CHAPTER 008
"When... When will we be able to return to our estate?"
Baron Cander, his face turned pale from seasickness, stammered as he asked the man in front of him.
The man, revealing his sharp gray eyes, replied curtly. A hint of a red tattoo peeked out above his neck, beneath his dark navy cloak.
"As I said, that place will be your new home from now on. So, it's best not to harbor any hopes of returning."
At his words, the sound of Arabelle's family's sobbing broke out here and there.
"Ugh, this is too cruel. Ordering us to abandon everything overnight and live across the sea in the Kingdom of Luphan."
"Telling us to leave our homeland indefinitely... Your Majesty, this is too much."
"How are we supposed to live now... Oh dear..."
A giant cargo ship was sailing across the deep blue sea. Its destination was the maritime nation of Luphan, a vassal state of the empire.
Peter, the ship's captain, snapped at the whining people of Cander.
"Instead of being grateful that His Majesty is mercifully sending you to Luphan, sparing you from punishment, you dare to complain? You'd be better off receiving a harsh penalty upon returning to the empire?"
At his warning, Arabelle's family fell silent simultaneously.
After Arabelle had left with the emperor's retinue, her family had been jubilant, chatting excitedly after receiving a hefty sum of compensation from the emperor.
"Let's follow Arabelle and settle in the capital immediately."
"Do you know that the women who make it to the final round of the empress selection receive lands and compensation that are incomparable to this estate once the competition is over?"
"Of course, how could that fool manage such a large fortune? As her father, I should be the one to manage it."
"What nonsense! I should manage it, as I'm the benefactor who has been feeding and sheltering you! You're sure to squander it all on gambling."
"We'll decide who manages Arabelle's fortune when the time comes. For now, we need to stick closely to Arabelle."
When Eric, the baron's eldest son who had rushed over after carousing with his unsavory friends until dawn, spoke, everyone agreed, getting excited about the imminent windfall.
"I'll make sure to enter the palace with Arabelle, so don't even think about it. If that fool can get in, there's no reason I can't catch the emperor's eye."
"You're funny. We're Arabelle's real sisters. We'll live in the palace with Arabelle, so don't get your hopes up."
Camille and Roxy, who had always been intimidated by Margot, glared at her with newfound confidence, believing in Arabelle's power. Baroness Cander clicked her tongue and said,
"Stop fighting over nonsense. Arabelle is soft-hearted and naive, so if you three ask her, she'll probably let you live in the palace with her. Just focus on making connections with the high-ranking aristocrats there."
As they hurried to pack their belongings and head inside the castle, knights bearing the imperial flag appeared, escorting the emperor's special commissioner.
The commissioner dismounted and began reading the charges against Baron Cander and Arabelle's father, Jonathan, who was once called a marquis, without pause.
There were pages full of laws the Cander family had violated, including years of embezzling taxes meant for the imperial treasury, exploiting free labor from now-abolished serfs, and raising taxes during natural disasters.
Jonathan was no different.
He was accused of using unapproved animal treatments on patients, defrauding commoners by claiming to have lost his healing powers, and participating in illegal gambling rings, among numerous other crimes.
There was irrefutable evidence to support each charge.
They were stripped of their titles and lands and sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison. As they stood there in shock, the commissioner presented the emperor's merciful proposal.
They were to choose between living in the empire's prison or starting a new life in the vassal state of Luphan.
"You should be grateful to His Majesty for allowing you to live far more comfortably than you do now, so forget any other thoughts and live quietly, always remembering that you are being watched."
At Captain Peter's words, the people of Cander glanced at the piles of gold bars and land documents before them and fell silent.
***
All he wanted to do was help her lie down comfortably, as her small head was swaying helplessly.
But the current situation... made it seem as if he was unintentionally acting like a molester, covering Arabelle's body with his.
Despite his extraordinary height compared to most men, the emperor had a sleek body covered with lean muscles rather than bulky ones. He had never felt large until now.
However, with the slender woman beneath him, he felt like a giant.
Seeing Arabelle, who had forgotten how to breathe in her shock, the emperor hurried to raise himself off her.
Arabelle, her face flushed all the way to her forehead, tried to get up as well, but the emperor didn't move any further. His red eyes were fixed on her trembling pink lips.
As his gaze moved up to her large eyes, Arabelle's shoulders began to shake slightly. It was the same ravenous look he had seen in the cave in the mountains, more frightening than a beast.
As the emperor lowered one corner of his mouth, he bent his arms down and pressed his weight gently onto her small body. Arabelle tightly shut her eyes.
"If you avert your eyes from me again, I don't know what I'll do. Open your eyes and look at me."
His hoarse, raspy voice echoed in Arabelle's ears.
***
"Shouldn't we have the court physician examine you once we arrive at Marquis Laurel's estate?"
Commander Jacob asked, watching the emperor's expression carefully. The emperor nodded silently.
The imperial guard, who had started their procession early in the morning, set up camp and began their afternoon rest. Though the emperor rarely allowed such long breaks on their journeys, this trip was an exception.
Worried that she might not be resting comfortably in the moving carriage. And secretly hoping she might step outside the carriage for a bit.
The emperor's crimson eyes darkened as he watched the carriage door, which still had not opened.
"Oh dear, people can be so cruel. There's nothing else to hunt, so they go after a newborn fawn..."
Peter, the deputy commander, mumbled to himself as he returned from the riverbank, shaking his head. Commander Jacob asked,
"What do you mean?"
"I found a fawn by the riverbank, shot with an arrow. The mother deer was hiding on the other side of the river, watching. They must have attacked the fawn to catch the mother deer."
"Hunting deer is forbidden this year. We'll have to issue a stern warning when we reach the estate."
As Jacob and Peter spoke, the carriage window quietly opened. A pair of soft brown eyes peered out, unnoticed by the crimson eyes watching closely.
"We'd like to help, but... there's no one here who can treat a wild animal. It's unfortunate."
The emperor spoke loudly on purpose, causing Peter and Jacob to look at him in confusion.
Since when had the emperor shown interest in injured wild animals?
"Still, we should go down and take a look. It wouldn't be right to just pass by without doing anything."
Emperor Maxwell, who preferred rough hunting and would charge forward even if his military horse was injured... was now suggesting they go down to the riverbank to help an injured wild animal as if it were a usual occurrence.
The imperial guards were too stunned to react, standing there dumbfounded as the carriage door quietly opened.
"Can I... go with you?" A trembling voice softly emerged.
***
The newborn fawn, barely two days old, was struggling to breathe on the deserted riverbank.
Its large, dark eyes looked helplessly at the kind hands warming its body. Beyond the small shoulders moving busily, the mother deer watched forlornly from the opposite side of the river, unable to approach.
Maxwell returned to Arabelle, who was attending to the fawn, carrying a bundle of branches. He carefully sat down next to her.
Though her shoulders flinched, it seemed she was much better than before. She was too focused on treating the fawn to spare any attention for the emperor.
As they descended the steep path to the riverside, walking stiffly without even meeting each other's eyes, the sight of Arabelle was pitiful. The emperor felt a prickling sensation in his throat as if it were filled with thorns.
Maxwell silently assisted Arabelle, who had begun treating the baby deer after removing the arrow from its abdomen and stopping the bleeding.
When she needed a cloth for the bleeding, Arabelle moved to tear the hem of her dress. Maxwell’s heavy hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to startle and look up at him with a pale face.
With a sharp pain in his chest, Maxwell wordlessly tore his tunic and handed it to Arabelle.
“Use this.”
Taking the cloth, Arabelle dressed the deer’s wound and bandaged it, and the little creature nuzzled into her embrace.
“Could you bring me some water? I can’t leave its side…”
As she gently stroked the deer’s head, Arabelle asked, and the emperor strode to the river, folding a large leaf to hold water and bringing it back to her.
After repeating this several times to let the deer drink, its previously dull eyes began to regain some brightness.
“We need to take it to its mother…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Maxwell lifted the fawn from her arms, waded through the waist-deep, turbulent water, and placed the fawn on the opposite bank, where the mother deer had been watching anxiously from the forest.
Returning across the river, Maxwell watched Arabelle's stiff shoulders as she hesitated, looking at the fawn and its mother across the river. He spoke softly.
“I'm sorry for scaring you and for leaving you alone without an apology. As an emperor, as a man, it was an unforgivable act.”
Arabelle looked up at him with wide eyes. The emperor, who seemed to bow to no one, was lowering his head and apologizing to her.
“I promise you, on my name, that I will never behave so disrespectfully again.”
Meeting her gaze steadily, his crimson eyes solemn, Arabelle’s light brown eyes began to shimmer with tears.
“Sob… sob…”
She couldn't even cry aloud, only letting out choked sobs. Watching her frail shoulders shake uncontrollably, Maxwell experienced pain as if his heart was being carved out.
He wanted to wipe away her tears, to hold her small frame and comfort her, but he had forfeited that right. His fists clenched and unclenched as he waited. Her tears continued to flow.
After what felt like an eternity, her sobs finally subsided, and she looked down, not meeting his eyes. The silver dagger with his name engraved on it caught her eye. Maxwell unfolded it and placed it in her hand, holding her wrist gently.
“If I ever lose my reason and act like a beast again, use this…”
He told her, closing her fingers around the handle.
“Stab me. No one will hold you accountable for using this dagger.”
Tears overflowed from Arabelle’s eyes again as she held the dagger, reminiscent of the baby deer they had just returned to its mother.
As Maxwell carried her across the river, his gentle voice reached her ear.
“The village we’re heading to is famous for its chocolate. Have you ever tasted it?”
Blushing, Arabelle shook her head, now with her arms around his neck.
Even among the nobles, chocolate was a rare treat, reserved for special occasions. She had only ever seen Margaux eat it.
“I'll buy you every kind of chocolate they have. Even chocolate gelato.”
Realizing his words sounded like the boastful promises of a young man trying to woo a village girl, Maxwell's face grew hot. But fortunately, with her head resting on his shoulder, Arabelle did not see his flustered expression.
As the sun set behind the mountains, the red glow painted the two figures crossing the river.
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