Chapter 1.2

“His Imperial Majesty is such a wonderful boss.”

Rosalyn flashed the same radiant smile she always gave with that response. From his corner in the pantry, James, the Emperor’s direct aide, let out a pitiful sigh as he watched the scene unfold.

As of today, His Majesty has managed zero confessions and ninety-nine rejections. It seemed he’d soon reach a hundred rejections.

Sure enough, the Emperor, who had been eavesdropping on Rosalyn’s answer from outside the door, ran his fingers through his hair with the expression of a man whose world had just collapsed. Even his dejected look was a work of art. Enough to make even another man admire him.

‘If I’d been born with that face, I probably wouldn’t have to suffer heartbreak over women.’

People’s lives are diverse, and what they want varies greatly, but the Emperor’s taste was truly something else. He had dozens of women who would take off their underwear and rush to him if he so much as glanced their way, yet here he was, pining after a single woman who had no interest in him. Honestly, it was hard to understand his approach.

Well, there was something undeniably special about the beauty of Rosalyn Everhart, the woman who was the sole recipient of the Emperor’s affection. Even her ordinary brown hair and brown eyes seemed extraordinary. Her radiant smile, which complemented her translucently pale skin, was more than enough to make many men’s hearts flutter.

Honestly, if the Emperor hadn’t been so blatantly marking his territory, every eligible bachelor in the palace would have been courting Rosalyn. From the buff palace guards to the brilliant accountants, there wasn’t a man who didn’t drool over her. The palace was known for having an abundance of beautiful women, but Rosalyn stood in a league of her own.

How should I put it? Rosalyn had this unique aura that stirred up the fluttery excitement of first love. Just watching her made your heart feel all tingly—she made you want to protect her and tease her at the same time. Of course, James had already given up on those feelings long ago, which was how he managed to keep his high-paying job. If the Emperor caught even a hint of impure thoughts about her, it was straight to unemployment. That’s why the palace was always overflowing with new hires.

Today, as always, His Majesty was hiding in blind spots, carefully scrutinizing the gazes of any staff members looking at Rosalyn. His aides, well aware of his obsessive nature, had tucked themselves into the most inconspicuous corners possible to avoid being noticed.

“Hey, is this the 98th time?”

“No, the 99th.”

“Ugh, I really hope he doesn’t make it to 100.”

The aides, well aware of the Emperor’s unrequited love, were desperately hoping his romance would finally succeed. Only then would His Majesty maintain normal working hours. He spent all daylight hours with Rosalyn, then started working once she left for the day, which meant the aides were guaranteed to work the graveyard shift every single time. Today, Rosalyn came to work, so we’re clocking out.

They’d heard somewhere that this kind of day-night reversal increased your chances of developing serious illnesses. They really wanted His Majesty and Rosalyn to get married so they could live normal lives—going home when the sun set. Though honestly, quitting seemed more likely to happen first.

Amazingly, two days later, James and the aides’ wish became reality.

Rosalyn emerged from the Emperor’s bedroom at the start of work hours and boarded the carriage home.

And she was wearing the dress the Emperor had pressed famous designers to specially make for her.

“James, did you see that?”

“I saw it. That’s the dress, right?”

“Yeah. Wow… Did His Majesty finally pull it off?”

“…Looks like it. That’s pretty impressive, huh?”

They took to heart the lesson that if a tree doesn’t fall after ten strikes, you should try a hundred, and happily boarded the carriage home.

Just thinking that this weary lifestyle might soon be over made their steps lighter than ever.

 

***

 

The next day, I went to work out of habit, my brain half switched off, and headed for the break room. I grabbed whatever tea bags were within reach and tossed them into the teapot. It crossed my mind that it was a bizarre mix, but whatever—let that perverted Emperor drink whatever tea comes his way. A petty sense of revenge bubbled up inside me.

‘Sigh… Will I be able to leave work safely today?’

As the tea steeped, my worries piled up, but today, of all days, everyone came up to me with bright, beaming faces.

“Rosalyn, what kind of tea is it today?”

“…Oh, um, bellflower blueberry cinnamon tea.”

“Oh my, what a wonderful choice. Rosalyn, you have such unique taste.”

“…Th-thank you?”

Really? Was that actually a wonderful choice? Is there any way to change it to a terrible choice even now?

“Rosalyn, your skin is absolutely glowing today. Did something good happen?”

“…Not at all.”

Quite the opposite, actually.

“Rosalyn! I heard the news. Congratulations! I’m rooting for you!”

“…Huh?”

What exactly are you congratulating me for?

I’d only been in the break room for ten minutes, but over ten strange incidents had already occurred. This was definitely not normal. It had to be a preview of the grueling day ahead.

I steeled myself and threw open the office door. Today, if the Emperor started spouting nonsense about being in heat, I was fully prepared to give him a swift kick between the legs…

“Rosalyn, did you rest well?”

“Yes.”

“Are you hurt anywhere? If you need more magical recovery potions…”

“I don’t need any.”

“No. You look tired, so don’t work and just rest. Lie down on the sofa and head home when it’s time to leave.”

The Emperor was whimpering and hovering around me like a dog trying to read its owner’s mood after causing trouble.

His desperate tail-wagging to avoid being hated was rather pitiful, but I couldn’t let my guard down. There was no telling when he might turn into a pervert again and take off my clothes and grope my chest.

I sat properly in my chair and politely declined the Emperor’s suggestion, adding a stiff, courteous smile for good measure.

“I’ll work. Please give me something to do.”

“…Rosalyn.”

The puppy ears attached to his brilliant golden hair drooped listlessly. He blinked his dewy eyes and, like an innocent boy about to rush off to confession for having a wet dream, opened his mouth to speak.

“Are you still angry with me?”

His utterly deceptive words were truly absurd, but his face was forgiving all sins. Even God probably would.

However, I had no choice but to be cold to him, if only to prevent another unfortunate incident from happening again.

“I’m not angry.”

“…!”

“I’m just… a little disappointed.”

“Rosalyn…?”

I really had no idea that those words would be such a devastating blow to the Emperor.

The smile that had been painted like a picture on his thick-skinned face disappeared. His always upright back drooped like he’d turned into some kind of invertebrate, and a gloomy dark purple aura settled in a radius of about three feet around him. The same words kept spilling from his pale lips over and over again.

“Disappointed… you say you’re disappointed?”

“…”

If I can’t be disappointed in someone who secretly ejaculated on my typewriter, what am I supposed to feel?

The urge to give him a piece of my mind rose all the way to my throat, but as always, I swallowed down the words I wanted to say. However, unlike me maintaining a polite silence, His Majesty wouldn’t stop running his mouth. From the looks of it, he didn’t even seem to know what he was saying.

“Hah… Rosalyn is disappointed in me… disappointed… disap… pointed…”

“…”

Watching him sing his disappointment song all day long until sunset nearly made my heart soften. Who would have thought His Majesty the Emperor, always so confident and nice, had this side to him? I thought he was just a dual-personality pervert, but now he’s got a third gloomy personality too—he really has every kind of personality.

‘He’s starting to remind me a little of Kai.’

…

…

…No. That’s wrong thinking. Get it together, Rosalyn!

I quickly shook my head to erase the thought that had suddenly popped up. But once an idea took hold in my mind, it wasn’t easily dismissed.

‘Why do I keep thinking of Kai every time His Majesty does something weird?’

I came up with the answer easily enough. Because Kai was a gloomy nutcase. He’d probably grown up to be a first-rate pervert by now, so it wasn’t strange to think of Kai when seeing a gloomy pervert. Besides, Kai and the Emperor had one more thing in common.

Their faces were so beautiful that they could make you forget all their personality flaws. They still had beauty to spare.

Kai’s face was usually hidden behind his messy black hair, so you can’t see it clearly most of the time, but when you brushed his hair back, you could see his gem-like true features. The day I first saw his face, his beauty was so magnificent that I thought I should hide him away in a cabin where no one could find him and never let him cut his hair for the rest of his life.

Now that I think about it, His Majesty and Kai do seem quite similar… but they have different hair and eye colors, so they’re completely different people. Besides, Kai was the illegitimate child of a count’s maid and wasn’t even treated like a human being, so how could someone like that possibly have any connection to the Emperor?

Anyway, maybe because I’d found so many pointless similarities between the Emperor and Kai, my heart felt restless. I felt like a seven-year-old child who had accidentally discovered an adult secret they didn’t want to know.

I left His Majesty, who had half-melted away, and bolted out of the office the moment it hit six o’clock. His Majesty didn’t try to stop me or even say, “See you tomorrow.”

 

***

 

“Rosalyn, good morning.”

“G-good morning, Your Majesty.”

The pride and treasure of the Lucretia Empire—and its greatest pervert—had gone limp like a mollusk from shock the previous day, but fortunately returned to his usual self the next day.

All traces of his creepy, perverted self had vanished, and he was back to being the respectable emperor.

I was truly overjoyed. So overjoyed that I secretly dabbed away tears in the bathroom.

Right, people sometimes go crazy in life. There might be times when you want to go crazy. Of course, the level of his craziness was excessive, but considering the income that’s ten times what I made as a tutor, I could let it slide as if it never happened. I am, after all, the head of House Everhart.

I regained my energy and threw myself into work more enthusiastically than ever. Thanks to that, I didn’t make a single mistake for an entire week. It was perfect except for tripping over the carpet and spilling about a pot of tea.

Clack, clackety-clack-clack-.

I still got flashbacks to that day whenever I heard the typing sounds, but this much was bearable. Rather…

‘Rosalyn, I like you.’

Whenever the emperor’s confession, which I’d heard in that hazy state, came to mind, my chest would strangely prickle. The nanny who had once been in charge of my sex education at House Everhart once said: a man’s words before ejaculation could all be lies, but a man’s words after ejaculation are real.

The nanny was the wisest person I knew, so her words couldn’t be wrong… Still, it was hard to believe the words of a pervert whose dick had taken over his brain.

Today, after wrapping up work feeling refreshed as usual, I was waiting to catch the shuttle carriage when one of the palace elders with an impressive seagull-shaped mustache approached me.

“Miss Rosalyn. It’s been a while.”

“Oh my, Count McCollin, how have you been?”

“I’ve been well thanks to Miss Rosalyn’s hard work.”

“What hard work did I…?”

“Ahem, hmm. Never mind that. If you’re heading home from work, please take my carriage. I’ll escort you straight to your house.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

I would have preferred to avoid commuting home with my elderly superior, but I couldn’t refuse. I climbed into his carriage with a pleasant smile on my face.

He kept up trivial conversation until we left the palace, then changed the subject as soon as we passed through the palace gates, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

“Miss Rosalyn, I heard you’re still single. Would it be alright if this old man arranged a match for you?”

“Ah… I…”

“Oh, are you seeing someone?”

“It’s not that, but…”

I was about to give my usual excuse about having no interest in marriage and being a career woman who’d dedicate her life to work when Kai suddenly flashed before my eyes, and I spoke honestly instead.

“Actually, there’s someone I’m waiting for.”

“Someone you’re waiting for—do you mean you’re engaged?”

“It’s not like that… A childhood friend from when I was little. I thought I’d be able to find them once I came to the capital, but it’s not been easy.”

The old man’s eyes widened as if they might pop out of his head as he listened to my story. He slapped his thick hand against his thigh with a loud smack, then chattered away in an oddly excited tone.

“Miss Rosalyn, do you know what this old man’s nickname is?”

“What… what is it?”

“The palace detective. I’m good at finding people, and I’m good at finding affairs… I mean, ahem, well, anyway, I’ll solve your problem for you, Miss Rosalyn.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m saying I’ll find that young man named Kai for you.”

“Really?!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and asked Count McCollin several times to confirm. Count McCollin chuckled heartily and repeatedly reassured me that it wouldn’t be difficult.

“If you just tell me his name, age, appearance, and where he’s from, it won’t be hard at all.”

“His name is Kai, he’s twenty-six this year, he has black hair and red eyes, and he was the illegitimate son of a maid from the Evlit family. So he doesn’t have a surname.”

“Hmm, the information is a bit limited, but with such distinctive features, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find him. Just give me a little time.”

“My goodness… How can I ever repay this kindness…”

“Kindness? Just having you there, Miss Rosalyn, is something I’m always grateful for.”

“Thank you so much, Count!”

It was the first time since coming to the capital that my words of gratitude came from the depths of my heart with such genuine feeling.

I was so happy that my legs gave out, and as soon as I got home, I flopped down on the floor. Even with bruises on my knees, I was happy.

To think that I’ll be able to see Kai!

I was incredibly proud of myself for not submitting my resignation letter despite all the hardships I’d endured. I went to bed without even being able to calm my pounding heart.

Somehow, I felt like I was going to dream about Kai.

 

***

 

“Good morning, Rosalyn.”

“Good morning! Your Imperial Majesty!”

“Your voice is particularly bright today. Did something good happen?”

“…Oh, no. It’s the same as always, you know.”

It’s a lie. This is why having a perceptive emperor is troublesome. To figure out that something good happened to me just from hearing my greeting—but when I caught sight of my goofy expression reflected in the window, I had to admit that I’d failed to manage my expression.

Still, what could I do? Today I was in such a good mood that I couldn’t maintain my poker face.

‘I’ll be able to see Kai tomorrow.’

Count McCollin had promised to find Kai, and in just one week, he’d tracked down Kai’s whereabouts. Apparently, he’d pulled him out of some gambling den by the southern coast—a perfectly believable situation for Kai to be in.

My parents had earnestly warned me never to support a gambling addict, but since my life was already covered in so many burdens, one more big burden wouldn’t make much difference. And I could guarantee that Kai was too timid to gamble big anyway. I could afford to give him enough pocket money for that level of gambling for the rest of his life.

The count handled everything swiftly, bringing Kai to the capital in just a week. I heard that today he’s getting all cleaned up to meet me, so tomorrow I’ll finally see how much Kai has grown.

Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart pounded so hard I couldn’t focus on work. Ever since I started working at such a young age, I’d never felt like this before. Unable to concentrate, I just fidgeted with my fingers, and the emperor quietly approached my desk.

As always, he perched on the edge of my desk, tilting his head as he looked down at me and started a conversation.

“Rosalyn, tomorrow is your day off.”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Today, his gaze and tone felt oddly chilly. I could sense an indescribable pressure, and my already slightly hunched shoulders shrank even more. I felt guilty for no reason, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“What are your plans for your day off?”

…Why do you want to know that? Isn’t it a crime for a boss to snoop into their employee’s private life?

I swallowed the rebellious words that had risen to my throat and gave a standard answer instead.

“On my day off, I’m just going to rest and do nothing.”

The emperor’s eyebrow tilted. The friendly smile that usually lingered at the corners of his mouth had long since vanished.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, of course. I won’t even step outside my house.”

The lie slipped out before I realized it. I regretted it right away, but it was already too late.

The emperor’s blue eyes darkened. He stared silently into my eyes, then quietly parted his lips.

“I’ll trust you.”

“……”

“If that’s a lie…”

“……”

“Be prepared.”

What, for what? Why me?

The atmosphere around the emperor was far too menacing to voice my thoughts so bluntly. I could sense a different kind of personality writhing beneath that perfect facade—something different from the kind of creepiness I’d sensed before. Just meeting his eyes sent chills down my spine, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Overwhelmed by his intimidating presence, I had no choice but to meekly nod my head.

“Y-yes… yes…”

“Good.”

Only then did His Majesty smile sweetly, his eyes crinkling as he stepped away from my desk.

He seemed to be in a good mood until I left work. Sometimes he even hummed little tunes while tapping his feet.

‘Why is he acting like that…?’

He’s scary when he’s in a bad mood, but he’s even scarier when he’s in a good mood. It’s gotten worse lately since I can never predict what he’ll do next.

As soon as the 6 o’clock bell rang, I announced I was leaving, and the emperor let me go without any fuss. The moment I stepped out of his office, all thoughts of the emperor vanished completely, and my mind filled entirely with thoughts of Kai.

 

***

 

12 o’clock. The famous brunch cafe at 23 Park Street.

I woke up at 5 AM and double-checked the time and location of our meeting. Even though the day I’d finally see Kai had arrived, it still didn’t feel real. Despite waking up two hours earlier than usual, my eyes were bright and alert. With seven whole hours left until our appointment, my heart was already racing like crazy, making my chest ache.

‘What should I talk about when we meet? Should I suggest we get married right away? What if he doesn’t like me anymore? What if he’s completely forgotten his promise to love me forever?’

Until yesterday, I’d been so overwhelmed with joy at the thought of seeing Kai again that I hadn’t worried about anything else. But now that morning had come, realistic concerns flooded my mind.

I was ready to love Kai just as he was, no matter what he looked like or what state he was in. But thinking that he might not feel the same way made my mood plummet.

‘I need to look as pretty as possible.’

These days, they say many women captivate men with wit and ability, but since I had neither, I had to at least put effort into my appearance. As soon as I realized this fact, I jumped up and dusted off my vanity table that had been shoved into a corner.

I usually don’t wear makeup because I’m not very dexterous, but today was an exception. I picked up a brush, determined to muster even the strength I had as a baby to create the best face possible…

“…Oh no, this is a disaster.”

Sure enough, a catastrophe had struck my face. Everything from my eyebrows to my lips was mismatched. At this level, asymmetry was practically a talent. That wasn’t all. I’d definitely applied a lot of foundation, but my entire face looked yellowish, and despite drawing my eyeliner thick, my eyes seemed even smaller than before.

“Amazing. How did this even happen?”

Fortunately, my aesthetic sense wasn’t completely dead—I still had enough ability to recognize that my makeup was a disaster. I was sprawled there in despair, wondering what on earth I should do, when the landlady happened to knock on my door. I threw shame to the wind and flung the door open.

“Ma’am, what’s the matter?”

“I brought some delicious fruit, so… AHHHHH!”

Startled by the sight of me, the landlady threw the figs she was holding up into the air. The soft, ripe figs crashed to the floor and splattered into an unsightly mess. But the landlady seemed completely oblivious to the figs.

“Ma’am, the figs…”

“Are you seriously worried about fruit right now? Your face is the problem here.”

“…”

“Oh dear, how did such a pretty young lady end up like this?”

“Is, is it really that bad?”

“Did you look in a mirror?”

“I did.”

“Then why are you even asking?”

“…Ah.”

I was speechless.

The landlady peered at my face with her brow deeply furrowed, like a fruit vendor trying to figure out how to salvage bruised produce.

“How on earth did this happen?”

“Well, I’m meeting my first love after a long time… and since it’s my first date, I didn’t know how to do my makeup…”

“Oh my, oh my. What would have happened if I hadn’t stopped by to check on you?”

The landlady thumped her chest in exasperation. The genuine concern that comes from the meddlesome nature of truly kindhearted people was naturally conveyed.

“I suppose it makes sense—a smart young lady who works at the palace would be like this. You’ve been too busy studying to learn how to dress up, haven’t you?”

“Uh… um… yes…”

I didn’t bother correcting her misunderstanding and promptly said yes. The truth was that I was just hopelessly clumsy with my hands, but I was too embarrassed to admit that outright.

“Miss, just wait a moment. I’ll call my daughter over. She may not be good at studying, but she has real talent when it comes to makeup. The difference between her before and after makeup is so dramatic that even I’m amazed.”

“Huh? It’s really okay though…”

“Well, I’m not okay with it. Don’t go anywhere—just wait right here!”

“Yup!”

A short while later, the landlady and her daughter returned with a fruit basket filled with cosmetics and a curling iron. Her daughter looked at my face, her eyes lighting up with determination. Throughout the entire makeup process, she chattered endlessly with comments that could have been either compliments or nagging.

If she had my face, she would have dolled herself up every night and gone out to charm every handsome man in sight. She also offered practical advice, like telling me my skin was so pale there wasn’t a foundation to match, so I should just skip base makeup altogether.

After finishing my makeup and hair, they rummaged through my closet without permission. Then they clicked their tongues and shook their heads in unison.

“Mom, I knew this would happen. This girl only has boring clothes.”

“She works at the imperial palace, so that’s why.”

“Still, this is pretty bad. As for clothes to wear on a date… oh, there’s one. Wow, this lace is really high quality! And the color would look great on her, too.”

“Miss, wear this one. The other clothes are no good at all.”

The dress they pulled out was the one I’d changed into and left the Emperor’s bedroom wearing that day. Even I had to admit there wasn’t really anything else suitable to wear, but… if the Emperor ever found out about this, I’d be in serious trouble.

‘Prepare yourself.’

His voice echoed in my ears like a hallucination, making my whole body tremble. I’d been trying to avoid this particular dress because I was worried about the Emperor’s reaction, but before I knew it, I was already wearing it.

The landlady and her daughter stood me—their masterpiece, the result of two hours of work—in front of the mirror, clapping their hands and squealing with excitement.

“Mom, this is the greatest work of my life.”

“That’s right! Now I feel so relieved. If you go to work looking like this, you could even seduce His Imperial Majesty.”

“……”

Ma’am, why would you say something so scary?

The moment I heard “His Imperial Majesty,” my heart plummeted. If His Majesty were to see me like this… I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to even imagine it.

But their excitement wasn’t an exaggeration. Even though it didn’t look like I was wearing heavy makeup, I looked much prettier. This must be what they call bridal makeup or something like that. My pink lips looked dewy and moist, and my face was as radiant as cherry blossoms on a spring day—honestly, even I thought I looked pretty. If I had the money, I’d want to hire her daughter for life and beg her to make me look like this every morning.

“Thank you both so much. I’ll definitely repay this kindness someday.”

After repeatedly thanking them, I left home two hours earlier than the scheduled meeting time. While walking to Park Street, an unusually large number of people asked me for directions today. It’s not easy to get lost in this area, but it seemed like a lot of directionally challenged people had gathered here today.

So by the time I reached the meeting place, it was almost time for the appointment. I was really glad I had left early.