Special Story 1.1

“Huff, huff!”

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

When Adrian opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Owen’s worried face.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“Yes, you must have been tired from your busy schedule.”

Adrian was on an inspection tour to the city of Carka to check on the progress of the maritime city, which was being built at a fast pace. The construction was proceeding without any issues, so he hurried his work to return to the imperial palace a day earlier than planned. But even so, he had never in his life fallen asleep while sitting up in broad daylight. And that dream…

“How much more do we have to look at?”

“You can see all the construction progress in about two more days.”

“In that case, I will leave that to Glenn and return now.”

“Pardon?”

“Hurry.”

Since the emperor had given the order, Owen had no choice but to nod. The only times he gave orders without a second thought were all related to Her Majesty the Empress. And those were things that absolutely had to be obeyed.

“I will obey your command.”

Glenn grumbled that Adrian was dumping all the work on him, but Owen quickly tidied up the surroundings. And unlike when they came, they headed back to Quinze-Nouais from the Turk maritime city with only a few elite knights.

On his horse, the emperor was silent for a long time, as if he had a lot to think about. It was the expression he often made when things weren’t going well, rather than when he was in a hurry. It seemed to be because of the dream he had the day before.

“Begging your pardon, Your Majesty. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

The emperor turned his head slowly and looked at Owen. And he slowly opened his mouth.

“In my dream, I…”

Adrian had a truly terrible nightmare. So, he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. When the emperor hesitated, Owen quickly added, “Your Majesty, I don’t know what kind of dream it was, but it’s just a dream. I’m not saying I’m not worried about the imperial family, but since there’s no news, the palace must be safe.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

But Adrian couldn’t be relieved. The feeling was too vivid to dismiss it as just a bad nightmare. He had to meet Claire right away.

***

“What? His Majesty is already back?”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

The position of the Empress’s closest lady-in-waiting, which had been temporarily vacant after Sally got married and left the palace, was now filled by the second daughter of the Fraser Barony. She was a lovely woman with light blonde hair and a perpetual blush. Her blue eyes made her seem quite cute, and her behavior was calm for her age.

“Why is he back so early? It’s still three days until he’s supposed to return.”

“Perhaps he was in a hurry to see Your Majesty as soon as possible?”

Even as she said that, her face blushed as if she was embarrassed. It had been almost two years since she started living in the Empress’s Palace, so I was quite used to her being by my side. She was a child I liked in many ways.

A commotion broke out in the palace at the news of the emperor’s early return. The maritime city was, literally, a goose that laid golden eggs. Many young people were leaving the capital to work there, and many were actually getting into the maritime city business. The national income was used to build many welfare facilities for the empire.

If there was one place with a problem in the Quinze-Nouais Empire, it was the Northern Grand Duke’s castle. This was because of the frequent incursions from the small kingdoms of the eastern continent that bordered it during the winter. It was not a threat to the empire, but it was as annoying as a small boil on the body. They were not only plundering supplies, but recently, residents near the Grand Duke’s castle were even dying, so it could no longer be ignored. But other than that, Quinze-Nouais was enjoying its most prosperous period.

Due to the sudden commotion, I couldn’t even get dressed properly and hurriedly adjusted my clothes as I headed toward the gate where the emperor was said to be coming. My heart, which was waiting for the lover I hadn’t seen in almost a month, was quite loud.

And as soon as he saw me in the distance, a man came running as if he would fly off his horse.

“Claire!”

I had warned him to call me Empress when there were many people, but he never seemed to be able to fix it. Before I could even scold him, his agile and hot body embraced me tightly. I could feel his familiar and longed-for scent.

The courtiers, without exception, smiled and moved away from us. When the emperor carelessly bit my lips, I could feel them turning around, clearing their throats.

Gasping for breath, I barely managed to pull him away from me.

“Your Majesty, please.”

But he didn’t care. He soon hugged me again and began to whisper in my ear.

“I had a bad dream.”

“Pardon?”

“I was so worried that I had to come back so quickly. Nothing happened, right? What about our Leo and Hestia?”

At that moment, the Crown Prince and Princess, who were playing in the garden in front of the separate palace, ran frantically to the Empress’s Palace at the news of their father’s return.

“Father!”

Ah, I had also told them to call him His Majesty the Emperor, but our Hestia went even further.

“Papa!”

I shook my head and looked at the three people with the same blue eyes sparkling.

When the children were also in his arms, the anxiety on Adrian’s face was replaced with relief. He let out a long sigh and finally gave me his familiar smile.

After talking to the children for a while, Adrian immediately took me to my bedroom. He was insistent even when I told him I was in the middle of work.

“What kind of dream was it, really?”

“Well…”

I found his uncharacteristic hesitation cute and stroked his face. But then.

“I had a dream where I… branded you to death with an iron.”

Adrian, who was overly sensitive about anything related to me, couldn’t have not noticed my hand faltering.

“Ah, ha ha ha ha.”

I tried my best to laugh so as not to show my agitation. But my mind was filled with so many thoughts that my laughter wasn’t natural.

“Claire?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you making that face?”

“W-what kind of face did I make?”

Adrian stared intently into my eyes as if he would look into their depths.

“Did my having such a dream… change your feelings for me, even a little? But I didn’t want to have that dream.”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just a nightmare, just as you said. You know, it’s a product of the subconscious.”

I held his hand tightly, looked him in the eyes, and spoke in a firm tone as if I were teaching a child.

“So, nothing happened to us. Got it?”

I wanted to get Adrian’s assurance. His dream story was that unsettling to me. But without knowing my heart, he began to talk about the dream in detail.

“How is it even possible for me to brand you to death with fire, even if it’s my subconscious? Do you have any idea how terribly you screamed?”

‘Yes, I know.’

“And you can’t even imagine how much I laughed like a madman.”

‘I don’t have to imagine, I read all about it. That part even had an illustration!’

I had no choice but to become a speechless mute. Why on earth did a story from a novel that hadn’t happened appear in his dream?

However, I quickly composed myself. It could just be a coincidence. And it wasn’t like it would suddenly become a problem now. But I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

***

“Sally, welcome.”

A few days after Adrian returned to the palace, Sally and Cedric visited the Empress’s Palace. Sally, who had recently given birth, hadn’t lost all her baby weight yet, but her relaxed face shone beautifully. And Cedric, who was next to her, looking like a teenager holding a fragile glass bottle, looked just as happy.

However, the one thing I was worried about was the exact moment I had most dreaded when I brought the second daughter of the Fraser family in as my closest lady-in-waiting. She hadn’t been my closest lady-in-waiting from the start. But with her skill and diligence, which everyone acknowledged, and her wit, it had become natural among the ladies-in-waiting for her to be in my closest proximity.

“Leila, the tea has a wonderful scent.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s a flower tea that a local lord presented a few days ago.”

Leila Fraser didn’t lift her head, keeping her gaze appropriately lowered. I felt self-conscious around Sally and decided to send her away.

“Then I will talk with the guests, so would you go and see what the Crown Prince and Princess are doing?”

In fact, this was not her job. It was proper to send someone else to check on the children. But the quick-witted Leila bowed respectfully and quickly left the reception room.

“Why would Her Majesty the Empress be so concerned about the feelings of a mere lady-in-waiting like me?”

“Sally…”

Thanks to her mischievous smile with the baby in her arms, I was able to escape the awkward feeling. And I could see Cedric, who was holding the baby behind Sally, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“The lady-in-waiting is very pretty. Is she twenty this year?”

“Yes, she’s a good child.”

“I see. Please don’t worry about it at all, Your Majesty, as I’m not the least bit jealous that she had sent my husband a marriage proposal.”

“Exactly, right? I worried for no reason.”

“But I am a little jealous that she’s in the position of Her Majesty’s closest lady-in-waiting. That spot next to Your Majesty should be mine…”

“That’s not something a woman who abandoned me for love should say.”

I smiled broadly and gave Cedric a wink.

“Cedric, show me the baby.”

He straightened his shoulders and proudly walked towards me. The baby had her eyes closed, but her eyebrows and the area around her chin were just like her father’s.

“She’d be a perfect knight.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Yes?”

“She’s a girl.”

I was startled but immediately chastised Sally with a serious face.

“Hey, what kind of sexist remark is that? Is there a law that says women can’t be knights?”

“Oh, goodness. Your Majesty is just as you were. I even put a pretty hair clip on our baby’s head because I thought you’d do that.”

Even though I had been told she was a girl, the visual effect won over my memory. But this was also fun. We laughed about it for a long time, and they didn’t leave the Empress’s Palace until after lunchtime.

***

Adrian was once again lost in unspeakable worries. It was because of the nightmares that had continued since that day. The dreams of killing Claire Ianster, whom he loved so much, were enough to make him suffer from guilt. At first, he didn’t know, but in the repeated nightmares, he realized that the branding iron was a stamp with her name on it. And the smell of burning flesh was disgustingly piercing his nose. A smell? How could he feel that in a dream? On top of that, his own face was clearly visible… On his cheek, which had a strange expression, her name was branded.

Adrian thought it might be his own madness. But even so, it was hard to forgive himself for having such a horrible dream about Claire. But after that, he started having even more terrifying nightmares. It was definitely not Quinze-Nouais.

“Adrian.”

The soft voice of Claire allowed him to escape from his thoughts. And as soon as he saw her, his suffocating chest felt light, as if it were a lie.

“The butler said you didn’t eat properly again today?”

Claire naturally took a seat between his knees, basking in the warm sunlight that streamed into the emperor’s office. The emperor put his hands on her waist and rested his head on her chest.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. How could anything be wrong? It’s so good to be like this.”

He knew Claire was worried, but he couldn’t tell her the truth about the subsequent dreams.

In the dreams that followed, Adrian was in a small room. The scenery there was something he had never seen before. And there was a bed in the unfamiliar room. He approached it as if he were possessed and saw a man and a woman lying there. They were strangers with black hair that he had never seen before. But he found it unbearable to look at the woman. He didn’t know why, but just looking at her engulfed him in a storm of emotions. It felt as if thick water was mixing with dried blood, and his head ached, and his heart throbbed.

The feeling he had been experiencing almost every day recently… was love. It was the most intense feeling Adrian had ever learned. It was a storm he couldn’t ignore even if he wanted to. And that feeling should only be for Claire…

He woke up with more terror than when he was killing her with a branding iron. The fact that he could feel love for someone other than her was an unforgivable and inexplicable thing.

Just then, Owen came to the emperor with news.

“Your Majesty, the small kingdom of Hadena from the eastern continent has sent word to the Grand Duke’s castle, asking for a peace treaty.”

Hadena was the largest of the small kingdoms. The emperor had just returned from inspecting the maritime city of Carka before the Founding Festival. And now the festival was in full swing.

“That’s good news for a change, Your Majesty.”

“I guess. I’ll have to look into it in detail, but they wouldn’t ask for a peace treaty for no reason.”

“They wouldn’t dare use cheap tricks against Quinze-Nouais, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

“Right. The festival is on, so I’ll have to go to the north when the roads thaw a bit after the festival.”

“I wonder if the Grand Duke’s castle is still the same.”

“Let’s go together this time.”

When we were alone, we would naturally speak informally, buried in each other’s warmth and looking into each other’s eyes, but we were also quite used to using some honorifics when people were around.

“Really?”

Adrian nodded. Then, the woman standing in front of him shone her purple eyes and smiled brightly like the sun.

His expression, which had been so troubled just a moment ago, looked incredibly happy as he looked at her.

‘Yes, it’s impossible for me to feel love for anyone other than this woman.’

Adrian’s troubled heart quickly found peace.

***

“Let’s get married.”

“It’s still winter. When the roads thaw.”

“Do you know how many times you’ve rejected me?”

“About three or four?”

“This is the fifteenth time.”

Even as he grumbled, Glenn followed Hailey closely.

“You’ve proposed quite a lot of times already. I thought it was settled the first time I did it myself.”

“Exactly, so why is the woman who proposed so suddenly postponing the marriage?”

“And why are you in such a hurry, esteemed aide?”

“Well, obviously!”

Just then, a messenger from the imperial palace entered the academy’s laboratory.

“Aide Doherty, Grand Chancellor Donovan is looking for you.”

“Ah, I don’t know why that old man keeps calling for me.”

At Glenn’s disrespectful words, Hailey quickly turned around and covered his mouth.

“What a rude way to talk about the Grand Chancellor! No matter how much His Majesty the Emperor trusts you, such language is not right.”

Hailey’s eyes widened as she scolded him, and when she tried to take her hand away, Glenn grabbed her wrist so she couldn’t escape.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Well, of course…”

Glenn put his lips on Hailey’s palm and mumbled, “If you don’t accept me, I’m going to go to His Excellency Grand Chancellor Donovan today and seriously talk back to him.”

“…Do as you please.”

Hailey glared and forcefully pulled her hand away from him.

“I might talk back so much that my head might get cut off? He’s probably making a fuss about the road I created on my own last time. It’s like the Grand Chancellor’s land was confiscated for the national treasury.”

“So?”

At Glenn’s words, Hailey’s eyes narrowed.

“If you accept my proposal today, I’ll think about making a detour.”

“And if not?”

“I might just go ahead with it, fall out of favor with the Grand Chancellor, and get thrown into prison with some baseless charge.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“It means I’m that desperate. The only emotion you show me is worry, so I’m trying to rely on that.”

In fact, Glenn’s recent actions were not very moderate. Being called a candidate for the next Grand Chancellor at a young age also contributed to him falling out of favor with the Grand Chancellor. If he earned any more hatred from the ministers, it seemed possible that he could be framed with a baseless charge, as he said. Even though Glenn was the emperor’s most beloved subject, the Grand Chancellor’s power was that strong.

“His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t just watch Glenn get accused of a crime he didn’t commit and get thrown into prison…”

When Glenn only shrugged, Hailey finished the thought herself.

“He might. Yes, I suppose he might. Fine, then. In spring—”

Just as Hailey was about to agree, another messenger from the imperial palace arrived. Glenn, who was waiting for her to finish her sentence, narrowed his brows and urged the messenger on.

“What is it this time…?”

“His Majesty is looking for you. He is scheduled to go to the Northern Grand Duke’s castle soon, and he has ordered you to enter the palace immediately.”

Hailey chuckled at the news, and Glenn let out a long sigh.

“Then September would be a good month for the wedding. We have to prepare after you come back from the north. Just remember that this time it’s not my fault, Sir Doherty.”

Glenn turned away from Hailey and bowed respectfully, just as he had when he came in.

“Alright, Lady Hailey Duncan. But please promise me this time. I will go to the Grand Duke’s castle in this harsh winter, so we will hold the ceremony in the fall.”

Hailey nodded in reply. She also knew how much of his busy time Glenn was taking to come to this academy to see her. So, she thought that in September, for his sake, she should be waiting for him at the home he would return to.