Chapter 100
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 100
* * *
"Sigh..."
I stirred my soup absently before dropping my head onto the table with a dull thud.
I simply lacked the energy to hold my head up.
'Is there some kind of narrative compulsion from the original story?'
I couldn't fathom why The Emperor had proposed to me, of all people, and then waited four years like a stone monument yearning for its master.
Yet he also refuses to let me consume the memory-erasing herb. And who is he, exactly?
The Emperor.
A remarkable man indeed.
"There's something I don't know."
I lifted my head again and stirred my soup more vigorously.
That's when I felt a piercing gaze from across the table—my brother Samuel Lockhart, regarding me with an odd expression.
"What?"
"Nothing. You just seem strange."
Samuel rested his chin on his hand and stared at me intently.
"A while ago you suddenly acted affectionate and moved me, but these past few days you've been different. I was just thinking about that."
"Is your injury healing well?"
"You should have asked sooner, but yes, I'm fine. I've recovered considerably now. The Emperor graciously gave me several days of leave."
"..."
"Would you like some of my dessert?"
Samuel pushed two pieces of chocolate toward me.
"..."
I grabbed the chocolate with one hand and shoved both pieces into my mouth.
"Were you that hungry..."
"Brother!"
"Huh? What?"
"Why couldn't you draw a portrait?"
"Me? Draw?"
Samuel tilted his head in confusion. As the commander of the 2nd Knight Order, he certainly knew The Emperor's face.
But his drawing skills were so poor that even a portrait proved useless, let alone any real help.
"You know The Emperor's face, don't you?"
"Me? Well... yes, I suppose? Why?"
"Try drawing it again."
As a servant brought paper and pen, Samuel furrowed his brow with an uncertain expression.
"I'd rather just use a sword."
"Draw it as accurately as you can. Your skills might have improved a bit since before!"
"Well, fine...."
Samuel shrugged and began to sketch.
"But Enya. Why are you suddenly asking me to draw The Emperor's face? You've had private audiences with him several times."
"I've never seen The Emperor's bare face."
"...Really?"
Samuel answered reluctantly and continued drawing with care.
"His Majesty maintains strict mystique, so not all knights can see his face. Enya."
"But you've seen it, haven't you?"
"That's true, but."
Samuel switched to a fresh sheet and began drawing again.
Sensing his struggle, Samuel glanced at me.
"But what happened during those years you ran away? You never told me. I'm curious."
"If you draw this well, I'll tell you."
"This is difficult...."
Samuel scratched his head and switched from pen to pencil like a true artist.
"You probably don't remember, but His Majesty is incredibly handsome. Not as a captain's compliment, but objectively speaking, he's strikingly beautiful."
Just from his jawline alone, I could tell he was good-looking. But that wasn't important right now.
"If you had asked His Majesty to show you his face, he would have agreed. Why didn't you request it?"
"I didn't."
"Why?"
"I was afraid we'd grow closer."
"I don't understand what you mean, Enya."
I turned my head away and released a shallow sigh.
Days had passed since the debutante ball, and no letter had come from The Emperor.
I thought he would send some message—either expressing anger that I left first, or claiming I ran away after hearing his feelings—but nothing came.
"How has His Majesty been lately?"
"He's well. Why are you suddenly curious about him?"
"I need to keep track of his movements."
"You sound like you're dealing with someone who's about to cause trouble, Enya."
Samuel chuckled, but it was a laugh born from not knowing the original story.
I wanted to protect this family, this household, and everything we had.
"Oh, that's right. His Majesty."
Samuel looked up from his drawing.
"Has recently made contact with the Temple System."
"The Temple System?"
The relationship between the Imperial Family and the Temple System was neither particularly bad nor particularly good—lukewarm at best.
The Temple System operated as an independent institution, untouched by any power on The Continent.
That's why not just our Empire, but all nations maintained a certain distance from the Temple System. Since the Empire was large, it had no need for the Temple System's power.
The Temple System hasn't prioritized initiating friendly exchanges with other nations either, as there are many countries beyond this Empire requiring their attention.
But His Majesty initiated contact first?
"What could His Majesty be attempting?"
"Even as the Knights Order commander, I cannot know such details, but it's certainly no ordinary matter. He met directly with the High Priest."
"The High Priest?"
The High Priest was the priest representing the entire Temple System.
I'd heard that when he personally blessed our family's Greenhouse, society had been abuzz with the news—he rarely met even with kings and emperors of major nations.
"...Wait a moment."
I'd been listening absently when I suddenly froze.
"The High Priest?"
The High Priest is the master of all temples.
Regardless of why The Emperor and the High Priest were trying to grow closer, what if he borrowed the High Priest's authority to access the marriage registry?
'I'm in a married state with Dale.'
Initially, I'd entered into a contract marriage with Dale to avoid The Emperor, but the situation had changed considerably now.
I'd thought The Emperor couldn't possibly be aware of anything before the original story began, and even days ago, I'd believed the real Emperor—not the one from the novel—was a good person.
But now it seemed The Emperor had already made a complete rotation and appeared to be in a state of sanity.
'I don't know how far The Emperor will go. That's the greatest problem in this situation.'
First, he suddenly proposed. Second, he approached me slowly. Third, he revealed his purpose.
I admired The Emperor's meticulous planning, yet because I myself was caught in his trap, I couldn't appreciate it purely.
"Dale...."
I murmured the name of the person I was worried about.
"What's wrong?"
"Brother, show me your drawing."
My brother's drawing was still terrible. But there was something strange about it.
"Why did you color the hair black?"
"Huh?"
Samuel spat out the tea he'd been drinking.
"Why did I do that? I must have been drowsy. I practiced all night to recover. It was a mistake."
It was a smile that looked forced. I took my brother's drawing and headed to my room.
Crunch.
I crumpled the paper and immediately went to my desk to write a letter.
The harmony between The Emperor and the Temple System is dangerous.
'I will protect Dale.'
In the original story, The Emperor kills everyone related to me. He killed them for absurd reasons with just a glance, so if there's a record of my husband, there's nothing more to consider.
I closed my eyes tightly and made my resolve.
In this situation, I had to save Dale at least.
"Emma, send this letter to Dale by express. Find Dale's whereabouts."
* * *
Dale found himself buried under mountains of paperwork, day after day.
Sleep eluded him, so it was better to simply stay awake through the nights.
"...."
Gazing at the stars shining brightly in the night sky, I recalled the debutante ball I had attended with Enya.
My confession.
Enya's ashen face.
'It was an expression of utter disgust.'
I turned my chair away, consumed by bitterness, and stared into the darkness for a long while.
Perhaps I truly was unsuited to be The Emperor. It was far too hasty a judgment.
I was not ignorant of what desire meant.
But I wished to be loved by Enya not merely as Dale, but also as myself—as The Emperor.
"Perhaps she doesn't even truly favor me as Dale."
The corners of my mouth turned downward in bitterness.
Even my upturned eyes drooped weakly, weighed down by sorrow.
Whether it was the lingering malevolence of the Previous Emperor—though we shared no blood—or some influence he had left behind, whenever I thought of Enya, a possessive desire welled up in my heart.
"I cannot continue like this anymore."
I wanted to stop merely watching Enya from a distance. All my past resolve to protect her without selfish desire had vanished like a lie.
Though Enya was not at my side now, the tasks she had left me were abundant.
I did not hurry to clear away the mountain of documents on my desk, for they felt like traces of Enya.
For several days, I immersed myself in my duties and lived a contented life.
At least while creating incidents, I could be certain that Enya was thinking of me.
"Your Majesty."
"Come in."
Soho entered the office carrying a single letter.
My face, which had been locked away in the darkness of the room, turned sharply forward.
I closed my weary eyes tightly.
"What is it?"
"Enya has sent you a letter!"
I moved in an instant, seizing Soho's entire arm. In his fingers was indeed a letter from Enya.
"...For me?"
"To be precise, it was addressed to Dale."
I tore open the envelope urgently. Merely seeing Enya's name made my heart race beyond control.
She had not written to The Emperor, but that mattered not. Dale is also me, after all.
The mere fact that she had not forgotten me was hope itself.
I unfolded the letter hastily and began reading Enya's handwriting.
"...."
Yet my expression froze in an instant.
[To Dale]
The letter in Enya's unmistakable handwriting contained:
[I'm breaking the contract.]
[Our false marriage, which came about at my request, ends today.]
To Dale, it was a death sentence.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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