Chapter 2.3

“Ahh, mmh.”

Slurp, suck, sip—stiff nipples were being vigorously sucked in a mouth. Even though no milk was coming out, he was more enthusiastic than a nursing child. While her right peak was teased by the tip of his tongue, her left peak was pinched between the man’s thick fingers and gently twisted. After being sucked on so much, just the gentle rolling of his tongue made her sensitive skin buzz. Just pursing his lips to suck hard and then releasing made her waist twitch and tremble.

He spread his tongue wide to circle her right areola, then crossed over the mound of her breast to lightly tap her left nipple with his teeth. The hardened peak bounced up defiantly. He rubbed the most protruding tip with the tip of his nose before pulling it strongly with his wet lips. An involuntary moan escaped.

“Mmh…”

With hazy eyes, I saw the man with his face buried in my chest. I glimpsed the black crown of his head. His Imperial Majesty had finally given in to his lust and was greedily claiming my breasts. Though his caresses were rougher than usual, I liked it this way. If he just rubbed the nub below a little, I felt like I would come right away.

Intoxicated by the pleasure he gave me, I moaned, and without realizing it, my hand drifted down to my sex. But just before my fingers could slip into the sticky, wet folds, my wrist was caught and pinned above my head. Mmph. A pained sigh escaped.

But the disappointment was brief. My curled toes were swallowed up by something wet and fleshy. Startled, I lifted my head and saw hair more radiant than gold beyond my foot.

“…Huh?” 

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, the crown of the head I saw below my foot also belonged to the Emperor. As I blinked in confusion, the man holding my wrist slipped his hand into my slack mouth and pressed down firmly on my tongue, keeping me from saying anything. With his dark-haired hand covering my entire face, it was hard to even lift my head.

While I flailed in confusion, the lips that had been sucking my toes had already slid to the inside of my thigh. His soft tongue slowly swept upward over my tightly closed folds. My folds gently parted to the sides, and my ripe flesh welcomed him. Just a brief touch of his tongue tip before it pulled away, yet tingling pleasure shot through my whole body. When he spread my labia wide with both hands, thick juices gushed out in a rush. That was when he hungrily pressed his tongue to me.

He stiffened his tongue and thrust it deep into my tight hole, then greedily sucked and swallowed my juices as if they were the water of life. When he tapped my inner walls with the tip of his tongue and rubbed my clit with his lips, I couldn’t help but cry out. The sound of liquid gulping down my throat mixed with the lewd slurping noises, echoing in my ears. Before I could even grasp what was happening, a wave of intense pleasure crashed over me. My sex clenched around his thick tongue, as if trying to devour it.

The men looked up at me at the same time, as if checking my limp state after climax. They had identical features but different hair and eye colors. To be precise, both had the Emperor’s face, but since there couldn’t be two Emperors, one of them had to be someone else.

So which one was actually the Emperor?

If the man with blond hair and blue eyes was the Emperor… then who was the man with black hair and red eyes?

As I blinked, looking back and forth between the two men with eyes that couldn’t hide my confusion, both of their eyes curved at exactly the same angle simultaneously. Goosebumps erupted across the back of my neck.

The black-haired man spoke first.

“Rose, don’t you know who I am?”

The blond-haired man licked his glistening lips with his tongue and asked in a tone devoid of any playfulness.

“Rosalyn, who would you prefer to have penetrate you first?”

“…Good God.”

I never thought I’d live to hear such an insane question.

I wanted to answer that I’d refuse both of them, but the root of my tongue was squeezed in the man’s grip as if being cut by scissors, making it impossible to say anything. So in the end, I had no choice at all. I barely managed to shake my head left and right to express my intent, when the black-haired man opened his crazy mouth.

“You want us to fuck you at the same time?”

The blond-haired man smirked.

“I knew Rosalyn was a pervert, but I didn’t know you had such tastes.”

“Mmph, mmmph.”

What are you saying, you crazy bastards.

Terrified and gasping for breath, I finally realized I was in a dream. Of course it had to be a dream—there were two emperors, after all. It was an obvious fact, but the realization came far too late. This was all because I’d been having vivid, erotic dreams that felt more real than reality itself all the time lately. Even knowing it was a dream didn’t make it any less bewildering. It wasn’t like I could wake myself up at will.

It seemed I’d have to endure two men who were identical not only in their handsome faces but also in their savage cocks until this dream finally ended.

The tongue between my neat teeth and lips felt painfully dry. Dry saliva slowly traveled down my throat like it was trying to calm my frantically pounding heart. Thick hands belonging to God knows who covered my eyes. A cock of unknown ownership pushed into my slick, loosened hole, stretching it to its limit. The pain felt like it was splitting my body in half, making my head snap back. Even in dreams, the first penetration was never easy.

“Ugh…”

With my eyes and mouth blocked, the sensation of the cock forcing its way through the narrow passage became even more vivid. It should have been fully inside by now, but like a snake burrowing into a cave, it seemed endless. My organs were pushed upward, cutting off my breath. It felt like it had reached below my navel, but there was no sign of the penetration stopping. An overwhelming fear of the unknown washed over me.

“Ahh…, ugh.”

As I instinctively flailed my arms, the man covering my eyes easily and gently stroked my cheek, as if to soothe and calm me. His hand felt cool against my flushed face, which only made it more frightening. It was useless to comfort myself by saying it was just a dream. The sensations I was experiencing were far too vivid for the idea of it being a dream to be anything but a lie.

“Huu…”

With a languid sigh, thud—the blunt flesh slammed against my perineum. The thick pelvic bone pressed firmly into my soft lower belly. The snake head buried beneath my skin writhed as if it might burst through the thin flesh at any moment. I couldn’t move at all. If I moved even slightly wrong—

“…!!”

Thwack—pleasure exploded like fireworks from the steady, measured thrust of his hips. If my tongue hadn’t been pinned down, I would have let out a shrill scream. My body throbbed as if heat blossomed all over me. Breathless moans burst out in rhythm with the consistent fucking, as if I’d been running a marathon. My heart, as if pierced by his cockhead, felt like it might burst at any moment.

A mocking question drifted down from above my head.

“Rose, whose cock is this?”

As if he had no intention of hearing an answer, the hand pressing down on my tongue applied more pressure. He swayed his hips like a stallion, thrusting up as if he might crush my climax completely. I couldn’t think of anything.

“Ah, ngh, mmh…, hah, nnh.”

Choked moans barely escaped from the sharp, drilling pleasure. Thap thap thap thap—each time our joining parts collided, my entire body convulsed as if an electric current ran through me at the peak of pleasure. The palm covering my eyelids was damp. It was from the fluids that had been flowing endlessly, both above and below.

But as if he had no intention of showing mercy for my condition—my thought circuits completely fried by pleasure—he pushed his cock and asked again.

“Why no answer? Don’t you even know whose cock you’re devouring so deliciously like this?”

I couldn’t tell if he was demanding an answer or just wanted to torment me. If his goal was to make my body burn with shame, his strategy was a success. My lower half had become even more sensitive, as if to prove his point.

“Mmnh, hah… Nnh, ah, aah!”

“What bastard is pounding into your pussy?”

After thrusting his cock in roughly for a while, he buried his cock deep as if trying to shove his balls inside too, then shook his hips rapidly. Finally given a moment to think, I gasped for breath and mulled over his question.

Who was the man currently pounding into me?

I don’t know. How could I possibly distinguish between two men who are identical from head to toe? One has blond hair and blue eyes, the other black hair and red eyes, but aside from that, there’s no difference between them.

No, if there’s just one thing…

“Rose, you’re so lewd. Spreading your legs for just anyone?”

One of the men calls me Rose. Just like Kai does. The problem is I can’t quite remember if it was the blond man or the black-haired one. Suddenly I wondered—does it even matter?

‘They’re both one person anyway.’

The words hit me like a revelation, snapping me back to awareness. Two as one. That was true enough, but somehow it felt like a new understanding. But before I could pursue that thought further, thwack, thwack—his massive cock mercilessly pounded into my inner walls. As if he was displeased that I was thinking about something else.

“Rose, remember this well.”

“Ngh…, hnngh,”

“The only one who can fuck your hole—your pussy—is me. Got it?”

“Ah, hng, ngh, ahh.”

My body shook frantically. The man positioned between my legs thrust his hips up in a trance, while the man covering my eyes used his free hand to tease my erect nipples, pinching them teasingly before sucking on them with wet slurping sounds. Trapped by both men, pleasure flooded my body from head to toe. Even the slightest touch to my least sensitive skin felt like it was directly stimulating my erogenous zones, and my sensitivity soared to its peak.

Panting heavily, I hung my tongue out and gasped like a dog for a long while before my body shuddered violently. Even as my shoulders curled inward and my chin tucked down, the hand covering my face refused to let go. Before the trembling in my pelvis had even subsided, the man moving above me let out a thick groan and dropped his head onto my chest. Sticky fluid warmed the inside of my lower abdomen. He came so much that just the stream of it made my cervix tremble.

He savored the sensation of my insides filled with his cum, rolling his hips, then lifted my ass slightly with one hand. Then he slowly thrust his cock deep inside me, as if pushing his semen further into my womb.

“Rose, you can’t spill a single drop.”

“Ugh, ah, hng…”

The thick semen seeping into my womb sent tremors through my lower belly. My vaginal walls, still not free from the afterglow of climax, bit down on his cock. He thrust back and forth, as if tearing himself free from the sticky inner walls that clung to him, letting out a throaty laugh.

“Your pussy’s practically begging me not to pull out. My cock tastes so good you don’t need his cock anymore, right?”

“Ha.”

A scoffing laugh came from above my head. The man covering my eyes seemed completely unaffected by the crude provocation. Even in the midst of this, a strange thought crossed my mind—the two are one anyway, so why are they fighting? It was a question I couldn’t understand myself.

“Rosalyn, just a moment.”

He whispered tenderly in my ear, then gripped my armpit with his other hand and pulled me upward. His cock, which had been wedged in tight like a puzzle piece, slowly withdrew with a creaking sound like a screw being turned. Soon, with a pop as his glans sprang free, thick fluid gushed out in clumps. The hand that had been gripping my waist lost its strength and slipped away.

My body flipped over just like that, my lower belly touching the soft surface. It was soft and cushioned—unlike the hard, rough body of the man. Even as my body was turned over, the hand covering my eyes remained in place. It was obvious that my face beneath his palm must be a complete mess. My tear-soaked lashes stuck to his palm with a wet sound before peeling away. The only thing that had changed was that my mouth was now free, but unfortunately, I currently lacked the ability to form words.

The second man’s touch was much gentler than the first man’s. But while his method of taking what he wanted was different, his purpose was the same. The polite speech was nothing but a facade—his coercive attitude was identical. Since they were the same person anyway, I couldn’t help but think so.

“It’s my turn now, so lift your ass up.”

He whispered lewdly in my ear as he raised my hips. My chest was pressed down while my buttocks rose like a mountain peak. The man let out a satisfied chuckle as he fitted his stiff tip into my wet hole.

“I’ll show you who owns Rosalyn’s pussy.”

Even though the hole had already been loosened once, perhaps because of the changed position, the initial entry was still not easy. He spread my buttocks apart as if splitting them in half, gently widening my hole with an up-and-down motion as he pushed his long, thick shaft inside. His fist-sized head seemed to catch near my tailbone before finding its way and sliding in smoothly. The fluid that had pooled inside gushed out of the hole with a loud, wet squelch. It might have been my imagination, but the penetration felt deeper than before. The cock thrust in at an angle seemed to push all the way up to my throat.

“Th-that, h-hh…, st-stop…”

I flailed my arms, groping desperately to grab hold of the man mounted behind me. My fingertips touched his rock-hard thighs. I tried to dig my nails in and grip the gap between his muscled thighs, but my hands kept losing their strength. His merciless cock was rammed in to the very root. Like a fish speared on a harpoon, my torso was pinned in place, and only the tips of my limbs twitched helplessly. I was terrified. I felt like my body might break apart. The pleasure that would soon wash over my entire body was just as frightening.

“Please, th-this… is… scary…, hh.”

“Yes, yes, Rosalyn. Good girl, shh.”

He savored my pitiful pleas, biting and gnawing at my neck. As his languid breath scattered against my skin, the rim of my ear trembled. Despite my fear, this man was overwhelmingly stimulating. His hands, which had been gripping my pelvis firmly, moved down to my sex. He caressed the mucous membranes that were stretched to their limit and screaming, then gently circled my swollen, engorged clitoris. Subtle pleasure spread through my inner walls like a heat haze. My inner walls, which had been stiffly rigid with tension, softened and relaxed. He stopped biting the rim of my ear with his lips and chuckled, his voice rumbling in his throat.

“Ah, how cute. Is it that delicious? Can you feel yourself biting down so tightly?”

I could feel it. My vaginal opening repeatedly contracted and relaxed in time with the stimulation to my clitoris. Fluid gushed from my cervix, pushing out the semen that had been filling me inside. He flashed a satisfied smile, then suddenly—thwack!—swung his hips into me like he was wielding a club.

“Haah!”

My neck snapped back as the stimulation struck me right at my peak. Below my navel buzzed and trembled, the sensation traveling all the way to my tailbone. He twisted my clit hard, almost as if pinching it, while thrusting deep and fast into my inner walls. Thud thud thud thud—my toes trembled violently and drool leaked from between my slack lips. I whimpered about being scared, but I didn’t even find it ridiculous, feeling everything with my whole body like a bitch in heat.

“Uh. Hak, unh, huk, eek!”

Beast-like moans burst out repeatedly. I was ashamed of myself, but I couldn’t stop. While the tireless stallion endlessly drove into me below, there was nothing I could do except feel the stimulation that threatened to make me lose my mind. He truly knew no limits. How much more would he have to mash my already crushed pussy before he’d be satisfied? Every time his cockhead pounded into my soft pussy like a pestle, the back of my head trembled violently. My lower back tingled as if a nerve-stimulating drug had been injected into my spine. It wouldn’t be strange if I went completely insane like this.

In the end, ah, I trembled convulsively in such intense pleasure that I couldn’t even let out the faintest breath. I couldn’t even count how many times I’d climaxed. Wave after wave of orgasm, each nearly reaching climax, crashed over me relentlessly. My sensitive pussy shriveled and spasmed endlessly. Without realizing it, I held my breath, then exhaled with a gasp as my face was pressed into the floor. Even when I removed the hand covering my eyes, I didn’t have the strength to open them.

“Ah, fuck, that’s so hot. Makes me jealous.”

But the men were disgustingly energetic. The first man, who had been quietly watching as the second fucked me, lifted my chin out of the bedding with both hands. Then he stuck his thumb between my teeth and pried my lower jaw open. The soft flesh tapped against my lower lip. The smell of cum hit me.

“Rose, suck mine too.”

Before I could even respond, he pried my teeth further apart and pushed the tip inside. My tongue was pressed down hard. A salty, fishy taste spread throughout my mouth. Yet despite being forced into fellatio, I felt strangely no resistance. If anything, the deeper his cock went, the more my lower belly writhed with mounting excitement. The man pounding me from behind grabbed my breasts with his slippery hands, massaging them. He fondled my nipples like he was circling my clit, whispering lasciviously in my ear.

“Rosalyn really is a pervert. Look how you need cocks filling you front and back to be satisfied.”

“Just greedy, uh, that’s all.”

“Mmph…”

My body was literally penetrated by two long, thick cocks. The men thrust their cocks deep into my mouth and pussy, then slowly moved their hips. It was a merciful gesture, as if giving me time to adjust. However, their patience didn’t last long. When the man with his cock in my mouth picked up the pace, the man with his cock in my pussy wasn’t about to be outdone and increased his speed as well. They pounded me competitively, making my skull reverberate. Lightning flashed behind my eyelids. The stimulation beyond my threshold threatened to make me lose my mind completely.

The ragged breathing of the men, the wet sounds of flesh slapping together and pulling apart, and my choked moans continued to swirl around in my head. I have no idea how many times they came either. When I regained consciousness again, the blond man was shoving his cock into my mouth while the dark-haired man, with me on my back, was thrusting into my pussy. After that, the two seemed to switch positions several times, but I can’t remember clearly. Even after they took off my blindfold, it was still the same.

“Mmm…”

I lost consciousness and then opened my eyes again. If this were a dream, I should have woken up by now, but this most dreamlike dream showed no signs of ending. Fortunately, when I came to this time, we weren’t in the middle of sex. My whole body felt soft and dry, as if I’d just been washed and dried off. The aftermath of intense sex left my lips and pussy tingling, but the pleasant drowsiness was stronger than that discomfort.

“Rose, are you awake?”

The blond man who had his arm around my shoulders spoke first. I think the dark-haired man had been speaking casually to me before, but now I couldn’t tell what was what anymore.

When I turned my head toward the blond man, the dark-haired man beside me gently turned my cheek back toward him. His red eyes curved into crescents.

“Rosalyn, are you awake?”

Ah, blonds are nice, but dark hair is definitely more my type. Honestly, even with the emperor’s features, dark hair suits him better than blond. Even though I clearly remembered that just moments ago these were the same men who ignored my cries and pleas to stop, doing as they pleased with me, my chest still trembled. That’s how terrifying personal preferences can be.

He lightly pressed his lips to my red, raw eyes and smiled softly. The hand around my waist slowly pulled me toward him. Not to be outdone, the blond man pressed himself against my back. The two men’s thick chests pressed heavily against my back and chest. Their cocks, already making their presence known, pressed firmly against my soft buttocks and lower belly. Don’t these men ever get tired? Goosebumps broke out all over my skin.

“Oh, let’s stop for today… Please, really stop.”

My brain was so overworked that my pronunciation was still slurred. They said they understood and took my hands, sharing them between themselves as they each kissed one of my pinky fingers. Of course, their compliant behavior was one thing, but their erections subsiding was another matter entirely.

The men who had been biting and sucking on my hands for a while moved their lips inward as if they’d made some agreement. Soft lips settled on the tender flesh inside my wrists and the protruding bone of my shoulder. Even these light kisses without sexual intent made my already sensitized body react keenly. When their lips touched my earlobes and cheeks, whimpering moans escaped me involuntarily. It tickled. My face, my chest, my lower belly—it was unbearably ticklish, as if feathers had been scattered inside my body.

With the continued kisses, heat bloomed even in areas their lips hadn’t touched. The area around my chest, covered in vivid bite marks, was red as if burned. Even my knees and toes felt the same.

“Ah, I like it, Rose. I like it so much.”

“Rosalyn, ha, it’s good, it’s so good I think I’m going crazy.”

A voice, intoxicated with excitement and cracking at the edges, swept over my ears like a caress. They licked, touched, and rubbed against me like bees frantically sucking nectar. The sensation of being rubbed from both sides wasn’t unpleasant. After all, they were one to begin with. Now that they’ve become two, is there really any reason to push them away? I realized how strange this train of thought was when I had been alternately kissing both men for quite some time.

After the blond man gently bit my lips, I asked him, as if entranced.

“Who are you?”

He asked back as if he’d been waiting for that question.

“Rosalyn, are you asking that now?”

He’d been speaking informally earlier, but now he was being formal again. Was he doing this on purpose? A strange sense of déjà vu made the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

The dark-haired man lifted his lips from where they’d been buried against my neck and whispered in my ear.

“Rose, who am I?”

“Who… are you?”

“Rosalyn, think about it yourself.”

Think about it myself?

Think…

‘Think…’

Unfortunately, my thoughts didn’t go any deeper than that.

A deep drowsiness washed over me.

***

There couldn’t be a more lewd dream in the world.

I slept deeply and woke up to morning. My body, wrapped in the blankets, felt fresh and dry, and brilliant morning sunlight was streaming into the house. Still lingering in the afterglow of the dream, I cast a hazy gaze out the window. The sky was unnecessarily clear.

‘There were two emperors.’

No. Was it one?

I tilted my head at the unsolved mystery. It’s not even wordplay. I wondered what foolish thoughts I was having, but it felt like solving this riddle would clear away the puzzling fog and bring relief.

But regardless of the mystery, the dream was…

…

“Ah, I don’t know.”

I cupped my burning red cheeks in my hands and shook my head vigorously. Just recalling a single scene from the dream made my lower belly throb. The pleasure that was instilled in me as if by brainwashing in the dream made me anticipate the sensation of penetration I’d never actually experienced.

If it felt this good even in a dream, how incredible would reality be?

Just having such thoughts made me feel like a beast consumed by lust, but my body, awakened to desire, was honest. Since my body was being honest, my mind quietly let go of reason. Some mage once said that humans are slaves to their hormones. Having experienced it myself, I couldn’t find a single flaw in that statement. Reason and emotion tucked their tails and vanished in the face of carnal desire. Only after lust had satisfied all its greed did reason and emotion quietly make themselves known again.

Just like right now.

“Today is the last day of our promised week.”

The last day, the last date.

If I can just endure the Emperor’s temptations today, I’ll be able to preserve both my chastity and my high-paying job. If I never get to see Kai again until I die, I’ll have to live like a nun in a convent for the rest of my life… but I have no other choice. I promised to love only Kai. Kai, not His Imperial Majesty.

‘Rose, you can’t forget me.’

That promise from over ten years ago feels as vivid as if it were yesterday. I must not betray Kai. Even if Kai betrays me, even if my time with the Emperor is sweet beyond measure, I belong to Kai. The resolve that wavered helplessly when I was with the Emperor found its firm footing again now that he was out of sight. This is why handsome men are dangerous.

“When did His Majesty leave?”

Looking around, the room sparkled and gleamed. At first I thought it was just the sunlight, but everything from the floor to the furniture had been polished to a mirror shine—the whole house gleamed. There was no trace of the broken flowerpot or the messy belongings that had been scattered about. It seemed His Majesty had personally cleaned the house.

I could hardly imagine the Emperor rolling up his sleeves to clean this old, shabby room. Being such a high-ranking person, he probably had never tidied anything other than his own desk. Or maybe he used magic.

‘Though he rarely uses magic for the most trivial things.’

Emperor Lucretia’s most important duty is supplying high-purity magical power to the heart of the Empire. Thanks to this magic, the Empire can maintain its advanced civilization and technology, and it’s no exaggeration to say the Empire would cease to function without the Emperor.

Because of this, the Emperor’s power is absolute. No matter how cunning the nobles may be, they wouldn’t dare dream of rebellion. There are no succession wars either. Whoever can channel magical power into the heart of the Empire is chosen as the next heir. Since the Empire’s founding, only one person per generation inherits the great power of the imperial bloodline.

And this is a top-secret fact known only to the Emperor’s closest confidants: the Emperor’s lifespan is determined by the amount of innate magical power they possess. Fortunately, the current Emperor, Kaiser Lucretia, has one of the greatest amounts of magical power among all past emperors, so it is unlikely His Majesty will die young. Still, he’s cautious about using his magic.

Whatever the case, seeing the cleaned house put me in a good mood. My body felt dry and fresh even though I hadn’t washed, which made it even better. It was a little bothersome to be completely naked, but fortunately, a robe was draped over the stool beside the bed, clearly meant for me. A top-quality robe with a soft, velvety texture. I had to admit the Emperor had good taste in gifts like this.

“Come to think of it, something smells good.”

The Emperor’s aftercare wasn’t limited to just bathing and cleaning. The dining table was set with my favorite pastries and cheese, an omelet, and fruit. This was a wonderful breakfast spread. Looking at the croissants, they seemed freshly baked today. If I’d stayed here, we could have had breakfast together before he left. I found myself curious about His Majesty’s intentions—doing housework like a fairy while I slept, then slipping away quietly. Fortunately, there was a note left on the table.

[Rosalyn, my love, did you sleep well? It was hard to leave you sleeping so peacefully, but I’m heading out first to prepare for our date. I’ll pick you up at 2 PM, so rest well and take your time.

P.S. If you’re wondering what dress to wear today, the one hanging on the chair would be a good choice.]

When I checked the chair on the opposite side, there hung the most risqué dress among all the ones His Imperial Majesty had gifted me. At first glance, it appeared modest with less skin showing, but it was designed so that if you untied the ribbons at the chest and waist, the dress would slip off without lifting a finger. It was a dress choice befitting the Emperor.

“Who does he think he’s fooling? I’m absolutely not wearing this dress.”

Despite the mischievous prank, instead of being annoyed, a deflated laugh escaped me. As much as I hated to admit it, it was cute. I must be seriously crazy too. Or perhaps, as the Emperor said, his perversion had rubbed off on me, making such pranks feel perfectly normal.

I threw open the windows wide and leisurely enjoyed my breakfast while feeling the gentle breeze. Splitting a croissant in half and filling it with brie cheese and apple jam was absolutely divine. Judging by the croissant’s perfect texture and rich buttery flavor, it was definitely made by the imperial palace patissier.

When I thought about how many people the Emperor must have bothered from early morning just to feed me a piece of bread, I felt a bit dizzy, but his thoughtfulness was endearing. The corners of my mouth kept creeping upward. It definitely wasn’t because of the Emperor—it was because the croissant was delicious. Or maybe it was because of the autumn breeze, as warm as a spring wind.

I easily polished off the croissant sandwich and picked up a second croissant. I was going to spread this one with pistachio cream and raspberry jam. With an excited heart, I started to split the croissant in half but suddenly lost strength in my hands. The half-torn croissant fell onto the plate, lying there all alone.

My gaze, which had been following the bread crumbs, drifted back up to the sky. The sky was still so clear it made my heart flutter restlessly.

“…Will I be able to refuse him properly?”

As my worries dragged on, my appetite completely disappeared. I paced around the narrow room in circles, trying to calm my anxious heart. The longer I thought, the more tangled my feelings became instead of sorting themselves out. Fragments of the dream conversation kept popping into my head, interrupting my train of thought.

‘Who are you?’

‘Think about it yourself.’

What exactly was I supposed to think about? Even when I tried to think about other things, my thought process kept going in circles, eventually settling back on the conversation from my dream. The more I mulled it over, the foggier my head became, even though I hadn’t been awake for long. It was like being under hypnosis.

Eventually unable to fight off the sleepiness, I walked toward the bed when a photograph carried by the wind lightly hooked onto my toe.

It was the man from my dream, with black hair and red eyes. I picked up the photo and muttered absentmindedly.

“Why is Kai’s photo here?”

I naturally assumed the man in the photo was Kai. Even though I hadn’t seen Kai since he became an adult, this man was undoubtedly Kai. No matter how much time had passed, there was no way I wouldn’t recognize Kai.

As I stared blankly at the photo, pieces of memory began fitting together one by one, and a lightning-like realization washed over me.

“Huh…? But this is His Imperial Majesty.”

A photo taken on the day I went to the Imperial Exhibition with him. I vividly remembered His Majesty personally tucking the photo into my cleavage. And yet I was confusing His Majesty with Kai. Something must be wrong with my head—

‘They’re one and the same anyway.’

Huh? Why am I thinking this again?

One and the same.

Who and who?

Huh?

Wh-what…???

***

‘According to plan.’

Kaiser Lucretia stood in the middle of the imperial garden, smiling with satisfaction.

“Your Majesty, I think it would be better to place the pink roses on the right side. What do you think?”

“Good. Do that.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Flowers brought in from the magical garden for Rosalyn beautifully adorned the imperial garden. It was the final day of the promised week, and the location for their last date. This was where Kaiser Lucretia would deliver his masterstroke.

He was confident he could capture Rosalyn’s heart here. Rosalyn Everhart had been drawn along by his plan all week. Of course, gradually reducing physical contact over the week had been torturous for him, too. He held himself back, held himself back, held himself back, held himself back, held himself back, and held himself back again. Remembering Rosalyn from yesterday made it all worthwhile.

‘Ah, Rosalyn.’

Last night, Rosalyn had been so… lewd. With eyes clouded by desire, she tugged at his sleeve and kissed him first. Her hungry tongue parted his lips and stole his breath. The pleasure made his scalp tingle. He literally lost his mind. If he hadn’t glued his shirt buttons shut, he might have completely lost control.

Even as excitement surged through her to the very tips of her hair, Rosalyn refused to allow the final step. She was saving her chastity for her lacking first love. Even that admirable devotion was good. Because Kai was Kaiser, and Kaiser was Kai. Of course, Rosalyn didn’t seem to realize this fact yet, but that didn’t matter.

Today, the damned archmage’s spell would be broken, and their grand love would bear fruit.

He trembled at the thought of kissing her in this very spot, exactly 8 hours and 32 minutes from now.

‘Ah, good, good, good, good.’

After today passed, he would hold back no longer. His gloomy, sadistic nature stiffly raised its head. If Rosalyn had disliked this side of him, he would have been confident in hiding it for the rest of his life. But he was a lucky man. Rosalyn’s tastes were just as perverse as his own.

He liked to torment, and Rosalyn liked being tormented. They were truly a match made in heaven. According to his magically confirmed experience, Rosalyn especially enjoyed coercive sex. When she cried and struggled, saying she didn’t want it, if he stopped and comforted her, she would become strangely sulky. Instead, she was only satisfied when he tormented her over and over until she reached climax. Their bodies were honest and perfectly compatible.

Ah, but how does he know all this when he hasn’t even had his first experience with her yet?

The formulas to explain this whole process were quite complicated… but anyway, this was the only way to break the spell cast on Rosalyn while avoiding the archmage’s notice. Love conquered magic. He intended to prove that primordial truth.

Since there’s only one chance in reality, he decided to run a kind of simulation using his immense magical power. The passionate relationship with Rosalyn was only a very small part of the hundreds or thousands of simulations he’d run. It absolutely wasn’t because he wanted to vividly feel sex with Rosalyn that he ran the simulations. Well, from a magical engineering perspective, there are many theories that simulations are actually real in other worlds… but what mattered to him was his relationship with Rosalyn in this world. That alone was the undeniable reality.

The cunning man used his characteristically sharp mind to send the memory of the sex that especially satisfied Rosalyn into her dreams. His magic was so strong that Rosalyn couldn’t recognize Kai and Kaiser as the same person. He had confessed to her countless times, “I am Kai,” but it was useless. So he had no choice but to give her hints so she could realize it herself. Dreams, in particular, were the most effective way to plant cracks deep within the unconscious.

This dawn was especially important. He gazed at Rosalyn dreaming in his arms and fell into momentary anguish. Even knowing he had to leave her behind, his feet wouldn’t move. He kissed her adorable lips, softly moving as if mumbling, and her slightly furrowed brow, then tidied the room with magic. He hummed to himself without thinking. So far, everything was going according to his plan.

The ship of fate sailed smoothly toward the only possibility for Rosalyn to realize that she and Kai were one and the same. It was an inevitable outcome. Rosalyn and he were born to love each other. No matter how much magic stood between them, they would ultimately claim their love.

The proof was that Rosalyn remembered Kai.

That lowly existence whom the Archmage had erased from the minds of every citizen in the empire.

Kai Evlit. Known as the bastard son of a maid in House Evlit, he was actually the illegitimate child of Count Evlit’s eldest daughter.

A child born from a night of folly between the previous emperor and Lady Evlit. The emperor, too drunk to remember what happened that night, didn’t believe Lady Evlit when she said she was pregnant with his child. Lady Evlit, who had a faithful fiancé, wanted to abort the child, but the count dissuaded her.

The reason was that the emperor and empress had been childless for several years. Lady Evlit eventually gave birth to the unwanted child. Naturally, she felt no affection for the baby. She abandoned the child and married her fiancé as if nothing had happened. Kai’s existence was kept strictly secret. Though Count Evlit informed the emperor of Kai’s existence, the emperor consistently ignored the count’s claims.

Shortly after Lady Evlit’s departure, the empress gave birth to a son. The birth of the legitimate prince meant that ‘Kai’s’ existence had become unnecessary. The count no longer had any reason to concern himself with that nuisance. No one cared for Kai, and no one called his name. Amid people’s indifference, Kai was gradually forgotten by everyone, until even his own awareness of his existence grew dim.

Moreover, even the name ‘Kai’ was something the count had given him, taken from the prince ‘Kaiser’s’ name. Strictly speaking, he had never once possessed anything of his own since birth. Parents, a name, even the joy of simply existing—none of these were ever his.

Except for the kind girl with brown hair and brown eyes he had met in the forest.

It was a day like any other when he was searching for a way to die. He sat with his head submerged in the spring, simply waiting for his breath to stop. Since no one wanted him, he thought it only logical to disappear from the world, but even dying wasn’t easy. He had eaten handfuls of poisonous plants, fallen from high places, and rolled through muddy swamps, yet his body remained strangely unharmed. It seemed as though some invisible force was pushing him away from death.

That day was no different. His face was swollen and throbbing with pain that felt like it might burst, but there was no sign of his breath stopping. He didn’t even seem to be breathing, yet somehow he was still alive. What meaning could such a life have if he couldn’t even die? Lost in thoughts rather philosophical for a seven-year-old—

“Are you okay? What are you doing?”

Rosalyn pulled him out of a loneliness more agonizing than death itself.

From that day, Rosalyn was his.

His, his fate, destined from the very beginning, a creation God made solely for him, his possession that no one else could covet. Born for him, breathing for him, his entire world and both beginning and end. Every strand of hair that fell and every scattered breath—all of it belonged to the boy who had nothing.

‘Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. The one and only bond that no one could steal away.’

Kai truly believed this with all his heart.

Foolish Rosalyn. If only she had pretended not to know him that day, she wouldn’t have gotten entangled with a pervert whose very nature was gloomy and sly. Unfortunately, the opportunity had passed. For the sin of saving Kai, Rosalyn was fated to take responsibility for him for the rest of her life. The only warmth left in Kai’s abandoned, trampled, and broken life was Rosalyn. Perhaps that was why Kai clung to Rosalyn so pathologically. He obsessed over her, depended on her, and yearned for her as if she were his entire world.

Any normal person would have run away from Kai long ago. But Rosalyn, who was just as crazy about him, accepted her fate of having no choice but to live as his other half as if it were only natural. She simply found even his twisted inner nature sweet.

Thus, the two of them became one like perfectly interlocking puzzle pieces made for each other, spending seven years together. Without each other, neither of their lives would have been complete. They were like a painting that could never be finished if even one piece was missing. That each moment they shared was precious as a miracle was so obvious it didn’t need to be spoken aloud.

They spent such happy times together, dreaming of the inevitable future that awaited them. Until that damned authority tore them apart.

The Emperor’s only son had died. Before that tragic news could spread throughout the empire, uninvited guests stormed into Count Evlit’s estate. They were the Archmage and the Imperial Guard.

“I was skeptical, but it’s real. I can sense the unique magical power of the imperial bloodline.”

Count Evlit rejoiced, thinking that if his forgotten daughter’s bastard child was recognized as a prince, his own wealth and power would grow even greater. Unfortunately, this was merely the prelude to misfortune.

The Archmage observed Kai’s appearance and Count Evlit’s attitude, easily piecing together what had transpired. Without hesitation, the cold-hearted Archmage eliminated Count Evlit. The official reason was his mistreatment of an imperial descendant, but the real reason was that the man’s very existence disgusted him. By the Archmage’s standards, this wasn’t unnecessary killing. Long-lived mages would readily agree—keeping alive those with ugly desires only breeds trouble.

To transform the bastard Kai into Prince ‘Kaiser,’ they would need to manipulate the memories of the entire empire. No matter how mighty imperial authority might be, having a bastard as heir was a significant flaw. The Emperor and the Archmage had no desire to leave a stain on the Lucretia imperial family.

The Archmage took Kai to the imperial palace and began by changing the color of his hair and eyes. This was to erase all traces of House Evlit and mark him with the symbols of the imperial family.

Kai seemed docile in the face of the suddenly reversed situation, but the Archmage remained deeply wary of this naive boy who had grown up in the countryside knowing nothing of the world.

Even after becoming a prince, the boy showed neither joy nor fear. He merely watched and observed the situation, taking a wait-and-see attitude. The Archmage saw through the cunning hidden beneath the boy’s composure. The next emperor won’t be easy to handle at all. This was the Archmage’s first assessment of Kai.

Despite the Archmage’s close surveillance, Kai managed to slip away from his watchful eyes several times to visit Rosalyn at Evlit Castle. However, under the spell’s influence, he couldn’t confide in Rosalyn about the changes in his circumstances. He etched each secret meeting into his heart with longing, never knowing which might be their last. He would rather not become emperor at all than lose Rosalyn. But the powerless boy had no other choice, so all that was permitted to him were feeble struggles.

The night before the Archmage cast a spell to erase ‘Kai’ from the memories of all imperial citizens and replace that information with details about ‘Kaiser,’ he used every ounce of magical power he possessed to brainwash Rosalyn.

If he did nothing, Rosalyn would forget him. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He firmly believed that if Rosalyn didn’t know him, he would no longer be ‘himself.’ Though they had to be separated for now, he firmly believed they were destined to meet again. So he had to leave a trace before being forgotten, along with a promise that he would definitely come back for her.

“Rosalyn, you will love only me, forever.”

It was a cruel imprint and bondage.

Nine years passed before he met Rosalyn again. It was after the emperor and empress had died in succession, and he had seized real power in the imperial palace.

But when he met Rosalyn again, she, sadly, didn’t recognize him. He would never forget that blank, adorable face as she sat in front of him, just munching on cookies. Even though he knew she couldn’t remember him because of the Archmage’s spell, he couldn’t help but feel twisted inside. The dark, brooding boy hidden beneath the mask of the nice Emperor Kaiser began to emerge. He wanted to tease Rosalyn, torment her, make her cry.

However, afraid that Rosalyn might leave if she didn’t recognize him, he had no choice but to put on the mask of a kind boss when dealing with her. He was delighted whenever she made a mistake, as it gave him a chance to play the generous supervisor. Even her ridiculous mistake of dipping her hair in tea was adorable to him. Honestly, that was a reward. He secretly wished she would steep her hair instead of tea bags every day, but he couldn’t possibly reveal such an absurd preference.

He tried to be satisfied with gradually growing closer to Rosalyn within the confines of their emperor-secretary relationship. The daily routine of dining with her under the pretense of overtime work, going on dates disguised as business trips, and sharing casual conversations was satisfying enough in its own way. While it was disappointing that he couldn’t hold her close and sleep with her every night, it was an extravagant luxury compared to the nearly ten years he had lived without her.

Moreover, Rosalyn was commendably uninterested in romance, let alone marriage. The palace elders, anxious that she might fall in love with the Emperor, proposed matchmaking arrangements to her, but she rejected every single proposal without a moment’s hesitation.

Her reason was that she had an unforgettable first love.

However, Rosalyn couldn’t even remember her first love’s name.

She simply called her first love her “first love.” She couldn’t provide any specific name. Or, she would often give a name entirely unrelated to Kai.

Still, he didn’t give up. He lived on in Rosalyn’s memory. That alone was miraculous. Love conquers magic. Every night he prayed, and every morning he tried casting various spells on Rosalyn, waiting for the day her memories would return.

And finally, love conquered magic. In Rosalyn’s third year working as the Emperor’s secretary, she remembered the name ‘Kai.’

He can never forget the euphoria of that day.

Rosalyn remembered Kai.

At last, she remembered.

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

Excitement surged all the way to the tips of his hair. He wanted nothing more than to devour Rosalyn’s lips right then and there, to pin her down beneath him, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t the right time yet. All Rosalyn remembered was merely Kai’s existence.

So he swore, that day was the first time he had ever splattered his cum on Rosalyn’s typewriter. He wanted to touch anything that bore traces of Rosalyn, anything at all. Her typewriter, which she tapped away at every day, caught his eye. Tap-tap-tap—imagining her fingers tapping against him like that…

He simply couldn’t stop himself. Even when he realized Rosalyn was approaching while he was masturbating, he deliberately made even more intense sounds to greet her.

In the end, she branded him as a hopeless pervert. He had no regrets. Even though he wore the shell of ‘Kaiser,’ Rosalyn was noticeably softer toward him. Her body remembered him—he was certain of it.

He trembled as he recalled the excited Rosalyn. Surprisingly, to others he appeared no different from his usual self—upright, neat, the same emperor as always. The only thing that betrayed his hidden excitement were his cheeks, flushed redder than pink roses.

The palace staff didn’t complain once, even though being called in for weekend duty could have been annoying.

After all, they were about to witness the proposal of the main character in the scandal that had set the palace ablaze these past few weeks. Who could possibly pass that up? It was a windfall, a complete windfall. Guaranteed gossip material for life. Long live civil servants.

In fact, as soon as today’s overtime schedule was announced, all palace staff gathered to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who would get the extra shift. Originally, only field staff were supposed to be assigned to this task, but everyone from pastry chefs to accounting clerks volunteered, making the competition incredibly fierce. Several who weren’t selected showed up anyway, volunteering their services without overtime pay. Actually, most of them did.

The emperor watched with satisfaction as the imperial garden was transformed into a rose-covered proposal venue, then climbed into his carriage. He was always flawlessly perfect, but today he was so dazzling that just looking at him could blind you.

So surely there wasn’t a woman anywhere in this world who would refuse the emperor’s proposal.

Everyone, including the emperor, was convinced of this.

Clatter, clatter—

The carriage carrying the emperor arrived in front of Rosalyn Everhart’s house. After today, he wouldn’t have to leave Rosalyn alone in this shabby, poorly secured home anymore. Rosalyn would stay in the emperor’s bedroom forever—as the empress of the empire.

For him, Rosalyn becoming empress was perfectly natural, but the elders vehemently opposed it. Their stated reason was that a woman from a humble noble family who had served as the emperor’s secretary did not have the status to become empress, but their true intentions were transparent. They wanted the emperor to marry someone from their own families.

Fortunately, the emerging bourgeois forces and palace elites who kept the elders in check supported Rosalyn. Their argument was that since the legitimacy of the Lucretia imperial family was solid, there was no need to bring in powerful maternal relatives. In that sense, Rosalyn was the perfect candidate for empress. She could also win the favor of the empire’s citizens with a destined romance narrative, making her ideal for becoming empress.

Given how the situation was unfolding, the elders’ opposition was meaningless. They were just making noise like empty cans. Bringing in a fake Kai to bewilder Rosalyn was the best they could do.

So if only Rosalyn would agree, an empress blessed by everyone (except the elders and a few nobles) would be born for the empire.

Of course, Rosalyn had no idea about any of these behind-the-scenes circumstances.

“Huu…”

The emperor arrived in front of Rosalyn’s house and let out a tense breath. His broad chest heaved, pulling his shirt buttons taut. For the record, he hadn’t applied any adhesive today. Wearing a shirt one size too small so the buttons would tear off wildly was just a bonus.

He cleared his throat with a soft “ahem” and tapped the door gently with the back of his hand. Hidden behind his back in his left hand was a small bouquet that would fit perfectly in Rosalyn’s arms. His anxious feet pressed firmly against the ground. This morning, when he’d left Rosalyn’s side, his feet had been so reluctant to move. But he needed to stay away from her for a while to give Rosalyn time to “think for herself.” However—

Knock knock.

“……”

Knock knock knock.

“……”

No matter how long he waited, Rosalyn didn’t come out. There wasn’t even a response asking him to wait a moment. Two o’clock in the afternoon. The time was exact. Rosalyn, who was usually punctual as clockwork, couldn’t have forgotten their appointment time. Maybe she’d stepped out somewhere briefly. Even though he knew a true gentleman should wait however long a lady needed to prepare, he almost mindlessly tore the door apart.

The longer the wait dragged on, the more the emperor’s anxiety mounted. Just thirty minutes ago, he’d been brimming with confidence that today would unfold exactly according to his plan. Now that confidence was plummeting straight down in spectacular fashion. It didn’t take long for Kai’s timidity to creep into the emperor’s once-relaxed expression.

He knocked harder on the door. At this rate, he was about to break through it. Bang bang bang. As he knocked, he shouted Rosalyn’s name loudly. Inside, it remained completely quiet, without a single sign of life. He wondered if she might be sleeping, but he couldn’t hear even the sound of her gentle breathing.

“Rosalyn, if you don’t answer by the count of three, I’m opening this door and coming in.”

Just thirty minutes after arriving at her door, the emperor’s patience had hit rock bottom. He used magic to instantly unlock the door and stepped inside, scanning the empty interior. The particular chill of a house long devoid of human warmth enveloped him. A hollow sigh scattered into the air.

“Hah… Rosalyn?”

Desperate, clutching at his last hope, he called Rosalyn’s name again and again. But all he found were a few strands of Rosalyn’s hair on the floor and a note left on the table. In the exact spot where he had left his note hours earlier, Rosalyn had left one of her own.

[I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I can’t betray Kai. Please don’t wait for me. I have to stay with Kai. Because Kai asked me to wait.]

His blue eyes trembled with confusion. This couldn’t be happening. Rosalyn couldn’t have run away from here. His hands, having lost all composure in an instant, trembled violently.

“Where did it all go wrong?”

Rosalyn should have obediently climbed into the carriage today, enjoyed their date, listened to the proposal speech he had prepared, and then willingly fallen into his arms. Rosalyn choosing Kaiser over Kai—that was the only way he had discovered after thousands of simulations to break the Grand Mage’s spell and achieve love. It wasn’t exactly an appealing method for him as both Kai and Kaiser, but if it meant he could be with Rosalyn, he could set aside the uneasiness in his heart.

But tragically, all the pain and patience he had endured to make this one method succeed had vanished like foam. Yet the emptiness from this failure was nothing compared to the agony of losing Rosalyn.

“I have to find Rosalyn somehow.”

The problem was that Rosalyn had escaped, evading all the surveillance the emperor had put in place. Which meant he had no idea where she had gone.

The emperor repeatedly muttered over the memo Rosalyn had left behind, then suddenly his eyes lit up. The implications of the disjointed, seemingly unhinged string of sentences were clear—at least to him.

“Ha, Rosalyn. My Rosalyn.”

He pressed an impatient kiss to the white memo paper and hurried away with quick steps.

He thought he might know where Rosalyn had gone.

***

The half-collapsed castle gate opened with a screaming creak. Damp mold and dust stung my nostrils. Rusted iron bars swayed in the wind, making a desolate sound.

At the entrance to the castle, long untouched by humans, weeds had grown knee-high. Ivy covered the castle walls in thick tangles.

I fearlessly stepped into the dark castle. The dust-covered floors, broken windows and stairs, sunlight streaming through twisted window frames—everything was strange yet eerily familiar.

This was Evlit Castle.

A place filled with memories of Kai and me—our sanctuary.

‘Why… am I here?’

My head felt foggy. I was sure I had been getting ready to go on a date with His Imperial Majesty. So why was I here at Evlit Castle, a full day’s train ride from the imperial palace?

Flash—sunlight reflected off a broken mirror, stabbing at my eyes. I unconsciously turned my head to look at the mirror. I saw an old woman wrapped in a shabby blanket. As I stumbled backward in shock, unfamiliar memories flooded into my mind.

‘Really? You want me to do old woman makeup instead of date makeup?’

‘Yes. Please make it so no one could possibly recognize me. Could you lend me some clothes too?’

Surprisingly, it seemed I had voluntarily requested the old woman disguise. I couldn’t remember the reason at all. I made my way confidently to the kitchen and turned on the faucet. Rusty water came out at first, then clear water followed. As the cold water touched my face, my dazed mind gradually cleared.

“I can’t believe the castle is still here, just as it was.”

Right after the Count Evlit family fell to ruin, our family had to leave Evlit Castle. I naturally assumed this castle would be gone too, but aside from being neglected, it remained exactly as it had been before.

Walking through the old castle, I was swept up in strange feelings. Every corner was filled with memories of Kai. There were overwhelmingly more memories with Kai than with my family members. It must have been because the time I spent with him was so much happier.

“That’s where Kai secretly hung on and then fell.”

Even as I chuckled and recalled those memories, my feet were walking somewhere as if bewitched. Whenever I came to my senses, I kept finding myself climbing stairs. When I reached the top floor, I could see my room’s door in the distance. My steps quickened.

Tap, tap. I practically ran across the hallway and grabbed the door handle. The door opened smoothly as if it had been oiled. I held my breath expecting dust to be thick in the air, but clean air poured over my face. Inside the room, a cozy warmth lingered, as if someone had just lit a fire.

A small, shabby room bearing the traces of time. However, unlike other parts of the castle, there were signs it had been cared for. It wasn’t spotless… it looked exactly as it had twelve years ago.

The old bed and desk, the bookshelf leaning to the left, and even the carpet with its faded pattern.

Maybe that’s why it felt like Kai might come through the window at any moment.

“Kai…”

I sat on the edge of the bed, gazing blankly at the window Kai used to climb through. If I kept waiting like this, it felt as if Kai would cross the years and come running to me just as he was.

Then I’d become a twelve-year-old girl again and give my one and only childhood friend a grand welcome. Without any resentment for him leaving me without a word, I’d greet him as if I’d been waiting for him here all along.

The autumn wind gently tapped at the tightly closed window. With a creak as the hinges scraped, the window slowly opened.

***

In that moment, golden hair more brilliant than sunlight fluttered softly. A massive silhouette squeezed through the narrow crack of the door and stepped into the room. I met his gaze—his blue eyes shone brighter than jewels.

I held my breath and watched the unbelievable scene unfold before me.

‘Kai.’

Just as I had wished, Kai was crossing through time to come to me.

His straight, sharp nose and the slightly melancholic eyes set beneath deeply carved brow bones were exactly as they had been in his boyhood, but his masculine jawline and Adam’s apple belonged to a grown man.

Slowly, deliberately, I closed and opened my eyes. Each time I closed them, I prayed that Kai wouldn’t disappear, and when I opened them again, I felt relief that my prayer had been answered.

Kai was still there, right before my eyes. It felt dreamlike and hazy, almost impossible to believe. Everything from coming to Evlit Castle to meeting Kai at just the right moment felt surreal. In the past few days, I had dreams more vivid than reality, which made it all feel even more surreal.

If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up. I wanted to live in this dream by any means necessary.

The golden-haired Kai approached me with a wistful smile. His eyes, trembling with joy, were brimming with moisture as if tears might spill at any moment. The skin around his eyes and his lips, flushed with heat, were just as red as they had been that day twelve years ago.

The last day we parted.

Back then, what had he said to me as he kissed me? He told me never to forget him. And something else too—

“This is my true form. You mustn’t forget it.”

“Really? This is your true form?”

“Someday I’ll come for you looking like this, so you have to recognize me.”

Ah, I returned to our nest to greet Kai, who has come to take me away like this.

A sudden revelation came over me. Come to think of it, Kai originally had black hair and red eyes. The color of his hair and eyes didn’t matter. Even if his hair and eye color changed dozens or hundreds of times, I would still recognize Kai.

“Kai.”

When I softly called his name, his eyebrows twitched. Soon his brow crumpled as if collapsing, and he collapsed to his knees. The man who had sunk down before me didn’t dare lift his beautiful face.

I hesitantly reached out and gently embraced his round head. Kai’s distinctive refreshing forest scent filled me deeply. Ah, it’s Kai. Finally, I truly felt that Kai was in my arms. My nose tingled. I didn’t want to cry, so I clenched my teeth.

He carefully wrapped his hands around my waist, and the most precious face in the world filled my vision. He was so beautiful that just looking at him made me feel like I might stop breathing. This perfect creation of God gazed at me as if I were the only one in the world and spoke sweetly to me.

“Rose, do you know who I am?”

“I know. You’re Kai.”

“How can this be… Ha. My hair color is different, you see. My eye color too.”

“That doesn’t matter. You’re Kai.”

A sigh filled with overwhelming emotion escaped me. His hands, which had been resting at my waist, traveled up my body to gently cup both my cheeks. He changed his tone as if to confirm and asked again.

“Rosalyn, do you truly know who I am?”

“Kai. Kaiser Lucretia.”

The words spilled out faster than I’d expected. I mulled over what had just left my mouth. It was the truth. Kai was the emperor, and the emperor was Kai. That simple, obvious logic finally settled naturally into place. The fact that I’d spent years with him without recognizing him seemed almost absurd now.

He quietly reached out and cupped my face in his hands. Drawn by his warm touch, my forehead met his. I could feel his breath so close. The longing I’d buried deep in my heart surged like waves.

How could I have failed to recognize someone I loved so deeply?

How could Kai have remained so unfazed when I didn’t recognize him?

My heart ached sharply as I imagined how disappointed and hurt he must have been. I was so sorry I could barely speak. But ever-gentle Kai, instead of reproaching me, was the first to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Rose. I made you wait too long.”

“No, no…”

There was so much I wanted to say, but few words I could actually voice. I shook my head hastily. Right now, I was simply grateful that he was here before me.

Kai, my one and only childhood friend and the love of my life.

Suddenly, the fog that had clouded my mind lifted in an instant. My blurry vision became crystal clear, and sounds became sharp and distinct, as if something had burst in my ears.

This isn’t a dream. I could finally be certain. Joy rippled in Kai’s blue eyes as if he’d gained the whole world. He choked out a hoarse voice.

“Rose, love conquered magic.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you later. Right now…”

His lips approached softly. Hot tears seeped between our sealed lips.