Chapter 6

“Kyah!”

Edelis couldn’t even scream properly, and even that small cry was quickly stifled by her hand, afraid someone might hear.  

“Lehan! What are you doing? Are you okay?!”

She rushed over and looked at his hand, but blood was already dripping onto the white sheets from his palm.  

“Oh no!!”

The cut was deeper than she expected—the bleeding wouldn’t stop. In a panic, she grabbed her handkerchief and wrapped it around his hand to stop the bleeding. Unlike the flustered Edelis, Lehan looked perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened.  

“My Lady, tomorrow morning, please stay in bed until someone comes to check on you.”  

Only then did Edelis realize what he was trying to do. She quickly ripped off her thin sleeve and tossed it beside the bed.  

“My Lady, what are you doing?!”  

Lehan turned his head hastily, his face bright red.  

“Don’t think I don’t understand your plan. You’re trying to fake… virgin’s blood, aren’t you?”  

“That’s… correct, but…”  

“You really thought I was some naive noble lady who doesn’t know anything, didn’t you?”

‘I’ve seen my own death in that book, you know!’ she thought as she climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over herself. Then, she patted the mattress and looked at Lehan.

But Lehan just stood there, frozen.

“What are you waiting for? Come here.”

“My Lady… please… you really don’t know anything.”

Lehan covered his face with his uninjured hand. If he didn’t, he was afraid his eyes would keep drifting back to her. Edelis’s actions were far too provocative for a boy still in his growing years. But Edelis, unaware of his inner turmoil, kept urging him.

“Do you think you’re more embarrassed than I am? I’m an adult, but you’re not even of age yet!”

“Are you worried about what people might say? Should I change the sheets now?”

Edelis had already accepted that this would be disgraceful. She could already imagine what people would say. That she hadn’t come out in public because she was waiting to seduce a mere 14-year-old boy. That she had been lusting after a commoner and pounced the moment she reached adulthood.

‘Maybe they’ll call me the wicked daughter of the Count, who forced a poor boy into bed…’

Would leaving a scar on her face have been the quieter solution after all? Maybe. But it was still better than becoming the Empress of that perverted Emperor and being stabbed to death later. Better to be ruined socially than ruined in the grave.

“No, this is fine.”

At least this way, she wouldn’t have to scar her face and break her father’s heart. Besides, if such rumors spread, no noble house would try to arrange a marriage for her, and she could continue to live peacefully at home. She felt a little sorry for her father, though.

“But… does this mean I’ll have to marry you?”

Truthfully, Edelis had thought about marrying Lehan before. If she ran away from the palace and he went with her as her bodyguard… and now, with this incident, her chances for an arranged marriage would be ruined. Her father might even consider marrying her to Lehan. Honestly, it didn’t sound so bad. Anything was better than marrying the Emperor.

But at her words, Lehan’s expression hardened.

“You would… really marry someone like me? A mere commoner?”

“Should I ask my father to give you a knight’s title?”

“…Even though I used to be a gladiator?”

“You’re talking about ancient history now.”

If Edelis were an ordinary noble lady, she would never have done any of this. If she had gotten into a scandal, it wouldn’t have been with a commoner. People obsessed with bloodlines and titles wouldn’t grant a title to a commoner—they’d simply match with someone of noble birth from the start. Still, Edelis’s expression turned pouty.

“Wait… did you sleep with a Count’s daughter only to run away after?”

“No! Never!”

Lehan denied it so forcefully that even he was shocked by his own voice. He quickly covered his mouth. After a moment, he exhaled and spoke more calmly. Edelis then shared what was really on her mind.

“I thought… after we ran away, we’d pretend to be married.”

“Pretend… marriage?”

“You asked earlier if we should run away, right? While waiting for you, I thought… what if we did it before I became the Emperor’s bride?”

Her tone was light, but Lehan stared at her with his mouth slightly open, stunned.

“Think about it. If we leave the Count’s house together, a grown man and woman living in the same place, of course people will suspect something.”

Looking into Edelis’s wavering green eyes, Lehan dropped his gaze. After a heavy sigh, he looked up again, reached out, and gently caressed her cheek.

“My Lady… I’ve been thinking about something for a while.”

“Okay. Tell me.”

She thought maybe the tension had finally eased, and she relaxed a little. But his next words tore into her harder than anything before.

“I’m going to leave this place.”

“…What?”

“After what happened tonight… I’ve made up my mind.”

She grabbed the hand that was on her cheek. Her own hands were trembling. Whether he was an important character in a book or not, no longer mattered. Lehan was Lehan—someone precious who had been by her side for a long time.

“Why? Is it because you don’t want to have a fake marriage with me? You don’t have to if you don’t want to! W-we can pretend to be siblings again. I was just being silly!”

Her voice grew more desperate with every word, but Lehan only shook his head. He gently enclosed her trembling hands in his.

“It’s not that, my Lady. I will return. I promise.”

“I just… I just thought, if two people live together after growing up, people might gossip…”

She hated how silently and gently he looked at her. Eventually, her green eyes filled with tears and spilled over.

“You said you’d stay with me! You said you’d be by my side! You’re mine… you’re mine!”

“I’m sorry. I will return, no matter what.”

“How is this fair? Did I do something wrong? I’ll apologize… I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s not that.”

Edelis wanted so badly to hold on to him, but there was nothing she could say to stop him. Lehan had already turned down her father’s offer of a title before. She had already given him more than enough. He had been her little brother, her friend, and her guard.

“Tomorrow, when someone finds the bloodstains, they’ll suspect me whether you say anything or not. Don’t deny it.”

Edelis had been closest with Lehan. If he disappeared, people would naturally assume he did something and fled.

“That way, you’ll lose your position as a bride candidate, and you can stay at home.”

“If I tell you not to go now… will you stay?”

“…No.”

His voice was firm. He had already made up his mind.

‘How long have you been planning this…?’

It was too late to change his mind. Lehan had promised he would keep her safe. He had said she could stay home and live as she always had.

‘But how could it ever be the same if you’re not here?’

She couldn’t say she had bought him, so he belonged to her. She wanted to say anything to keep him from going—but that would only wound him more.

‘Then at least… let me give you a reason to come back.’

“If I’m ever in danger… you have to come for me. Don’t forget.”

“…”

“You have to come for me. You promised.”

After a moment, Lehan spoke in a choked voice.

“When I return… will you accept me?”

“Come back. You have to. If you don’t, I won’t let you go.”

He answered in a tightly strained voice.

“Next time, I’ll protect you—no matter who it is, no matter what it takes.”

“Promise?”

“I will return. I promise.”

Hearing the word promise calmed Edelis slightly. Lehan had made her several promises before—and he had never broken a single one. Not even the smallest.

“Okay, Lehan. You’re free now. I’m letting you go. Not as a gladiator… just as Lehan.”

Her voice wavered with tears. What started as pity and usefulness had become something else. Lehan had come to mean too much.

“No. I refuse. You will always be my master. No matter what happens, I will find you again.”

“What…what is that supposed to mean…”

She wanted to tell him not to leave. But she knew it would hurt more to hold on to him, so she tried to smile.

“Edelis.”

He had only ever said her name once before—Lady Edelis—and never again, no matter how much she begged. But now, when he said her name, her eyes widened in surprise and she looked at him in shock.

“Edelis. Edelis. I will come back. Edelis.”

He repeated her name again and again with raw emotion, then kissed her forehead. In his golden eyes, she saw her reflection.

Her mouth fell open in shock, unable to close. Green eyes filled with disbelief reflected his image, and the golden hair shimmering in the moonlight framed Lehan’s weary smile. Then, without hesitation, he opened the window and leapt out.

“Lehan!”

Edelis ran to the window and called out to him, but her voice didn’t reach him. He had already vanished—there wasn’t even a shadow left behind. It was a sorrowful, moonlit night.

The next morning, the mansion was in an uproar, and Edelis was promptly stripped of her title as a candidate for empress consort. Afterward, she was sent to the family’s estate, where she began spending her days endlessly poring over the mysterious book, wondering if the future had changed.

‘…Still no change today.’

Even after seven long years, the book remained the same—no new pages, no glowing words, nothing.

‘I wonder if Lehan is doing well.’

Though she continued making preparations in case she had to flee, she was still able to live peacefully thanks to Lehan’s actions.

‘Father seems to have calmed down… Maybe now he can come back.’

One day, while lying in the study and reminiscing about her childhood, she was told that her father was looking for her. She headed to his office, only to hear an astonishing announcement.

“What did you say? I think I misheard…”

“I said I am now Marquess Brill.”

She looked around in disbelief. The head butler nodded with a pleased expression.

A Marquess? Who? In the book I read, he was Count Brill. Even the Emperor referred to us as Count and Countess Brill.

Reality had deviated from the book. In the book, her father was a Count. But now, he has been elevated to Marquess. Somewhere along the way, the future had started to change.

‘Could it be… has the future really changed? Maybe I won’t die after all?’

She dared to hope that the days of living under uncertain peace might be over. But the newly titled Marquess Brill soon broke that illusion.

“Also, a formal marriage proposal has arrived for you.”

“From whom…?”

At twenty-five, Edelis was not exactly in her prime for marriage proposals. With her scandalous fall from the empress consort candidacy, it seemed unlikely. However, as the only daughter of a Marquess, marriage to her would mean inheriting the title—so perhaps someone seeking social elevation had sent the offer.

“The Emperor has chosen you to be his Empress.”

“…The Emperor? That doesn’t make any sen—wait, what?!”

She had been nodding along, but her head stopped mid-motion.

‘No way. That doesn’t make any sense! Why would the Emperor want me?!’

Over a year ago, the current emperor had staged a coup. She’d been nervous at the time, but she was already far from the capital and removed from the marriage scene—she thought she was safe. Now, suddenly, she was to be the Empress?

“How does he even know me…?”

“I helped him when he raised his army. That’s how I became a Marquess.”

Wait, what did her father just say?

‘I’ve spent years feeling guilty over my father’s supposed rebellion… and it turns out, he actually did it? While I was alive and well?!’

She felt utterly betrayed.

‘All this time, I carried guilt over something that hadn’t even happened… and he was the one helping the rebellion?!’

But reality couldn’t be ignored forever, so she collected herself and asked her father calmly: “So… I’m just a candidate for Empress, right?”

But her father crushed that hope with a single sentence.

“There are no candidates. Only you.”

“You can’t be serious… I can’t do this!”

Her father gave her a complicated look.

‘This time, I really am going to die! Whether it’s as Empress or not—young Emperor, Empress bride… this is exactly like the book!’

Instead of diverging, the future was marching steadily toward her death. It no longer mattered whether her father was a Count or a Marquess. That happened after she died.

She was about to excuse herself and flee to her room when her father called out with a worried voice.

“Edel… I don’t want to send you away. I’d stay with you forever if I could.”

“…”

“But Edel, after I die… what will you do alone in this cruel world?”

She understood what he was afraid of. An unmarried woman was often treated with suspicion and scorn.

“That’s why… I want you to live a life where you are loved. Even after I’m gone.”

It was a heartfelt speech, but it didn’t move her. If she married, she wouldn’t be loved—she would die before her father even had the chance to pass.

So Edelis made a decision.

‘Father helped the rebellion and became a Marquess instead of a Count. That changes things.’

With her father now a war hero, she figured the Emperor wouldn’t dare harm her if she ran. He could always marry someone else for political reasons. It could work out for everyone: the Emperor strengthens ties with another house, her father keeps his title, and she gets to live quietly.

‘I need to escape. The sooner, the better.’

That night, as she was finishing her last preparations to run away, Lehan—whom she hadn’t seen in a long time—appeared before her.

“Lehan, I don’t want to be with the Emperor. I want to be with you.”

“You… want to be with me?”

“Yes.”

She answered his incredulous question with certainty. She didn’t want to be with someone powerful—she wanted to be with Lehan, just as he was.

“No matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll come for you.”

At his word, she agreed to rest before their long journey. Lehan waited until she had fallen asleep, then finally allowed himself to relax. He couldn’t bear to leave her side, but he couldn’t greet her wearing his current clothes either.

“Edel… my beloved Edelis. Sweet dreams. I’ll be back soon.”

He kissed her forehead, just like he had before he left.  

‘I’ve returned, Edel.’

As if hearing his heart, she smiled faintly in her sleep. He had to leave before she woke up. Forcing himself to step away, Lehan departed. By sunrise, he was ready. When someone asked him why he was in such a hurry, he only thought of how close he had come to losing her—and urged his horse on faster than any knight’s.

As he neared the estate, he saw her.

“Lehan!”

Edelis, uncaring of others’ eyes, threw her arms around his neck.

“My wife, Edelis. I’ve come to keep my promise. From now on, I will protect you.”

Shocked by his words, Edelis instinctively pushed him away. But Lehan didn’t let go—only a small space opened between them, and she was still wrapped in his arms.

“Wife…?”

Lehan’s smile turned bashful as he nodded. To call someone destined to be the Empress, wife… one would have to be either suicidal or the Emperor himself. The uniforms of the imperial knights kneeling respectfully around them made the truth clear.

‘Lehan is… the Emperor? But he’s supposed to be the one who kills me…?’

The Lehan she knew would protect her from the Emperor—not be him.

Still in disbelief, she asked him: “…Just to be sure.”

“Yes?”

Lehan smiled brightly and held her in his arms. He seemed oblivious to the storm raging in her head. She had to be certain.

“Lehan… are you… the Emperor?”

A few knights looked startled, but Edelis had no room to care.

‘No way. He can’t be. Lehan can’t be the Emperor, right?’

But his answer shattered her hope.

“Yes, my Edelis. May I call you Edel?”

“This isn’t the time for that! Are you really the Emperor?!”

Lehan, looking proud, nodded with a shy smile. Edelis felt like the blood was draining from her body.

‘No. This can’t be. Lehan… the one who stabs me and executes my father… is him?’

She couldn’t believe it. The one she trusted most—the one she leaned on—was… the Emperor.

“But… you were a commoner.”

“I’m not anymore. I’ve finally become someone worthy of you.”

How could a commoner become the Emperor? She couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“…Isn’t that a bit too high?”

“But only an Emperor could ever reach you.”

She remembered that the only marriage offer she received was to be the Empress Consort.

Still, who would think ‘I’ll become Emperor just to marry her’?! He could’ve stayed a commoner—he didn’t have to go that far!

The boy who had once been like a sweet little brother was now grown tall, his cute face now strikingly handsome. The change in him after seven years felt almost foreign. When she hesitated, Lehan’s face darkened.

“…Do you not want to marry me?”