CHAPTER 020
"How did you follow me…? It's dangerous to come down from the mountains. Your mother will worry."
Arabelle whispered gently as she quickly exited through the castle gates. The round burlap sack she was holding jostled slightly in her arms.
As a pair of black eyes peeked out from between the blankets and looked up at her, Arabelle stroked the damp nose with her finger.
“Still, being with you makes my heart feel like it's working properly again. Thank you.”
She thought her heart would burst when she fled from the Emperor's bedroom.
When his red lips approached, she closed her eyes instead of avoiding them…!
She almost forgot she was conducting a healing experiment for His Majesty. She had paced back and forth and buried her head in a pillow, but her racing heart wouldn’t calm down.
She went out to the garden for fresh air and discovered a small bundle rolling under the willow tree.
“If you enter the mountains, your mother will catch your scent and come soon. Beasts can find their mates or offspring by their scent even if they are far away. She’s probably already on her way.”
Breathing in the cool air of the late autumn night, her heart’s trembling finally settled.
I must never forget why I followed His Majesty to the Imperial Palace. I don’t belong in his world.
Resolving this, Arabelle quickened her steps, unaware of the black shadow following her.
As she entered the forest, she looked around, fearing the mother bear might appear, but there was no sign of the bear yet.
“This could be dangerous…”
Though the wolves had disappeared due to the forest fire, she couldn’t let her guard down. Hungry predators lurked in the woods.
As she surveyed her surroundings, Arabelle spotted a treehouse built on a beech tree. It was a place for the village children to play and had fortunately been spared from the fire.
“Let’s wait there until your mother comes to get you.”
Arabelle unwrapped the blanket and set the baby bear down on the grass. She approached the beech tree and grabbed the hanging rope ladder, and the baby bear quickly jumped onto her back.
“You’re really smart.”
In response to her compliment, the baby bear buried its head in her back and made a happy sound.
Having grown up climbing high mountains and trees, climbing the rope ladder to the treehouse was easy for Arabelle.
Inside the treehouse, she saw piles of leaves and straw, remnants of the children’s play. A small glass lamp filled with fireflies illuminated the cozy interior.
The baby bear curiously looked around after getting down from Arabelle’s back. Although the space seemed cramped for three adults, it was enough for Arabelle and the baby bear.
Watching with a smile, Arabelle emptied her pockets of fruits and nuts onto the floor. Just then, the sound of a branch breaking from something other than the wind came from below.
Sensing it wasn’t the mother bear, the baby bear hurried into Arabelle’s arms. Four round eyes widened as they stared at the darkness outside the open door, holding each other tightly.
First, a long, barefoot appeared at the door, followed by a tall man ducking to enter.
“Y-Your Majesty…?”
Arabelle’s voice trembled with disbelief.
Had it not been for the fireflies slightly illuminating his face, she might not have recognized him as the Emperor immediately. He looked exhausted and worn out.
Clad only in trousers, his bandages unraveled, the Emperor standing at the door resembled the black panther from the first time they met. Arabelle gently set the baby bear down on the straw and approached him.
“Are you alright?”
She looked up at him with worried eyes, and his shadow fell over her round head. His dim red eyes filled her clear gaze.
Thud. Suddenly, the Emperor’s head fell onto Arabelle’s shoulder.
“Hup…!”
A surprised breath escaped Arabelle’s lips.
As he slowly breathed in, the Emperor’s hunched back rose and fell repeatedly. Her small hands, not knowing what to do, clutched her dress.
Likewise, the Emperor’s fists at his sides turned white as he clenched them.
He did it to avoid touching her body. To avoid wrapping his arms around her and trapping her in his embrace. Because if he did, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop.
Desperately, he stiffened his muscles, trying to draw in her scent without succumbing to the urge to hold her.
The movements of his sharp nose and rough lips against her soft skin were desperate, like a fish thrown out of water struggling to breathe.
His parted lips pressed into her neck, breathing as if it were the only space he could.
As her tense shoulders relaxed, her slender arms cautiously encircled his bent back.
“Ughhh…”
A pained sound escaped his clenched teeth.
As if soothing an injured animal, Arabelle raised herself on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing him closer so he could breathe.
Blood stained the tips of his nails as they dug into his clenched fists.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Emperor slowly lifted his head.
“I want to sleep.”
His deep, tired voice resonated softly.
With a sad smile, he added,
“If I ask you to put me to sleep, will you mock me as a weak emperor?”
Arabelle shook her head.
Feeling a tightness in her chest, her vision blurred. But wanting to show her sincerity, she didn’t avert her gaze and looked at him.
Arabelle leaned against the wall, sitting on the straw, with the baby bear on one side and the Emperor’s head resting on her lap. She gently stroked their heads with each hand.
The Emperor’s eyelids gradually closed under her soothing fingers, still damp with sweat.
“When I was little, if I couldn’t sleep because I was sick or had a nightmare, my mother would stroke my hair like this. Then I would quickly fall asleep again.”
“You seem to have many memories with your mother. Didn’t you say you used to roam the mountains with her to gather herbs?”
The Emperor spoke in a subdued voice, and Arabelle gazed out at the dark sky beyond the open door.
Her mother, who she never doubted would always be with her, had left her and the family when she was nine.
“Do you not resent your mother? She must have known better than anyone what kind of person your father was, yet she left you.”
Regretting his words immediately, the Emperor fell silent with an apology in his eyes.
Continuing to stroke his hair, Arabelle quietly replied.
“The time I spent with my mother was the happiest moment of my life. So… if I resent her, it would mean denying that time… and that would be too sad.”
The Emperor’s red eyes watched the fading fireflies in the corner.
"When I imagined traveling with my mentor, I wondered if I might see my mother again. The thought alone was exciting. But now, I don’t think like that anymore.”
“Why not?”
“My mother left the family because she couldn’t endure the hardship of living without my healing abilities manifesting. If she saw me now… I think she’d only be disappointed.”
Hearing the sorrow in Arabelle’s answer, the Emperor spoke up passionately.
“You are more remarkable than any other healer. Didn’t you save the Emperor? If you find your mother, tell her with confidence. If she doesn’t believe it, bring her to the Imperial Palace. I’ll tell her myself. No, I’ll award you the Empire’s highest honors and a title so no one can speak ill of you.”
Grateful for the Emperor’s anger on her behalf, Arabelle smiled bashfully. The Emperor, fighting his heavy eyelids and now sounding slightly drowsy, repeated, “I’ll make sure no one dares to look down on you.”
Arabelle looked alternately at the baby bear curled up asleep beside her and the Emperor’s head resting on her lap. The Emperor’s shoulders rose and fell rhythmically.
As she gently brushed aside the damp hair covering the Emperor’s eyes with her slender fingers, a serene smile formed on his sleeping lips.
On the dark night when the fireflies in the glass jar slowly disappeared one by one, the distant cries of an owl and a nightingale could be heard. Though it was a cold night, the treehouse felt warm and cozy.
It was such a beautiful and comforting night that it almost brought tears to her eyes.
***
Chirrr,
The clear, cheerful song of a warbler came from outside the window. The late morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, tickling Arabelle’s closed eyes.
Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she sat up and… her round eyes widened even more as she looked around.
She was in her bedroom in Lord Laurel’s castle. She was sitting on a soft bed with drawn curtains, not on the straw pile in the treehouse.
Startled, she stood up, stepping onto a soft rug instead of a hard wooden floor.
The baby bear that had been curled up beside her, and the Emperor who had slept on her lap, were nowhere to be seen. Looking down, she noticed she was wearing a clean nightgown, not the clothes she had worn into the forest.
‘Everything that happened last night… it was all a dream…!’
After treating the Emperor last evening, she must have fallen asleep, overwhelmed with embarrassment upon returning to her bedroom.
Arabelle’s cheeks turned as red as a ripe apple. She quickly covered them with her hands, shaking her head as if to dispel the thought that someone might see her.
This was serious. Now she was even dreaming about the Emperor. And in the dream, he had buried his face in her neck… and fallen asleep with his head on her lap.
If she thought about it, it was an unbelievable scenario. She had thought only her heart went haywire when she saw the Emperor, but now it seemed her mind had too.
Arabelle quickly threw the shawl draped over the nearby chair around her shoulders and hurried into the bathroom.
She scrubbed her face with cold water, trying to wash away the vivid memory of the Emperor’s warmth lingering on her neck.
She still wasn’t used to having someone help her bathe and dress. Arabelle quickly changed her clothes before the head maid could arrive and left her bedroom. She decided a walk in the cool air would clear her mind.
As she stepped into the garden, she saw the Emperor walking towards her, engaged in a serious conversation with his knights.
At that moment, the memory of last night’s dream came rushing back. Blushing deeply as if she had committed a crime, Arabelle quickly turned and walked briskly away from them.
She walked until she reached the acacia tree by the bronze fountain carved with dancing forest nymphs. Sitting on the swing hanging from a long, sturdy branch, she let out a long sigh of relief.
“I knew you could climb mountains quickly, but I didn’t know you could move so fast on foot.”
A playful, deep voice came from behind. Startled, Arabelle turned to see the man approaching her. The red eyes standing before she gleamed pleasantly.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes? Yes… I slept well. I hope Your Majesty also slept well.”
Feeling her face heat up again, Arabelle lowered her head and asked. The Emperor answered cheerfully.
“I slept very well, for the first time in a long while.”
The toes of his brown shoes came into view as he looked down at the small flower petals on the grass. He gently lifted her chin with his long fingers, their gazes meeting.
“I noticed it in the cave as well. When you fall asleep, you sleep so deeply that you won’t notice if someone carried you away. I have to be very careful to make sure no one takes you.”
Her gentle eyes began to waver with confusion and embarrassment. With a smile, the Emperor lowered his head closer to Arabelle’s face. His red lips parted as he whispered against her soft lips.
“Don’t worry about the baby bear. The mother bear came and took it away early this morning.”
Comments
Post a Comment