Chapter 1.4

“Mmm…”

Lips softer than silk wrapped snugly between my legs. The surface beneath me was excessively soft. Of course, the sofa in the office was soft too, but this was on another level. As far as I remember, a bed this soft…

“!!”

The moment I realized the situation, my eyes snapped wide open. Sure enough, the brilliant light of an ornate chandelier flickered right above me. I bolted upright, and the blanket slipped down smoothly, revealing my naked body. It seemed the perverted emperor had even stripped off my clothes before laying me in his bed. I looked around to at least smack his back, but no one was in sight. I was completely alone on the bed.

“Where… did he go?”

Looking at the clock, it was still work hours. It seemed I hadn’t slept through an entire day like last time. I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket and wandered the bedroom looking for my clothes, but my lower body felt strangely clean. I distinctly remembered feeling uncomfortably sticky when I fell asleep, but now I felt soft and dry, as if I’d been freshly washed and fluffed.

“……”

While I was grateful that someone had wiped away the bodily fluids splattered here and there, the thought of who might have touched my body made me feel dizzy all over again. Even though it was a body I’d already shown him completely, I still felt ashamed. My toes fidgeted, but I couldn’t bring myself to move forward. I covered my flushed face with both hands and sank down right where I stood.

“Ah… How did it come to this?”

I don’t know anymore. Just this morning before work, I was celebrating because I thought I’d found the perfect plan to tame that pervert and secure a peaceful work life. Perfect plan, my ass—it was the worst move I could have made. I may not be the brightest, but that pervert called the Emperor was always one step ahead of me. That made it even more infuriating.

‘Sorry, Kai.’

The more pleasure I felt while tangled up with the Emperor, the more guilt I felt toward Kai. Kai was all I had, yet the moment the Emperor touched me, my body heated up like some hidden switch had been flipped. Maybe I had a pervert mode too.

‘Kai, you know the body is only for a moment, but the heart lasts forever, right?’

I clutched the blanket to my chest and sent telepathic thoughts to Kai, who was alive somewhere out there. Of course, real telepathy is something only legendary mages can do, but sometimes a desperate heart works magic like a miracle.

Apart from feeling guilty toward Kai, the Emperor’s obsession was truly troublesome. It seemed like his feelings for me were genuine, though I had no idea how it came to that. The world was full of people prettier than me, smarter than me, from better families than me. Yet he had to fall for someone as utterly ordinary as myself. Maybe His Majesty should get his eyes checked.

Well, the hearts of those in power are as fickle as the wind, so I might just be a passing fancy to His Majesty. If he only wanted me for my body, that would actually be a relief…

‘You know I can’t live without Rosalyn.’

‘Rosalyn will always be by my side.’

That definitely didn’t seem to be the case. He was sincere. His face had been so desperate that it would prick my conscience to dismiss it as delusion or lies. That’s what made it all the more confusing. I wasn’t some amazing woman worth His Majesty clinging to, nor was I a good woman. I was just a foolish woman so hung up on a first love I hadn’t seen in over ten years that I’d decided to stay single. I couldn’t understand at all why he liked me.

And if he supposedly likes me, what’s with making me do perverted things…!

“Seriously, what a weird guy.”

No matter how much I racked my brain for ways to shake him off, nothing came to mind. It’s never easy for a woman who catches the eye of a powerful man to escape from him. Count Evlit had his way with whatever woman he wanted well into his sixties. Kai might even have been a bastard. And the Emperor? Even more so.

Up until now, I’d tried my best to find a reasonable solution by relying on His Majesty the Emperor’s (once decent) character, but that was no longer possible. It was obvious he wouldn’t accept my resignation letter. The only options left were quitting without notice and running away. But there wasn’t a single place in this vast empire beyond the Emperor’s reach, so a pathetic escape would only fuel his stubborn streak.

“What am I supposed to do…?”

While I was floundering, the bedroom door burst open. I locked eyes with a maid who was pushing a tray laden with food into the room. Unlike me, who stared wide-eyed like a rabbit, the maid smiled knowingly as if she’d already been aware of my presence.

“Lady Rosalyn, His Majesty instructed me to prepare your meal before you woke up. I apologize for being late.”

That’s really not something you need to apologize for…

With all the desperation of someone wanting to crawl into a mouse hole, I said earnestly to the maid.

“Um, could you maybe pretend you didn’t see anything today?”

“Of course. A palace maid’s lips are always sealed.”

“…….”

I was screwed. Really screwed.

That maid had probably been spreading news about me everywhere from the moment I entered the Emperor’s bedroom. For all I knew, everyone in the palace was already misunderstanding my relationship with His Majesty. If rumors spread that we were lovers, that would be a relief, but if word got out that I was his mistress… Just imagining it made me dizzy.

She gave me a cute wink and neatly set the food on the bedside table. The smell of food made my stomach growl reflexively. Humans really are slaves to their instincts.

“I’ll bring you some fresh clothes while you’re eating.”

“Yes… thank you.”

No wonder I didn’t have any clothes. It seemed they’d cleared away my original outfit and prepared a new dress instead. Still wrapped in the blanket, I shuffled over to the table and cautiously asked the maid.

“Do you happen to know when His Majesty brought me to his bedroom?”

“About three hours ago.”

“And when did His Majesty leave?”

“About two hours ago.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“He’s in his office. The Grand Mage came to visit after a long time.”

“Ah…”

That’s strange. The Grand Mage had never visited without prior notice before.

The maid’s eyebrows drooped downward. It seemed she’d interpreted my drawn-out response as something else entirely. Sure enough, she fed me an unfamiliar pastry while whispering like a sly courtier.

“You must be quite startled that His Majesty isn’t by your side. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon. His Majesty also seems to dislike being apart from you, Lady Rosalyn—he asked me several times to take good care of you.”

“…What else did he say?”

“Um… he told me to prepare clothes but absolutely not to prepare shoes. Maybe he has some shoes he wants to put on you himself?”

“…Ah.”

He was making sure I couldn’t run away.

I couldn’t help but smile at the maid’s innocent interpretation. After all, no one but me knew the dark, perverted true face behind His Majesty’s supposedly nice facade. The maids probably thought I was the luckiest woman in the world.

Having lost the will to escape, I decided to wait obediently for the Emperor. I was quite hungry, but my mouth felt dry and rough, so I could only eat pastries that melted in my mouth. Even in this situation, the new pastries were delicious. The generous dollop of pistachio cream was exactly to my taste. The palace patissier’s skills really were the best.

After eating just enough pastries to take the edge off my hunger, the maid I’d seen earlier came in wheeling a long clothing rack. I thought she’d bring just one outfit like last time, but this time there were one, two, three, four—there were already seven outfits in plain sight. Naturally, they were all high-end pieces.

The maid introduced each outfit one by one with an excited voice, as if she were receiving the clothing gifts herself. Detailed explanations followed about the designers, materials, and prices, but none of it registered in my ears. As someone who usually just stripped whatever outfit was on the mannequin when shopping, I couldn’t understand what made these clothes so amazing, but I could be certain of one thing. They would all look great on me. It seemed His Majesty the Emperor had as excellent an aesthetic sense as he had good looks.

Wait a minute, but why does he—a person who can pick out pretty clothes even for others—like me? Come to think of it, there had been rumors that since His Majesty’s ascension to the throne, everything from the palace uniforms to the horse saddles had become prettier. It seemed the Emperor just had unique taste when it came to women.

“Um… I just need to pick one of these dresses, right?”

The maid seemed not to understand what I meant, tilting her head in confusion for a while before suddenly bowing deeply and offering an apology.

“I apologize, Lady Rosalyn. I thought I had selected dresses suitable for today’s weather from among those His Majesty the Emperor prepared, but I’ll go choose different ones. Prettier ones.”

“…A-apologize? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Ah… I thought there weren’t any dresses to your liking…”

“N-not at all. I meant they’re all so pretty that I don’t know which one to choose.”

Only then did the maid lift her face with a bright expression and hold out the rack to me.

“You don’t need to choose. All of these are Lady Rosalyn’s dresses. This is just a portion—there’s actually a separate dressing room prepared just for you.”

“Pardon…?”

“It’s larger than His Majesty the Emperor’s dressing room and has even more dresses. Didn’t you know?”

“…No.”

How could I possibly know that?

The maid’s face looked just as bewildered as mine. She spent a while twisting her chin left and right as if pondering something deeply, then her eyes lit up as if she’d realized something.

“Ah, so that’s why he gave such orders…”

She muttered to herself as she pulled out a dress from the center of the rack. It was the complete opposite of what I usually wore—a dress with layers of lace and soft, fluttering fabric. The neckline was cut so low, I could already imagine the Emperor losing his mind if he saw me in it.

“How about this dress for now? It’s pretty and comfortable, and I think it would suit Lady Rosalyn’s image well.”

“Isn’t this kind of dress the opposite of my image?”

“Not at all! Miss Rosalyn, you’re lovely just by breathing. You may not be as dazzling as a summer rose, but you have the bright, fresh beauty of spring flowers. I’m sure everyone in the imperial palace thinks you become more beautiful the more they see you.”

My lips curled up unconsciously at the maid’s compliments. Though her flattery was a bit excessive, I was still a woman after all, so I couldn’t help but be weak to compliments about my looks. I obediently changed into the outfit she had recommended. Once I put it on, it wasn’t particularly scandalous. His Majesty gets turned on whenever he wants, no matter how modestly I dress, so clothes probably don’t matter much. The maid showered me with effusive praise after I changed, then left the bedroom saying she’d bring more pastries. But then—

Click.

Why was I hearing the sound of the door being locked from the outside? Did it even make sense for the Emperor’s bedroom door to have a structure that could be locked from the outside? The Grand Mage didn’t go so far as to change the position of the keyhole while he was here, did he?

I walked toward the door to check if it was really locked and cautiously reached out my hand. Click. Even when I pulled the door handle with force, the door wouldn’t open. Rattle rattle. No matter how many times I shook and pulled it, nothing changed.

“…Don’t tell me, did they actually lock me in?”

This is imprisonment, isn’t it?

 

***

 

“Your Majesty, that’s impossible. Magic is absolute. There can be no exceptions.”

The Grand Mage declared this as he slightly adjusted his monocle. His voice carried the confidence of someone who possessed the most powerful magical abilities in the entire world and believed he could never make a mistake.

However, the Emperor leisurely refuted his words.

“Rosalyn remembers Kai.”

The Grand Mage’s eyes widened in shock.

“That can’t be…”

“She hasn’t realized that I am Kai yet, though.”

He wiggled his toes for a while, then furrowed his brow sharply. His sharp gaze swept the arrogant Emperor from head to toe.

“You sly little brat. So you planted a suggestion before my magic activated.”

Grand Mage Ortel’s face looked young enough that one might believe he was the same age as the Emperor, but his actual age was about ten times that of the Emperor’s. Having seen eight emperors of the Lucretia Empire come and go, it’s no wonder he treats the current Emperor like a child.

 

***

 

A sly, twisted little brat—completely different on the inside than on the outside.

His innate magical power was among the strongest of all emperors in history, making him extremely exhausting to deal with.

Considering Kaiser’s upbringing, his warped nature wasn’t incomprehensible, but having such a stark difference between his inner and outer self was a fatal flaw. He was a ticking time bomb—there was no telling what he might do.

“Little brat, you caused a national crisis, and don’t even deny it. Now that the previous emperor and empress are dead, you think the world is yours, is that it?”

Even faced with the Grand Mage’s rude words and behavior, the Emperor didn’t bat an eye. He curved his eyes and lips into that detestable smile that made the Grand Mage’s skin crawl, then spoke with shameless insincerity.

“I don’t think the Grand Mage needs to worry about that. Since there have been no cracks so far, perhaps this is an exception granted only to Rosalyn.”

“Ha, what ridiculous nonsense.”

Purple flames flared in the Grand Mage’s eyes. He roughly ran his fingers through his silver hair and spoke with cutting sharpness.

“There are no exceptions to the Grand Mage’s magic. Even if you instinctively cast a suggestion back when you were too young to know better, I’ll bet my most precious crystal orb that such a suggestion could never work properly.”

“……”

“She remembers Kai but doesn’t know you are Kai? That’s how it will stay. Forever. Even if you openly reveal that you’re Kai, Rosalyn won’t believe you. Because my magic is far more powerful than your suggestion.”

“Is that so?”

“……”

“Just thinking about putting the Grand Mage’s crystal orb on my desk soon already puts me in a good mood.”

As the Emperor’s smile deepened, the Grand Mage’s face crumpled in fury. His whole body trembling with rage, he shook his head violently and shot up from his seat.

“Ugh, who do you take after? I won’t have any reason to visit the imperial palace for quite some time. And just so you know, there’s no method to restore only Rosalyn’s memories, so even if you become curious, don’t ask.”

“I never intended to ask. Rosalyn will recover her memories through the power of love.”

“……Ha.”

The Grand Mage’s already crumpled face twisted even further. Without so much as a farewell, he roughly opened the door and left the reception room.

‘I should check on Rosalyn’s condition.’

He was about to leave the unpleasant imperial palace immediately, but instead turned his steps toward where he could sense Rosalyn’s presence. The door was locked, but that wasn’t difficult to get past. With a full-body invisibility spell, there was no chance Rosalyn would discover him.

Upon entering the bedroom, he saw Rosalyn bustling about as if searching for something. She was always as lovely as an untainted wildflower. Which made it such a waste. Her soul was far too pure to be trapped in the bedroom of such a mad emperor.

‘Strange, the magic is properly in place. There’s no trace of suggestion either.’

No matter how strong the Emperor’s innate magical power might be, there was no way a half-hearted suggestion cast without proper training could have taken hold. Even expecting such a thing was unpleasant. From the Grand Mage’s perspective, it was tantamount to a statement mocking him.

The Grand Mage was about to leave, feeling relieved, when he suddenly recalled his master’s words.

‘True love sometimes conquers magic.’

It was nonsense not worth remembering. In all his centuries of life, he had never witnessed such a case even once.

‘Hmm……’

Lost in thought as he followed the busily moving Rosalyn, he discovered a secret space thick with the Emperor’s magical energy. He didn’t know what was inside, but the aura was so sinister and dirty that it seemed filled with things Rosalyn must not find. The Grand Mage’s lips curved in satisfaction.

‘I should give that sly little rascal a gift.’

“Rosalyn……”

After the Grand Mage left, the Emperor stared thoughtfully at the small desk behind the sofa. It was where Rosalyn should have been sitting. Of course, today’s conversation was top secret, so Rosalyn couldn’t be allowed to enter.

“She must be awake by now.”

Just thinking of Rosalyn wandering around his bedroom wearing the dress he’d given her made his lower body grow heavy. He hoped she wouldn’t leave the room. He had given orders to lock the door, but without any particular intention. He might not let her out today, but he did intend to send her home someday.

Someday.

He moved with leisurely, wide strides, then suddenly grinned wickedly. It was the exact opposite of the smile the world associated with Kaiser Lucretia—sly, lecherous, and sinister, a smile only Rosalyn knew.

 

***

 

How do I escape?

There isn’t one. There’s no escape route. The Emperor’s bedroom was a floor higher than his office, making it impossible to jump from the window. Human psychology really is strange. When I didn’t know the Emperor had locked me in, I hadn’t particularly wanted to escape, but the moment I confirmed the door was locked, I became unbearably desperate to run away. It seems humans and tree frogs are only a hair’s breadth apart.

“Well, even if there were secret passages in the bedroom, they’d probably be hidden by magic anyway.”

Once my thoughts reached that point, I finally gave up. The Emperor would have his own magical tools to use magic, but for me, that’s impossible. In every way, my escape attempt seemed futile.

I was about to resign myself to just waiting for the Emperor to return when…

Creak—

The sound of wood scraping came from the direction of the decorative bookshelf. My head turned instinctively. What had been an ordinary bookshelf just moments ago had transformed into a door, half-open.

“Huh?”

Why did a door appear? Did I touch something?

The sudden situation was a bit scary, but curiosity came first. I crept forward cautiously, stealthily looking around as I approached. I held onto the hope that it might be a secret passage.

Thump-thump, my heartbeat felt louder than ever. To avoid touching the door as much as possible, I slipped my shoulder through the gap first. Keeping one foot outside the door just in case, the moment I stuck my head in…

“…What the fuck.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. The curse slipped out involuntarily. If I’d known what kind of place this was, I wouldn’t have bothered looking.

Where I’d expected to find a secret passage, there was a secret room. On the walls of the rectangular room with no furniture…

My photos were plastered everywhere without a single gap.

Photos of me working, photos from business trips—I could understand those. But there were even photos taken at my parents’ house and from when I worked as a tutor.

“This one… looks like it’s from when I was fourteen.”

A hairstyle with hair neatly braided up. It was a style I often wore when I was fourteen or fifteen, trying not to look childish. We first met when I was twenty-one, so I have no idea how he got photos from this time period.

Goosebumps broke out all over my skin. I knew the Emperor’s obsession with me wasn’t normal, but this was beyond my imagination. The perfect, sacred, and noble Emperor that all imperial citizens looked up to was—when it came to me alone—a creepy obsessive perverted stalker. No one would believe this fact, which was enough to make me want to scream.

‘P-please spare me.’

I squeezed my eyes shut and slowly backed away. Just like when I first saw the Emperor masturbating, I decided to act like I hadn’t seen anything. This room was certainly shocking, but it wasn’t as much of a shock as that time. Fortunately, I wasn’t seeing it together with the Emperor, so I thought it would be easier to pretend it never happened.

Thud—

The moment the back of my head hit something hard, all my resolve vanished.

“Are you done looking around, Rosalyn?”

“……!”

It was like cold water had been poured over my head—I snapped back to my senses. Just as my stiff back was trying to inch away from him, he suddenly grabbed my waist. His excited breath brushed against my ear.

“It seems you’ve found my oasis.”

There wasn’t a hint of embarrassment in his low, shadowed voice. Anyone else would be flustered after having their secret room and creepy hobby exposed, but he was as brazen as ever. Then again, I suppose expecting shame from someone who openly masturbated during work hours is pointless.

“You caught me. How troublesome.”

His words were more deceitful than crocodile tears, sending a chill down my spine. Far from being troubled, he was clearly enjoying the situation—as if he’d been waiting for me to find this room all along.

He slowly pushed my body deeper into the secret room, leading me to the left wall where the most recent photos were displayed.

“So which photo do you like best?”

“……What?”

“The photos with our memories together are the best, don’t you think?”

When he peeled away a couple of photos, beneath the layers upon layers of pictures, I saw a photo of me sitting across from His Majesty—with his black hair and red eyes—in a café. His Majesty wore a sly smile while I glared at him with a pouty expression, but surprisingly, the atmosphere looked quite good. We looked like an ordinary couple.

When he lifted that photo, another appeared showing His Majesty and me walking around the Imperial Exhibition Hall together. My expression in that photo with him was so unfamiliar to me. My cheeks were flushed and I couldn’t take my eyes off him… I looked like a girl who had just fallen in love. I didn’t want to know or acknowledge such a fact, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn away from the truth right before my eyes.

“You’re beautiful every time I see you. Of course, Rosalyn is beautiful now too, but the Rosalyn from that day will never come back.”

He brought his lips close to the photo, almost but not quite kissing it, then tilted his head slightly to check my expression. Seeing me still staring at him with a dazed look, he smiled softly, his eyes crinkling.

“Rosalyn is so beautiful that I wanted to see you even when you weren’t by my side, so I started collecting photos and it ended up like this. I also had the greedy desire to preserve Rosalyn’s ever-changing appearance day by day. I couldn’t miss the photos from the time when I wasn’t by your side either.”

“…Oh.”

With that face, that smile, and saying such things, it’s unfair. His borderline perverted behavior was starting to seem oddly persuasive.

“Should I decorate Rosalyn’s room with my photos too?”

“…What?”

Seriously, what kind of logical leap is that?

“I have photos I secretly took to give to Rosalyn someday, thinking you might want them. I haven’t shown them to anyone else. I only want to show them to Rosalyn.”

The question “Do you happen to have any photos left of you with black hair and red eyes?” fluttered at the tip of my tongue. Honestly, I had been disappointed when His Majesty returned to blond hair in just one day, and if there were photos from that time, it seemed like it might ease that disappointment a little. At the same time, self-loathing washed over me as I realized that having such thoughts made me no better than a pervert.

“Oh, no, it’s fine.”

I declined cleanly, but His Majesty didn’t back down easily. He seemed to pierce through my thoughts as he searched deep into my eyes, then suddenly smirked slyly.

“Liar.”

“…?”

“I won’t be fooled by Rosalyn’s lies anymore.”

“L-lie? What are you talking about?”

“You want my photos, don’t you?”

He tapped his finger against his black-haired self in the photo. Embarrassed that my thoughts had been completely read, heat rushed to my face. He spun me around and hugged me, cupped my flushed cheeks, and kissed me as he pleased from my forehead down to my chin.

“If you keep doing—”

Smooch.

“—only the cutest things—”

Smooch, smooch, smooch.

“Are you going to keep doing this?”

Smooch, smoooch—.

“You’re trying to drive me crazy, aren’t you?”

Kisses rained down without giving me a chance to refuse. I pressed my clenched fists against his chest, pushing him away, but this level of resistance was utterly useless.

He bit and sucked on my lower lip as he felt along the wall and took down a photo. The rectangular picture showed his face, framed by black hair and red eyes.

“A gift.”

He whispered wickedly with his lips still pressed against mine, then gently pushed the photo into my cleavage, his fingers buried between my breasts, stirring my soft skin as he pressed the photo deep inside.

“If you like it, you can keep it here for life.”

“…Pervert.”

“Pervert? I meant keep it in your heart.”

The hand that had been wickedly behaving as if it might fondle my breasts at any moment moved quietly to wrap around my waist. He pulled me into his arms without leaving any gap, drawing me close with gentle force.

“Rosalyn.”

His voice calling my name was as sweet as sugar dissolved in water. Though his gaze was somewhat lewd, I could feel his overwhelming affection—he found me so beautiful he could die. Because of that, I didn’t feel much resistance. How strange. Just moments ago, I had been searching the entire bedroom trying to escape from him, and now here I was, quietly caught in his grasp. It’s all because of that face that clouds my judgment.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

When I answered obediently, the corners of his mouth curved into a gentle arc. His hair softly fell as he tilted his head back at a slight angle.

“Will you be my lover?”

My eyes widened at the sudden confession. The timing wasn’t surprising, but the straightforward content caught me off guard. And…

I felt a little excited. Enough to feel sorry for Kai.

I squeezed my eyelids shut and hung my head low. To protect my feelings for Kai, I couldn’t look at that bewitching face.

“…I can’t do that.”

“Because of Kai?”

“…Yes.”

“What’s so good about that idiot?”

“Idiots have their own charm, just as they are.”

“You didn’t say he’s not an idiot.”

Despite having his confession flatly rejected, the Emperor didn’t seem particularly upset. If anything, he looked pleased. He held me for a while, pressing his lips to the top of my head, then spoke as if something had occurred to him.

“Then let’s do this.”

“…?”

“Just spend one week with me.”

“What?”

“While you’re with me, if you’re the first to ask for it, then you’ll truly become my lover.”

“…”

Wanting to do it obviously meant that.

When I tilted my head as if asking for clarification about the object, His Majesty’s lips curved even more slyly. He moved only his mouth to give me a subtle hint. Insertion. Just as I’d expected.

“If you can withstand my temptation for one week, then go to that Kai fellow. I’ll let you go without a fuss.”

“Really?”

“But you can’t quit your position as my secretary. Even if you don’t become mine, I still want you by my side.”

“…Ah.”

It wasn’t a bad proposal. If His Majesty the Emperor, with his absolute power, wanted to take me by force, I wouldn’t be able to refuse him. The fact that he was giving me a way out was generous in itself.

And he said he’d let me go quietly as long as I didn’t say with my own mouth that I wanted to do it. I was quite confident about keeping my mouth shut, if nothing else. No matter how heated my body became, I wouldn’t be the first to throw myself at him. I’m a rational human being, after all.

I narrowed my eyes and asked the Emperor for confirmation.

“Could I get that notarized?”

“Rosalyn, don’t you trust me?”

“No.”

What an obvious thing to say.

The Emperor seemed not to remember his past actions, drooping his eyebrows sadly. Even his detestable expression was so handsome that my rising irritation cooled down. They say there’s no fighting when you marry a beautiful man. I guess this is why—it made perfect sense.

“Should I write up a contract stamped with the imperial seal?”

“That’s a good idea.”

When I immediately nodded, the Emperor chuckled softly. He pressed his lips to my eyelids like stamping a seal, then brushed my eyelashes with his soft skin. The tickling sensation made my eyes flutter involuntarily. He whispered in a voice tinged with laughter.

“With such a sensitive body, you think you can resist my temptation?”

“Mmm…”

As his lips slowly traced down along the bridge of my nose, his hands grew busy. He gripped my prominent buttocks firmly through my flowing clothes, then explored between my thighs.

“Well, fine. Rosalyn is my lover from this moment on.”

Before I could respond, moist flesh invaded my mouth. Contrary to his leisurely tone, his kiss was urgent and desperate. He rubbed his tongue frantically and stole my breath as if I might disappear at any moment. It was the roughest kiss we’d shared so far.

His teeth scraped against tender skin, and as he bit and chewed my lips, the metallic taste of blood seeped onto my tongue. The more his panting breath grew rough, the more his aroused body trembled. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gently curved my back to calm him. The kiss that had been rough like an excited beast became languid. His dilated pupils rippled like waves on the ocean. Humid heat shimmered like sea mist.

After lightly sucking on my lips with soft sounds, he barely parted his lips as if holding my breath and whispered.

“Rosalyn, I’ll give you a week you’ll never forget.”

The benevolent Emperor was satisfied with merely tasting my lips in that private room and quietly escorted me home. I had braced myself for the possibility of being unable to leave his bedroom today, but his restraint was surprisingly patient.

He was strangely well-behaved even inside the carriage. He simply fiddled with my hands while wearing a foolish, silly smile. Perhaps his foolishness was contagious, because I found myself blurting out something equally foolish.

“Do you really like me that much?”

“Yes. I wish time would stop just like this.”

His words, spoken without a moment’s hesitation and laying his heart completely bare, made my heart give a jolt.

‘Kai, do you like me that much?’

‘Yeah. I wish time would stop like this. So I could only see you.’

Indeed, His Majesty resembled Kai in some ways. Not just his face, but his words, actions, and even the look in his eyes were like Kai’s. I reassured myself with these thoughts.

His Majesty must have found my foolish question endearing, because he used the excuse of the carriage jolting to slyly pull me into his arms. In the past, he would have used that same excuse to slip his hands under my skirt, but now that we were lovers, his touches had somehow become more modest. He really was an unpredictable man.

Finding him somehow unfamiliar, I gazed up at his face, and he lowered his lips as if he’d been waiting for just that moment. Even his kiss was light, barely grazing my skin. A tickling warmth lingered where his skin had touched mine. It was both ticklish and tantalizing. Without thinking, I almost lifted my face to steal a kiss from his lips first.

‘…I must be going crazy.’

I hid my fidgeting fingers in the folds of my skirt and bit down hard on my innocent lips instead. My lips, already swollen from saliva, stung as they scraped against my sharp teeth. The man who hadn’t taken his eyes off me for even a moment put his finger to my lips, and I bit his finger. His coaxing voice was so tender it could melt me.

“Stop biting them. They’re already swollen.”

I tried to spit out his finger right away, but without realizing it, I bit down harder. As my tender teeth dug into his firm finger, his smile deepened.

“……”

This was bad. My heart kept racing on its own. The sound of my pounding heart rang louder than the carriage wheels.

This person isn’t Kai. He’s just the most handsome pervert in the world who happens to like me very much……

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Rosalyn.”

“Please don’t be so gentle with me.”

He silently stroked my head, then kissed the rounded back of my head. His lips slid down to my ear.

“Do you prefer naughty men over gentle ones?”

“That’s… not what I meant.”

“Today is the first day we became lovers, so just for today, I’ll remain a gentle lover.”

Finally, the mystery behind his uncharacteristic behavior was solved. I only half listened to his words, and as soon as we arrived home, I jumped out of the carriage.

 

***

 

Tap-

While changing clothes, a photo fell onto my foot. It showed a face with one eye playfully squinted and lips lazily pulled—an unnecessarily heart-fluttering expression. The golden-haired emperor is beautiful like a perfectly crafted jewel by a master artisan, but with black hair, he gains the rough and weighty charm unique to black, overflowing with masculinity. He also looks a bit more brooding and darker. Anyway, I’m glad the emperor returned to being blond.

I locked eyes with the man in the photo for a long while before abruptly flipping it over. The emperor only resembles Kai—he isn’t Kai. Even knowing this, my heart kept feeling unsettled.

“Kai, I’m sorry…”

Only when he completely disappeared from before my eyes did I finally come to my senses. The guilt I had buried deep in my heart suddenly reared its head.

I thought that, no matter what happened—even if I were torn apart—I would be Kai’s until the day I died. The guilt I felt was for letting that resolve waver. I had thought that if I couldn’t meet Kai again and continue our unfinished connection, it would be a hundred times better to live alone. Yet my firm determination had been shaken so easily. This was something I couldn’t have even imagined just a few weeks ago.

“I’ll get my head straight. So just turn a blind eye for this one week.”

This is the final trial to be with Kai. My body might momentarily succumb to the seductive emperor’s temptation, but my heart won’t waver.

No matter how tenderly the emperor acts, no matter how he continues his desperate confessions saying I’m the only one for him, no matter how he scatters my reason with that black hair and those red eyes that resemble Kai—I absolutely won’t be shaken from now on.

I steeled my resolve over and over throughout the evening. Since my body is frustratingly susceptible to His Majesty, I need to give myself harsh mental training to withstand his seduction.

I climbed into bed, imagining Kai’s face as if he were slipping under the covers with me…

A sinister chill.

“……?”

A suspicious presence brushed past the slightly open window along with a cool breeze. Mixed with the light sound of wind, the subtle rustling of fabric set me on edge. Feeling my spine stiffen with a chill, I reflexively sat up and stared at the gap in the window. It might have been my imagination, but at the same time, I could feel someone’s gaze from the darkness outside. The moment that creepy stare pierced through me, the back of my neck went rigid.

‘No way, right?’

My house is on the second floor, so it would be difficult for someone outside to peek into the window, but it wouldn’t be impossible if they used a ladder. I had thought this neighborhood had good security and that no crazy person would hide in the darkness to set up a ladder, but it seems I was being naive.

I steadied my breathing and stared at the gap in the window, then grabbed a handy tool and approached the window. However, contrary to my worries, there was nothing outside the window but a chilly breeze blowing. No one was there. Just then, I heard a meow from the terrace of the house across the way.

“…Was it a cat?”

Though it felt unsettling to dismiss it as just a cat, since no one was there, there was nothing more to suspect. I locked both the window and the front door more securely than usual and went to sleep.

“Good morning, Lady Rosalyn!”

“Lady Rosalyn, you look beautiful today as well.”

“Lady Rosalyn, what tea would you like to have today?”

“……”

The way people addressed me had changed. “Lady” Rosalyn, even. It wasn’t just the title—their tone had changed too. Should I call it subtly respectful? Or perhaps tinged with reverence? Whatever it was, word of what happened between His Majesty and me had undoubtedly spread throughout the palace. As expected, a discreet maid is like a non-fattening pastry: they don’t exist.

‘Why is everyone acting like this?’

No matter how much the rumors have spread, this reaction is excessive. It’s not like I married the Emperor and became Empress—we’re merely lovers, and if lovers break up, that’s the end of it, isn’t it? At this rate, it seemed like my work life would be difficult even after breaking up with the Emperor as planned. Unable to shake my uneasiness, I approached Elite, who was known for being especially loose-lipped, and spoke first.

“Could you tell me what kind of rumors about me are circulating within the palace?”

As soon as I opened my mouth, people flocked to me as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

“Lady Rosalyn, I heard you finally became lovers with His Majesty?”

“Huh? What I heard was that His Majesty proposed to you?”

“What?! Wasn’t the wedding date already set?”

“……”

It seemed the rumors had spread far more exaggerated than I had imagined. I quickly dampened their excitement.

“Those are all false rumors. His Majesty and I have no relationship whatsoever.”

“……”

“……”

“……Hmm.”

Despite my clear and deliberate articulation of my position, no one seemed convinced. The silent exchange of glances and rolling eyes was anything but ordinary. Sure enough—

“See, I told you she’d deny it at first.”

“Lady Rosalyn really can’t lie, can she?”

“Oh dear, things are going to get busy. Still, if it’s His Majesty the Emperor’s wedding, we’ll get quite the bonus, right?”

No one believed a word I said. This was absolutely maddening. Having lost the will to explain further, I quietly picked up my tea and headed to the office. Through the slightly open office door, I could hear soft chuckling—a pleased laugh seeping out. It seemed the Emperor had been watching this entire situation unfold.

“Good morning, Rosalyn.”

He was leaning against the doorframe, one hand covering his mouth. Between his spread fingers, I could see the gentle curve of his lips. His eyes, usually so sharp, now curved gently like a delicate crescent moon.

“You look pleased, Your Majesty.”

“Hardly.”

“How about changing your expression before you lie?”

“Come inside first, then we’ll argue. Unless you don’t mind that prickling feeling on the back of your head.”

“…Pardon?”

When I tilted my head slightly, the people who had been watching our exchange with interest all turned away in unison. I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped into the office. The Emperor followed behind me and closed the door. Naturally, he didn’t forget to lock it either.

I set the teapot and teacup down on the desk, then returned to my seat. His Majesty followed behind me like a chick trailing after a mother hen. He pushed the typewriter to one corner of the desk and perched in the center of the desk, as if he were the main task on today’s agenda.

His impudence was infuriating, so I pointlessly fiddled with the typewriter he had pushed aside. His Majesty watched my petty rebellion in silence before quietly calling my name.

“Rosalyn.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If you don’t look at me, I’m going to kiss you.”

I neatly pushed the typewriter away and lifted my head to look up at him. His golden hair, more radiant than the morning sunlight, framed perfect features that were twisted into a mischievous expression. His eyes sparkled with barely concealed playfulness.

Just meeting his gaze made my chest feel tight. It was hard to breathe, as if someone were pressing down forcefully on my chest.

“So.”

“…?”

“Why did you lie, Rosalyn?”

“What?”

“I heard everything—about how we’re nothing to each other.”

I let out a shallow breath and replied nonchalantly.

“We might break up in a week anyway. It’s to prevent chaos in the palace, so please understand, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…”

He tilted his chin, looking displeased. Even the strands of hair that fell slightly across his face in line with the tilt of his head were artistic. The glimmering locks added radiance to his beauty, making my vision swim.

“We’ll see about that.”

The Emperor pulled my chin toward him, gave me a light kiss, then smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth. It was an insufferably confident smile.

“…Hah.”

It looked like this week wouldn’t be easy.

 

***

 

His Majesty was truly relentless, anytime, anywhere. Really, he was no different from a dog in heat.

“Your Majesty, still… we need to work… nnh.”

“Rosalyn, if you’re going to turn me on, you need to take responsibility.”

“I never did that… mmh.”

It seems I have a talent for turning His Majesty on just by existing. While we were eating, he said my lips moving as I chewed turned him on, so he devoured my lips instead of his food. This morning, he claimed my typing fingers turned him on, so he sucked and bit all ten of my fingers until they were swollen and red before finally letting go. And just a moment ago—

Tap.

“Huh? Where did my pen go?”

“Rosalyn, did you drop your pen?”

“I think it rolled under the desk… Oh, no, I can find it myself.”

Despite my protests, his eager steps didn’t stop. Once he spots an excuse to get close to me, no one can stop him.

“I’ll find it for you. Just stay still.”

Despite his status as emperor of a nation, he readily dropped to his knees before me. His frame was so massive that even kneeling, his eye level wasn’t much different from mine as I sat in the chair. His face as he looked up at me was utterly devoted, like a dog hoping to be petted by its master. Though his brazen nature glinted deep in his eyes, this much I could overlook.

“You’re going to ask for a reward when you find it, aren’t you?”

“I won’t deny it.”

“You’re really shameless.”

No matter how much I scolded him, the emperor didn’t so much as ruffle a single eyelash. His dark eyebrows tilted at a roguish angle. He was in a good mood right now. Very much so.

Smooch, smooch. After pressing his lips to both my knees as if making a knight’s oath, he wedged his head under the desk. To think I’d witness His Imperial Majesty crawling around like a dog. It was a sight one could only witness if an empire were conquered or a throne usurped.

The feeling was strange. I never thought he’d treat his own knees so lightly just to pick up a pen. Of course, the pen was just an excuse—his actions were filled with a deeper intent—but it didn’t change the fact that the emperor knelt before me.

“I can’t find it. Maybe it’s over here.”

After rummaging under the desk for a while, he suddenly removed my shoe and pressed his lips to the top of my right foot. I’d expected him to at least find the pen before asking for his reward, but it seemed he’d never intended to look for it in the first place. Thud. One of my shoes fell onto the carpet and rolled beside the chair. At the same time, my big toe was sucked into his wet mouth.

“Y-Your Majesty… m-my toes are dirty…, ah.”

He sucked on my toe like a lollipop, then tickled between my toes with the tip of his tongue. His ravenous breath heated my foot. The ticklish sensation made my toes curl involuntarily.

“What did you put on Rosalyn’s skin that makes it taste like this? Chew.” 

“Stop… ah, this is so… strange.”

His thick tongue burrowed between my toes as if penetrating them. He parted the hollow crevices with the tip of his tongue and then drove his crimson tongue deep to the very base of my toes. His tongue moving in and out between my toes was unbearably lascivious, like a rigid cock. Even knowing this was a vulgar act I’d never seen or heard of before, I couldn’t look away.

After violating each space between my toes in turn, he gently lifted my skirt and slid his lips upward. The bridge of his nose was mashed against my sole before rising again along my ankle bone. As his face, hidden behind my foot, gradually drew closer, a slight shiver ran down my lower back.

From shin to knee, from knee to the inside of my thigh, kisses followed, nibbling at my flesh little by little. Before I knew it, His Majesty had positioned himself between my legs, biting down on the tender flesh while looking up at me lasciviously. His lips, dripping with lust, lingered sensually.

“No matter how much I search, I can’t find a pen.”

“Your Majesty, uh, you keep looking in strange places…”

Ignoring my protest, he pushed his veined hand between my thighs.

“I suppose I’ll have to search much deeper.”

His hand slid down beneath my bottom, rubbing and kneading my sweat-soaked underwear, then hooked his fingers like claws to gently peel away the thin fabric. The cloth slipped off smoothly without a single snag, catching between my knees. With a flick of his fingers, he tore the fabric apart, then buried his head under my skirt. His tongue, stiff and spread wide, slipped inside and licked up the tender flesh in one swift motion.

“Ahh.”

“Look how wet you are.”

“Mmh…”

“You filled yourself up, waiting for me to suck it all out, didn’t you?”

Slurp, slurp—intimate sounds leaked from inside my bunched-up skirt. Not being able to see his face made the way his tongue lapped at me like a starved dog feel even more raw and explicit. He stirred my twitching entrance with his tongue, rubbed my clit with the tip of his nose, then lifted his tongue to poke at my soft inner walls, making desperate moans escape my lips.

“Mmph, mmph, hah, uh…”

The burning arousal smoldered and swelled without bursting. Just a little more, more, more—if he stimulated me harder, I felt like I would reach climax, but it seemed the cunning Emperor wanted to see me desperate.

Unable to bear the teasing sensation, I bucked my hips, and he chuckled against my pussy, his lips still pressed there. His tickling breath teased my entrance, making my waist tremble uncontrollably. His tongue, which had been thrust deep inside, slowly withdrew while tracing along my inner folds.

“Oh, it’s not here either.”

He sighed as if disappointed and lifted his face above my skirt. Unlike me, flushed with excitement, he was annoyingly composed. He looked like he could return to his desk and start working without any problem. I was the one left desperate instead.

Not wanting to show my frustration, I closed my legs and pushed him away with my toes. My sensitive pussy twitched, seeking the stimulation he provided, but I forced myself to ignore it when—

“How cute. Look at you playing coy.”

His face rose above me as my left leg draped over his shoulder. Between my spread thighs, his thick shaft pressed forward. The head of his cock, touching my twitching entrance, throbbed as if it would penetrate my inner walls at any moment.

“Hah, mmh…”

“You’re so desperate to eat cock.”