Chapter 82
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Chapter 82
"...the reason for the proposal."
The Emperor echoed my words in a low voice, then fell silent.
"What are your thoughts on the matter?"
"My thoughts?"
My thoughts were painfully obvious. I'd been certain of them for a long time.
The Emperor was pursuing me because of a union between our families, and in the original work, it was indeed for such political purposes.
Marriage to the Hexagon Family was merely a distant contingency; marrying me was the optimal choice.
Even if I fled and returned, I was young, and though I'd only recently discovered the truth, The Emperor was young as well.
So there would have been plenty of time to wait. For now, at least.
"What I possess..."
I tapped through the calculations in my mind, but no answer emerged.
'Wealth?'
The Emperor possessed far greater wealth than I did.
'Beauty?'
I'd never seen The Emperor, but my Father might have given him my portrait.
Perhaps he fell for me at first sight then?
'That can't be it. He's not that soft-hearted.'
He couldn't have chosen a bride based on appearance alone. Not someone of The Emperor's stature. He wouldn't select a bride simply by her face.
'Love is even more absurd.'
What would he even know to fall in love over?
When I couldn't answer, The Emperor shook his head as well.
"I thought by now you might be able to tell me, but it seems that time hasn't come yet."
"What...?!"
I was flabbergasted at The Emperor's reversal of his promise.
"But Your Majesty, you clearly said that next time you would tell me the answer?"
"That is true, however..."
The Emperor maintained his silence for quite some time.
"Whether the reason is good or bad, it doesn't seem like an appropriate conversation to have when it's just the two of us alone."
I couldn't fully accept what The Emperor was saying.
"I don't wish it to be so, but I am a threatening presence to you. Whether it's the truth or not, I am such an existence for you to accept."
The Emperor's words were precisely accurate.
I couldn't even refute it as mere flattery.
"If my answer isn't the one you desire, you will fear me even more and find me even more threatening."
"Ah..."
"Making you uncomfortable in this confined space is not what I desire."
My eyes widened at his considerate words.
"Besides, this place is no different from outside—there's nowhere for you to escape to, is there?"
"That's true...."
I was a rat trapped in a poison bottle. The Emperor had weapons and a strong body, while I had nothing.
If I heard his reasons, I'd only spiral into more thoughts, and if I heard a bad answer, I'd be terrified to stay here quietly.
I understood why he refused to tell me.
But having come this far, there was one thing I had to know.
"Is it closer to a good reason?"
"You're free to think as you wish."
"Your Majesty...."
I sighed and shook my head.
"You're quite skilled at posing riddles."
The Emperor let out a soft laugh and sat perfectly still in an upright posture.
Then he opened his mouth.
"There are two meanings to it. I'll tell you the one with the good meaning."
I leaned in to listen intently.
"I share a deep bond of trust with Marcus Lockhart. Both he and I knew well that you fled to avoid marrying me."
My hands trembled slightly at his straightforward words without evasion.
Just as I suspected—he'd simply never said it outright, but The Emperor had always known I ran away because I didn't want to marry him.
So why had he treated me with such surprising kindness when we met again...?
"I believed that if Enya Lockhart resembled her father, she would surely return to me."
"...Really?"
"And I also believed that if that didn't happen, Marcus Lockhart would eventually find you and bring you back. To be honest with you, I trusted this second option more."
"So you knew I wouldn't return on my own...?"
"...."
Because he wore a mask, I couldn't see what expression he wore, but I could tell it wasn't a pleasant one.
This only made me more curious.
"Your Majesty, let's forget what we discussed in that cave and speak honestly."
"...."
"Let's bury it here, and once we leave, not dig any further. What if we share genuine stories with each other instead? It seems we both have much we're curious about."
"I know quite a lot about you."
The Emperor spoke something frightening in a low voice, pointing at me with a flick of his finger.
"If there's anything you wish to ask me, ask now. Yes, we won't dig any further once we leave this place."
My heart raced at his offer to answer if I had questions.
I held little hope he'd actually answer, but The Emperor had agreed to forget at least some of what we discussed here.
"What you want is the Lockhart Family, isn't it?"
"...."
"You waited for me even though I committed what amounted to an insult to Your Imperial Majesty by fleeing, all because the Lockhart Family is necessary to you?"
I found myself asking a similar question, as if returning to the starting point.
But The Emperor remained silent, just as he had before.
He leaned his head against the wall, studying me as if contemplating how to respond.
"Of course it would be the Family, Your Majesty. After all, we only met recently."
"...."
"I'm not renowned as the most beautiful woman in the Empire, nor have any particular rumors surrounded me, so I don't believe Your Majesty proposed to me based on who I am as a person."
"...."
"Yet sometimes I wonder. It seems as though Your Majesty treats me with such kindness—not because I'm Adeline, but simply as myself."
I truly was curious about this.
If I reversed the situation—if I were The Emperor and a minor noble had fled to avoid my proposal—I imagined I would feel indignant.
If they had vanished for years without even meeting me once, I would have...
'How revolting. I won't marry them!'
I would have either broken the engagement first and washed my hands of it, or applied pressure from the start.
When we met again, I would have been furious. Yet The Emperor did none of these things.
"Am I truly worthy of Your Majesty's mercy?"
"...You are."
The Emperor, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke.
"You are the person I have been searching for."
"Me?"
My mind froze, and the world tilted dizzily around me.
"Why... why me?"
What did he mean? That he had literally found me? Or was I someone from his fantasy?
But The Emperor turned away and sealed his lips, offering no further answer.
Night descended, and as I gazed at The Emperor, sleep claimed me before I realized it.
* * *
"Achoo! Cough, cough!"
The moment I woke, sneezes and coughs seized me relentlessly.
By the next day, the temperature in the cave had plummeted. The outside air had grown frigid, and prolonged exposure to the cold had dulled my body's warmth perception. Perhaps that was why everything felt so bitterly frozen.
One side of the cave gaped open to the river below, making it nearly impossible to shield myself from the icy gusts that swept through.
'I can't give in. I have to endure this.'
Whoooosh!
Whiiiiiiii!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Splat!
The wind lashed my hair across my face, and my cheeks trembled uncontrollably.
At this rate, I'd freeze to death.
That was when The Emperor removed half his cloak and his outer robe, draping them over me.
Thud!
'Wait? This is so heavy. Does he really wear something like this every day?'
Warmth flooded through me, but so did an overwhelming weight. It pressed down on my shoulders like a physical burden.
"I apologize."
The Emperor, who had been sitting before me checking my temperature, spoke.
"It's because I asked you to be my partner, and you caught a cold from the unreasonable request I imposed on you."
"...."
"Had I known this would happen, I wouldn't have brought you here."
"It's fine."
I had only caught a mild cold with a slight fever—nothing severe.
The Emperor seemed far more anxious than I did, despite being the one afflicted.
"Your Majesty didn't order me to come. I sought you out and came here myself. You have nothing to apologize for."
"...You're always so kind, Enya."
"Geez, Dale too.... Huh?"
I bit my tongue in surprise at my own slip.
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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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