Chapter 103

“Um… Evan? Are you okay?”

 

His face was as red as someone with a high fever, and he was making little groaning noises, which made me worry that something was seriously wrong.

 

“Am I okay? How could I possibly be okay…?”

 

“Huh…?”

 

“You’ve clearly made up your mind to kill me today….”

 

“What…? No, I haven’t?”

 

“And to give me a confession like that in a place like this…. You’re cruel….”

 

Evan removed his hands from his face, revealing eyes that were bloodshot. He suddenly lunged forward and pulled me into a tight embrace. Suddenly finding myself hugged like a teddy bear, I blinked blankly.

 

“Um… Evan? So, your answer is….”

 

I wanted an answer. However, the thumping of his heart reaching my ears was faster than any words from his mouth. It told me that my worries had been utterly useless.

 

‘…It’s the same as mine….’

 

Evan’s heart, beating so loudly it made my own body vibrate, expressed his overwhelming joy without fail.

 

“Thank you so much…. I’ll make you happy for the rest of my life.”

 

It was just like that time. The time I first received a confession from Evan.

 

“You’ve always been the same, Evan.”

 

“…Of course. I’ve been dreaming of this ever since the moment I asked you to be my fiancée.”

 

“I guess I said it too late….”

 

At Evan’s mention of things from the distant past, I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

 

“That’s not true.”

 

With those words, Evan left a small kiss on my forehead.

 

“There are too many people around, so I’ll stop here for today. I’ll formally visit the mansion tomorrow. I’m willing to get down on both knees if it’s for a marriage with Lep. Ah, I really hope they give us their blessing….”

 

His usual calm and playful personality had vanished; Evan had turned into a restless puppy. He couldn’t hide his joy, holding my waist tight and nuzzling his face into my neck.

 

Even if it was a ballroom party, we were far too close. And we weren’t even in a corner. I could feel the people passing by constantly glancing our way.

 

“Evan, let go now.”

 

“No. Just a little longer.”

 

Unable to resist Evan’s strangely thick voice any further, I awkwardly wrapped my arms around his head. A strange tickling sensation washed over my entire body, and a wave of heat enveloped me.

 

“It feels like I made you cry….”

 

“You did. You made me cry, Lep.”

 

His bloodshot eyes didn’t settle down easily. This man, who had once insisted we must dance at the ball, now put dancing on the back burner and poured out a waterfall of questions about when we should get married and how I wanted it to be.

 

“But everyone is dancing, and we came here to dance…. We couldn’t dance three years ago.”

 

“You remembered that?”

 

“You made it so obvious how disappointed you were. You said it was your lifelong wish….”

 

Evan’s face brightened, seemingly happy that I remembered. It was already bright enough, but it seemed to glow more and more as time went on.

 

‘Ugh…! My eyes…!’

 

I felt like I might turn into dust and blow away from the holy radiance. I hurriedly looked around. I wasn’t the only one dazed by Evan’s smile. Everyone was staring at him. Moreover, the lingering tear tracks at the corners of his eyes made him look more pathetic yet made his smile even more beautiful. I grabbed Evan’s cheeks and pulled him toward me. It’s okay. I’ve built up enough mental fortitude over the years.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Stay still! Other people can’t take their eyes off you. Do something about that face!”

 

“Hmm…? What’s wrong with my face?”

 

As he tilted his head with an innocent look, the heads of the people trying to get a better look at Evan’s face turned right along with him.

 

“This won’t do. Let’s hurry up and dance and go home. Honestly, why are there so many people eyeing you, Evan?”

 

“…I think that includes people showing interest in you as well, Lep.”

 

Evan and I began to dance. Warmth was transmitted through our touching hands and the sight of Evan’s face right before my eyes.

 

‘Should I invite Evan to the house today…?’

 

It would be just as Evan said: tearing up the annulment papers he gave me and confessing again.

 

“Evan, do you want to come over to my place?”

 

“…Wouldn’t it be better to spend the night somewhere other than the mansion?”

 

Among the young ladies who became adults after the party, it was quite common to spend the night with a young man they were interested in or their fiancé, as if enjoying a final act of rebellion. I understood the meaning behind Evan’s words, and my face turned bright red. His sparkling, amethyst-like eyes had grown dark.

 

“D-don’t tease me!”

 

“You don’t want to today? That’s a shame….”

 

“B-be quiet! You think I don’t know you’re joking?”

 

“You’ll never know how much I want to announce as soon as possible that Lep is completely mine….”

 

I hit Evan’s shoulder mercilessly.

 

“Careful.”

 

I stood still, horrified by Evan’s words mid-dance, and almost collided with someone else beside us. Evan quickly pulled me tight by the waist and spun around. I ended up falling helplessly into his arms. I had been held by Evan many times, but it felt strange now. We had talked about marriage and even about spending the night!

 

‘Get away! You dirty thoughts!’

 

Without realizing it, I thought of Evan lying in bed, patting the spot next to him, and I shook my head violently.

 

Suddenly, the surroundings became chaotic.

 

“Fi… Fire!!”

 

“Fire? There’s a fire?”

 

The atmosphere of the people enjoying the party changed abruptly. At the sound of a fire, the area became a scene of absolute chaos in an instant.

 

“Every single thing is so bothersome.”

 

Evan, who had been holding me tenderly in his arms, looked up. The people in the hall were in a great uproar. Looking out the window, I could see black smoke in the distance. Accidents happened occasionally, but a fire…

 

The location of the fire was quite a distance from the hall where the ball was being held, so it didn’t seem like we were in immediate danger, but I thought it would be better to leave just in case. Several people were already heading out of the hall.

 

“Let’s go back, too.”

 

“Let’s.”

 

“I’ll take you home….”

 

“No! It’s fine! It’s very late. You go straight back to your mansion, too, Evan.”

 

Just the two of us in a cramped space…! Absolutely not!

 

“But alone….”

 

“Do you want to see me die because my heart explodes?!”

 

What I just did was a sort of proposal! Just hearing Evan’s breathing beside me made my heart race; I didn’t have the confidence to face him directly. Even just now, he said something so strange! It made me even more nervous.

 

When I spoke with my eyes wide open, Evan burst into a small laugh. I hurriedly climbed into the carriage.

 

“I understand. I’ll definitely come to the mansion tomorrow.”

 

“…Y-yeah….”

 

“About the ring… I’m sorry I couldn’t prepare it in advance. I’ll have it ready as soon as possible.”

 

“D-do whatever you want!”

 

It was my fault for dragging it out this long and not giving a clear answer, so I didn’t blame Evan at all.

 

“J-just say it again with a pretty ring.”

 

Because I, I wanted to receive a proposal. I spoke in a voice as small as a crawling ant, but Evan seemed to have understood me as he gave a bright smile and said, “Of course.”

 

I sat down in the carriage and waved shyly through the window.

 

 

***

 

 

“Your Majesty, what do you plan to do with the Prince?”

 

“Let’s just leave him be.”

 

When the maid asked, Rishana answered nonchalantly.

 

“Politics is not that easy. He will soon find it overwhelming.”

 

“You are absolutely right.”

 

“Bastien doesn’t know how many sacrifices I’ve made and how many people I’ve trampled upon to reach this position. That’s why he’s throwing such a tantrum. Since I’ve suppressed him severely since he was young, it’s only natural for him to feel rebellious.”

 

Rishana decided to put her mind at ease. Bastien’s current actions were like a childish rebellion. He knew how to be greedy for what he wanted, but he couldn’t utilize those around him. There was still too much to teach him.

 

“I should be satisfied with the fact that he has learned enough cold-heartedness to cast others aside.”

 

“The Prince surely knows your heart, Your Majesty. Haven’t you been working hard all this time?”

 

“Yes, I have.”

 

Rishana curled the corners of her mouth into a soft smile. The goal was almost in sight. The maid poured tea into the empty teacup.

 

“It is a tea to calm the mind and body.”

 

“Yes, thank you. You’ve truly been by my side for a long time.”

 

“Serving Your Majesty has been my joy.”

 

Telling her not to offer empty words, Rishana lifted the teacup with her slender fingers. The maid watched the scene intently. Rishana took a sip of the tea, and the corner of the maid’s mouth curled up as if in relief.

 

“…Ack!”

 

Before she could even set the teacup down, Rishana let out a ragged breath and dropped it. She clutched her throat with both hands. It felt as though her throat was being consumed by fire. Through her blurred vision, she saw the maid smiling.

 

“W-why…!”

 

Rishana’s mind began to race. Someone was trying to poison her! But the silver spoon she had used to stir the tea before drinking it hadn’t shown any reaction.

 

“S-summon a physician immediately…!”

 

Ignoring Rishana’s words, the maid turned around and opened the door. And from beyond it, Bastien appeared.

 

“Did you make sure she drank it?”

 

“Of course. I’ve also recruited another maid to give false testimony. The one who poisoned the Empress will be the Duke.”

 

Rishana’s eyes grew so wide they couldn’t possibly get any larger. She wanted to speak, but only a wheezing sound came from her burning throat. Facing Rishana’s trembling gaze, the maid spoke calmly.

 

“Your Majesty, do you remember? I don’t know how many decades it has been. Among the many people who died due to the numerous assassinations you carried out to reach this place, my younger brother was one of them.”

 

Failing to read the desired answer from Rishana’s pained expression, the maid nodded as if she had expected as much. The Empress she had seen was not the type of person to remember every single person she had killed. There were simply too many.