite her to dinner. But as Edelis sat down, she could barely taste the food.

“Edelis, chew properly. You’ll need a lot of energy.”

“……”

“I’ll debone the meat for you. It’s more filling than vegetables, after all.”

“…T-Thanks.”

“What else is good for ‘health’? I heard that in the East, they eat eels.”

Meals for royalty were meant to be nutritious, but Lehan’s version of “health” seemed to differ greatly from the chef’s. The meal, which Edelis wished would never end, finally concluded only after she gave up and declared she couldn’t eat anymore.

“Then, don’t forget—I’ll see you soon.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Unlike her worries, thankfully—or perhaps inevitably—Edelis prepared herself for the night alone at Ruby Palace. When the head maid heard she would spend the night in Lehan’s Emerald Palace, she rolled up her sleeves. They filled the large tub with scented oils and scattered flowers. The overwhelming scent stung her nose.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“Of course not. The wedding is just around the corner!”

They hadn’t done this yesterday! It was clear they were fussing just because she’d be with Lehan tonight. But at least they were pretending not to know—it was something.

“His Majesty really is impatient, starting even before the wedding…”

Cancel, cancel!! Edelis ducked into the water to hide her flushed face. She was glad to have a cheerful head maid in this gloomy palace, but maybe they’d gotten too close. After a good scrub and a layer of scented oil, the maid pulled out something outrageous from a box.

“…Isn’t this too much?”

“This is what everyone wears these days!”

“This?”

It resembled lingerie, but calling it that felt generous. It was too revealing to be called underwear. But apparently, everyone wore it.

‘But everyone’s five years younger than me!’

After a deep breath, Edelis mustered her courage and donned the robe embroidered with golden thread.

“Alright, let’s head to the Emerald Palace!”

“Okay.”

A servant led the way with a lantern, followed by Edelis, her maids, her escort Sir Raiden, and other knights. Usually, it was just her, her maid, and a guard, so this was quite the procession. Edelis’s heart pounded so loudly she wanted to collapse multiple times. But worried she might lose her dignity as empress, she pretended to be calm.

They arrived at a room in Ruby Palace. The servant opened the door, knights checked for danger, and then left. Lehan hadn’t arrived yet, so Edelis sat quietly on the bed, waiting. Her mind was a storm, but her face was calm.

‘Why must I go through this trial? We’re not even married yet! No, like Lehan said, the wedding is in two days. This would’ve happened anyway! But there are still two whole days left!’

Creaaaak— The door opened. Edelis slowly turned her head. Lehan stood there, watching her. He wore a bathrobe and still had droplets of water in his hair.

“Y-You’re here?”