Chapter 36

“Isn’t it uncomfortable to work like this?”

“It’s fine.”

In truth, it was Edelis herself who felt uncomfortable. But she couldn’t just push him away recklessly in front of others. Moreover, since she knew that Lehan was conscious of Sir Pasis, that made it even more difficult. If she were to push Lehan away in this situation, she feared he might be hurt.

‘So this is what he meant yesterday when he said he would act on his own judgment.’

Edelis was in a very awkward situation right now, but decided to stay still. She judged it was better to maintain this distance now than to keep dealing with the uncomfortable remarks from Sir Pasis.

“Edelis.”

“Yes?”

“Speak like you normally do.”

“Normally…?”

But it seemed Lehan had no intention of just holding her in his arms. What he was asking for was for her to drop formal speech, but there was no way she could speak informally to the Emperor in front of someone else. Lehan was even speaking formally to her. If someone unfamiliar saw them, it would appear to be a blatant act of insubordination.

“Quickly.”

“B-but…”

Under Lehan’s urging, Edelis glanced at Sir Pasis, who was in the same room. Naturally, she was conscious of others being present. But Lehan, interpreting this however he pleased, gently turned her face toward him by cupping her cheek.

“The Emperor says it’s fine.”

Then he began kissing her hair here and there while she kept her mouth shut, unable to say anything.

“Edelis.”

As Lehan softly called her name again, she deeply hesitated.

“D-don’t do that…”

Seeing her flustered, Lehan chuckled, and Edelis pouted before whispering softly in his ear.

“You promised we’d only do this when we were alone.”

As the two became closer, Lehan hugged her tighter with a deep smile. Then, glancing at Sir Pasis, he emphasized a word as if for him to hear.

“Alone.”

He said it with amusement, and Edelis’s face flushed red.

“Lehan.”

She lowered her voice, but Lehan only looked at her lovingly. With a small sigh, Edelis resigned herself. She didn’t like acting this way in front of others. But recalling how she had once done something similar in front of the saintess, she figured it wasn’t so different from what Lehan was doing now. So she decided not to push him away.

‘I was so grateful and satisfied when Lehan stood up for me back then.’

Edelis decided she should try doing the same. But even after twitching her arms several times, she couldn’t make a move and just fumbled nervously. Finally, she gathered her courage and wrapped her arms around Lehan’s neck!

‘S-stay calm.’

Ironically, she was the most flustered of everyone in the room. She closed her eyes tightly. Moments later, Lehan’s eyes widened. Smooch. That was the end of her courage. Edelis then hugged him tighter to hide her face.

“…”

“W-well then!”

Edelis tried to get up, unable to withstand the silence, but Lehan held her firmly. No matter how much she struggled, it was impossible to escape his arms.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let me go.”

“No.”

Even if she regretted what she had just done, it wasn’t like time would turn back. While they bickered, Edelis noticed a gaze and turned her head to see Sir Pasis looking at her. But his expression was not something she could ignore. It was not just dark—it was truly sorrowful. Edelis was visibly startled.

‘Why is he looking at me with such a sad face?’

Even though he had confessed his feelings to her, she always found it burdensome. She couldn’t even understand why he liked her and half-dismissed it. But now, anyone who saw his face as he watched her with Lehan could tell—it wasn’t fake. He was truly heartbroken.

‘Is he really that sad?’

Seeing him like that tugged painfully at her heart. She had wanted to keep her distance, but now she wondered if showing him this side of herself had been too harsh.

‘Maybe this wasn’t something to do in front of others.’

Now her embarrassment was compounded by guilt.

“…It’s time for the shift change, I’ll excuse myself.”

With those words, Sir Pasis stepped back. But the shift wasn’t due for another hour. Still, she understood why he left, and couldn’t say anything. His eyes, as if on the verge of tears, haunted her.

“…”

“Does it bother you?”

“Yeah, of course it does.”

Edelis answered, feeling guilty. Though she and Lehan were married and could express affection to some extent, she hadn’t expected Sir Berman to react so strongly.

“But there’s nothing we can do. It’s even worse that he continues to harbor feelings for you.”

“I guess, but still…”

“If your safety hadn’t been at risk, I wouldn’t have just demoted him—I might’ve taken his head.”

“What?”

“He dared to say such things before me. Isn’t that a betrayal?”

Edelis’s mouth dropped open in shock. Lehan simply stared at her lips. She closed her mouth and nervously wetted her lips.

“Still, I’m relieved.”

“What now?”

“That he left on his own before I had to drive him out. Otherwise, you’d have been more upset.”

“…That’s true.”

As if the sad expression on Sir Pasis’s face wasn’t enough, being thrown out would have made it worse. While she was lost in guilty thoughts, Lehan finally released her.

“Thinking about another man in front of your husband.”

“I wasn’t!”

Edelis objected in panic, and Lehan laughed joyfully.

“Weren’t you?”

“Well, yes, but—!”

She was just worried about someone clearly distressed. It wasn’t like she was thinking romantically about someone else in front of her spouse.

‘That kind of behavior… that’s what the emperor in the book did!’

Thinking that, Edelis suddenly felt emboldened.

“Stop making misleading remarks!”

But Lehan wasn’t the type to back down so easily.

“Then just don’t think about him.”

“…”

“Don’t do it.”

He gently stroked her hair.

“I don’t even have enough time to think only about you.”

“How can you say that?”

Blushing, she avoided his gaze.

“I mean it. Even working feels like a waste of time away from you.”

“You’re the Emperor!”

“I’ve heard that many rulers in history have ruined their countries because of women.”

She was confused about where this was going.

‘Women? Just how many concubines is he planning to have…?’

She used to be convinced he already had many. Back then, she wanted to live unnoticed in the palace, like a tree in the forest. But now, she disliked the idea of any concubine, including the saintess. She wanted Lehan to be hers alone—even if no emperor in history had gone without a concubine.

“I used to think they were fools, but now I understand.”

“That’s not a good thing to understand.”

“But I honestly don’t care if the empire collapses. It wasn’t even mine to begin with.”

He said something that would make any imperial citizen faint.

“Still…”

“Even if it collapses, I can’t leave everything to others and spend all my time with you, can I?”

“Huh?”

“Being Emperor and marrying you is great, but…”

Only now did Edelis realize her misunderstanding. She hadn’t thought “falling for a woman” referred to herself.

“Other nobles do nothing and just play around. Why can’t I, as Emperor…”

As he grumbled, she stroked his hair like she did when he was little.

“When things settle down, let’s spend more time together.”

“I’ll make sure no one else plays either. If I can’t spend time with you, they won’t either.”

Eventually, Edelis couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Holding her belly as she laughed, Lehan also chuckled softly, just happy to see her smile.

Outside the door, Sir Pasis was still there, unable to leave since his shift wasn’t over yet. But he heard their laughter… with the same shadow over his face.

***

Lehan didn’t let go of Edelis for several days. Not only when Lord Pasis was on guard duty, but also when Lord Raiden or Lord Ferrin was.

“There’s no need for this right now.”

“It’s only awkward because you’re not used to it.”

“I think I’ve gotten used to it now.”

“Then stay comfortable, since you’re used to it.”

“…I’m not used to it.”

“Then stay like this until you are.”

No matter which option she chose, the only answer that remained was quietly staying in Lehan’s arms, so Edelis had no choice but to accept the current situation. Then, the day came for the delegations to return. Several had already left. The one that remained until the very end was the delegation from the Holy Empire — the one Edelis found most uncomfortable.

‘It’ll be fine once today passes.’

The saintess, whom she’d been most concerned about, was finally leaving. She would have no reason to return to this country again. Just thinking about it made Edelis feel incredibly relieved. Now, it felt like the only thing left was to live a happy life with the Emperor who loved only her.

“I searched the entire Imperial Library, but the book wasn’t there. It’s such a shame.”

“You mean the ‘book that sees the future’? It was a very intriguing story.”

“If you happen to find it later, please let me know. I’d love to research it.”

“Sure.”

There was absolutely no chance she’d contact them. If she was going to, she’d have done so already. The saintess looked at Lehan with expectant eyes, but Lehan responded in a flat tone — the kind that reminded Edelis of how the emperor in the book used to speak to her.

“Thank you for blessing our marriage.”

“…Not at all.”

Watching the saintess turn away with regret, Edelis finally felt like she could truly relax. But then, surprisingly, the saintess was exchanging farewells with a knight — one she seemed to have become quite close with at some point.

“You’re leaving…?”

“Yes, my duties are finished, so it’s time to go.”

“When will I see you again?”

“I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

No matter how you looked at it, the man seemed to be clinging out of sorrow.

“Lehan, who is that man?”

“Have you not met him yet? That’s Johannes Frache, the Captain of the Imperial Knights.”

“Frache… that’s a duke’s house, isn’t it?”

“Yes, he’s the young duke. He’ll inherit the family title soon.”

Edelis had a bad feeling. A high-ranking noble, with close ties to the Imperial family, had a relationship with the female protagonist? And on top of that, Sir Frache wasn’t even hiding his sorrow over her departure.

‘He must be the last missing character in the blank space…’