CHAPTER 018
Arabelle didn't have the luxury of savoring the taste of the ripe peach in her mouth.
Trying hard not to think about the dizzying situation, she chewed diligently to create juice. Spotting a fork and spoon beside the fruit platter, she hastily grabbed the spoon.
As she turned away from the Emperor to bring the spoon to her mouth, a large hand grasped her wrist. Startled, she looked at the Emperor with wide eyes, but he spoke calmly as if nothing was amiss.
"You didn't use a spoon in the cave. We should replicate the conditions as closely as possible. We don't know how the juice and your hand interacted."
Unable to respond due to the peach juice in her mouth, Arabelle's eyes began to wander.
Back then, the situation was urgent... and it was a black panther. Now, it was the Emperor himself. As she looked down at her hand and then raised her head, the Emperor's enchanting face was close enough to touch.
Tilting his head to the side, the Emperor gazed at her lips and spoke softly.
"You don't necessarily have to feed me with your hand. Your lips are also a part of your body, so the effect should be the same. In fact, directly transferring it might work immediately."
The Emperor extended his thumb to wipe away the bit of juice that had leaked from the corner of her mouth. Bringing his thumb to his lips to taste, he leaned in closer.
There shouldn't be any alcohol in the peach... Arabelle thought dazedly, looking up at the Emperor.
His red eyes filled her gaze, making her feel as if hundreds of butterflies were fluttering in her chest. Startled by the intense fluttering, Arabelle pressed her chest with both hands.
The Emperor's warm breath spread softly over her lips. Unconsciously closing her eyes, Arabelle swallowed the peach juice to her surprise.
It was only then, as if waking from a dream, that she jumped up from the bed.
The Emperor spoke in a slightly husky, low voice.
"Well, we'll have to start over."
"W-What about trying tears first? Not the juice... I think it was tears."
Her large, tear-filled eyes quivered pathetically. Seeing Arabelle's trembling shoulders, the Emperor's red eyes wavered as well. Regaining his senses, he bowed his head and let out a quiet sigh.
'What am I doing to this innocent young lady?'
The joke had gone too far. Even as a child, the Emperor had never played pranks on his peers. Yet here he was, wanting to tease the young woman in front of him at every opportunity.
He clenched his fists tightly, frustrated by his recent uncharacteristic behavior over the past few days.
Being with her seemed to dull his rationality, overwhelming him with unfamiliar emotions. Perhaps it was a special bond formed because she had saved his life.
He had built an unbreakable wall around himself, letting no one in... and he wasn't about to tear it down now. This woman was merely the key to breaking his curse.
Bringing her to the palace was simply because she was useful. If he continued to act inappropriately toward Arabelle, who was not destined to be Empress, he would be no better than a common street thug. Determined not to repeat his earlier behavior, the Emperor gritted his teeth.
"I've heard that rubbing your eyes with an onion makes tears flow. Shall we try that?"
Her trembling voice reached his ears. When he looked up, he saw Arabelle standing there, hands clasped together, unsure of what to do. The Emperor responded with a gentle smile.
"It seems you're right. It wasn't a serious injury. Since it no longer hurts, I must be healed."
Relieved, Arabelle's honest face brightened. She relaxed her tightly clasped hands and dropped her tense shoulders.
"I'm so glad. Please rest well."
"Thank you for today. We'll be leaving early tomorrow, so get plenty of rest."
The Emperor watched the door where Arabelle had exited for a moment before looking up at the ceiling and closing his eyes.
This inexplicable feeling... it will return to its place once we return to the palace, so there's no need to worry.
***
In the Empress Dowager's chambers in the palace.
"Did it succeed?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes sparkled with joy as she returned to her bedroom after a bath.
"Didn't I tell you? If you leave it to me, I'll ensure the Prince is safely brought back to the palace."
Marquis Haden approached her with a sly smile, his muscular arm encircling her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.
"If you stop meeting that useless brat Baron Brad who only worries about the Emperor's gaze, and call for me instead... I will serve you with utmost loyalty."
Marquis Haden added, "Of course, I will dedicate everything until Prince Eric ascends to the throne," before burying his lips in her collarbone.
In the past, she would have slapped him or pushed him away.
A man who rose from the son of a lowly stable keeper to the commander of the Royal Third Knights and then to the title of Marquis due to his contributions in successive wars. The rough and somewhat barbaric man was among the types the Empress Dowager despised the most.
However, neither she nor Eric needed the refined manners and superb bedroom skills of the delicate nobles of the capital.
The cowardly Baron Brad, who trembled at the Emperor's slightest cough, was useless in this situation.
What she needed now was Marquis Haden, a man who could kill a bear with his bare hands and fraternize with the continent's bandits and pirates. Just when the Empress Dowager had no choice but to send Eric to the battlefield without a plan, Marquis Haden appeared.
The man had previously ogled her body with lecherous eyes. While the Empress Dowager enjoyed receiving lustful gazes, she had only invited delicate, fragrant youths like Baron Brad into her bed.
[Trust me, I will surely bring back Prince Eric to the palace.]
When Marquis Haden confidently spoke, she had been half-skeptical... but now, biting her lip, Empress Dowager Natalia ran her long fingers through his thick hair.
Pulling her body closer, she brought her lips to his ear and commanded.
"Inform the pirate gang to demand a ransom for Prince Eric from the royal family. Send a threatening letter stating that if the ransom isn't delivered within three days, Eric will be executed. They won't just sit back and watch as the son of the late Emperor is kidnapped by pirates."
"As you command."
With heavy breaths, his large hands gently lifted the Empress Dowager and carried her to the bed without hesitation.
***
The Lotus Palace of the Imperial Palace, the second annex where Lady Grace of the Duchy of Lesang resides.
Grace, a candidate for Empress, welcomed her aunt, the Duchess of Lesang, who visited her quarters late at night.
"Have you heard, Aunt? Prince Eric has been kidnapped by the Skull Pirates."
"I heard on my way here."
"They said if twenty chests of gold bars aren't delivered within three days, they'll hang the prince's head on the mast."
"So I've heard."
The Duchess, sitting on the sofa, replied while bringing the jasmine tea prepared on the table to her lips.
"It's actually a good thing for the weakling Prince Eric. He's undoubtedly in shock, and if he was slightly injured during the kidnapping, he'd insist on recuperating. This way, he won't have to go to the battlefield."
The Duchess' eyes sparkled as she revealed her white teeth in response to Grace's words.
"Indeed, there's no one as sharp as you, Grace. You must have been my daughter in a previous life."
"So, you had the same thought, Aunt. I'm sure it's the Empress Dowager's doing."
"Indeed. Does she think making that coward Eric Emperor will change anything? Tsk, she still can't let go of her vain dreams."
"I'm so grateful you refused when the Empress Dowager suggested me as Prince Eric's wife. Without my parents, you and Uncle are my only guardians."
"Of course. I've never thought of you as just a niece. You're my daughter. There's no way I would marry the precious only daughter of the Lesang Duchy to such a powerless prince."
"You will definitely become the Empress." The Duchess added, stroking Grace's glossy silver hair.
'Once Grace is chosen as Empress and gives birth to the Crown Prince, the Empire will belong to the Duchy of Lesang, no, to me. When Maxwell is dealt with, the Duchy of Lesang will act as the regent for the young Crown Prince.'
Though she hadn't shared these details with Grace, it didn't matter. Grace, who harbored great ambitions, would rather be the Empress, even if it meant being a widow, and live as the mother of the next Emperor than be the wife of a lowly prince for the rest of her life.
"Your Grace, this is Brigitte."
At that moment, the door to the reception room opened, and the chief maid of the royal household walked in. Her every gesture and word reflected the impeccable formality of the royal court.
"Brigitte, come in."
Though she was a maid, she had been brought from her family by the first wife of the late Emperor, the Duchess of Lesang's mother, and was also the grandmother of Emperor Maxwell.
The Duchess greeted her with due respect, holding Brigitte's hands.
"Grace, greet her. She is Brigitte, the chief maid of the royal household, who will assist you from now on. She will help you not only during the competition but also when you become the Empress and take charge of the royal household."
Receiving Brigitte's bow, Grace's eyes sparkled with joy at the unexpected gift from her aunt.
Brigitte, the chief maid of the royal household. A woman who had overseen the lives of royal women for nearly forty years without being swayed by any faction.
A maid known for her strictness and thoroughness, she hadn't taken sides in either the first or second Empress selection competitions, rejecting all offers of immense wealth, treasures, and power.
Knowing that such a woman would be on her side, the Empress's position was as good as hers. Grace smiled, recalling the face of Emperor Maxwell, whom she had secretly admired since childhood.
Finally, he would be hers. The love she had nurtured for twenty years was about to become a reality.
"The Emperor will return soon... is the residence for the lady he is bringing prepared?"
"Yes, the preparations are complete in the eleventh annex."
"And the maids to attend to her in the annex?"
"Of course. I handpicked all of them myself."
The Duchess exchanged a meaningful glance with Brigitte, nodding in satisfaction.
Rumors had already spread throughout the capital that the Emperor had rescued an Empress candidate from a burning forest. But what did it matter? She would disappear before the two-month competition ended.
The Duchess fondled her thick pearl necklace, letting out a pleased laugh.
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