CHAPTER 057
Two days ago, the evening Grace and Millie met.
“What are you doing here?”
Startled by the Emperor’s low voice above her head, Arabelle looked up, tilting her head back. His handsome face, blocking the darkening evening sky, filled her wide eyes. The ruby-colored eyes, deeper than the sunset she had just seen, came closer and closer until his warm lips playfully kissed the tip of her round nose.
Seeing the Emperor suddenly appear without a sound, Arabelle's lips bloomed into a bright smile, her heart pounding with joy. But then, remembering why she was standing by the wall, her large eyes began to dart around in confusion.
The Emperor's mouth curled into a slight smile as he watched her face, clearly showing her bewilderment. He had been on his way to Arabelle's annex with a piece of jewelry he liked from the gifts brought by the envoy he met earlier in the morning.
Having entered the palace through a secret passage, the Emperor planned to leave the gift on Arabelle's second-floor balcony and depart. However, from a corner of the garden, he noticed a small figure moving about.
At first, he thought Arabelle was taking a solitary walk in a secluded part of the garden. Realizing that there were no guards posted in such an inconspicuous spot, the Emperor frowned and was about to order the commander of the guards to strengthen the patrols when he noticed her suspicious behavior.
She walked back and forth beneath the wall in quick, short steps, then stood on tiptoe as if trying to see over the wall, looking around anxiously whenever the wind blew as if startled by it.
With her lips pressed tight and her small hands clenched into fists, she looked quite determined, yet her large, scared eyes scanning the surroundings made the Emperor chuckle. Her small body seemed to scream, "I'm hiding something from the world."
“What are you doing, I asked.”
The Emperor placed his hands on Arabelle's shoulders, turning her around to face him, and asked again. Her light brown eyes blinked rapidly as she spoke in a split voice.
“I was, I was taking a walk.”
Bending his waist and lowering his head to meet Arabelle's eyes, the Emperor's red eyes softened into a gentle curve as he said,
“It’s getting dark, so let's go back. I'll walk you to the annex.”
“No, no, Your Majesty. I... I overate during dinner... So, to digest... I need to walk more... I think.”
Her words, which she had made up on the spot, sounded impressive even to herself, and Arabelle's face brightened a little as she finished speaking.
The Emperor, who was nonchalantly tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, said,
“Is that so? Then I shall join you for a walk; it's been a while since I had one. It could be enjoyable to walk under the starry night sky together.”
“W-what?”
Startled by her own voice, Arabelle quickly covered her mouth with her hands and tried to speak calmly.
“If someone sees Your Majesty...”
“Ah, right. I hadn't thought of that. I forgot I came in secretly through the passage.”
As the Emperor’s face moved away, Arabelle subconsciously let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“I'm not at ease, so I’ll tell the commander to post guards. Then you can walk safely as long as you like. Wait here a moment; I'll give the orders.”
As the Emperor turned to leave, his mouth twitched as if trying to suppress a smile. Arabelle grabbed the edge of his sleeve.
Without looking up, she cautiously confessed.
“Your Majesty, p-please don't.”
The long, firm fingers of the Emperor’s index and middle fingers gently lifted Arabelle's chin.
Seeing her light brown eyes caught in his crimson ones without asking any questions, Arabelle quietly confessed,
“...I'm waiting for Millie.”
Now, with her eyes and the tip of her nose blushing red, Arabelle hurriedly added,
“I sent her on an errand outside the palace... We can't leave the palace, so I asked Millie to do it.”
“You sent her on an errand...?”
“Yes...”
“What kind of errand was it?”
“That, that's...”
As she stammered, unable to come up with an answer, Arabelle's lips began to tremble slightly.
“You sent her to get the milk honey buns from that dessert café we visited last time in the capital.”
The Emperor provided the answer for her, and Arabelle looked up at him blankly.
The Emperor's hand, gently holding her chin, moved up and down, making her nod.
“And your maid, Millie, had no choice but to scale the wall and go to the café in the capital at your command.”
As the Emperor finished speaking, he moved his hand again, making Arabelle nod.
“An aristocratic lady who sent her maid out to get pastries has broken the rules of the palace. Do you acknowledge this?”
Even without the Emperor's hand moving, Arabelle's head nodded on its own.
“Having committed a great offense... even I, as the Emperor, cannot overlook this. You must be punished.”
As the Emperor shook his head and sighed, Arabelle's round eyes drooped further, and she lowered her head in resignation.
He hadn't meant to tease her this much. The Emperor’s red eyes sparkled with satisfaction as he looked down at the top of her head. The sight of her fumbling with a lie, even though she couldn't lie, made him feel warm and ticklish in the pit of his stomach.
He felt so much love that he wanted to cherish and protect her, yet he also wanted to devour her whole, with his mouth watering at the thought. The urge to keep her locked in his chamber for days, teasing and then comforting her, came over him dozens of times a day—a desire the woman before him would never know.
The Emperor's fingers lifted Arabelle's chin once more.
“Prepare yourself for the punishment. It won't end with just a kiss on the lips today.”
As the Emperor's lips met her soft, cool lips, warming them, he began to administer the sweetest punishment in the world to the sinner before him.
---
“How... how did this happen...?”
Covered in sweat, Millie stood, looking at her younger siblings who had rushed into her arms.
Having secretly left the palace, Millie ran frantically to Baron Veron’s mansion.
"The plaything of Baron Veron."
Grace's words echoed in her ears, shaking Millie with fury. Even so, she felt helpless, overwhelmed by her inability to do anything for her sister, and she ran without stopping.
But when she arrived, the main gate of Baron Veron's mansion was wide open, and the doors of the mansion itself were ajar, revealing an empty interior.
As she tried to sneak in through the back door used for cargo wagons, she found that she could simply walk through the front entrance; there was no one to stop her.
“Adele...”
A dreadful feeling that Baron Veron had taken Adele somewhere washed over Millie as she frantically looked around.
“Who are you?”
A man, carrying an armful of lumber, emerged from the garden and noticed Millie.
“This... this place...”
Unable to find her voice, Millie stammered, but the man, observing her, spoke quietly, as if he had already guessed she was another victim of Baron Veron.
“You don’t have to worry about Baron Veron. His title has been revoked, and he’ll be rotting in jail for a long time.
All his property, including this mansion, has been confiscated by the empire. All the servants here have scattered. I heard even their debts were cleared, so that's good news, isn't it?”
After bowing in gratitude to the man, Millie ran breathlessly to the slums where her youngest sister, Mary, lived. Luckily, she managed to hitch a ride on a carriage and reached the slums, only to come to a sudden stop at the entrance.
The slum, which had reeked of sewage and decay, with its rows of dilapidated and sunken shacks, had vanished... It was as if it had never existed.
Construction materials were piled on the flattened ground, indicating that work was underway during the day.
"The orphaned minors who lived here have been moved to St. Helena's Convent."
As soon as the patrolling soldier finished speaking, Millie ran to the nearby St. Helena's Convent.
Guided by a young nun, Millie entered the dining hall on the first floor and saw a few girls studying with an elderly nun.
"Sister!"
"Big sister!"
Adele and Mary ran into Millie's arms, hugging her tightly as she stood frozen in place.
Their once sunken cheeks had filled out, their frightened eyes now sparkled with confidence, and their chapped lips were smiling happily. It felt strange, but they were unmistakably her sisters.
Millie's dry eyes blinked rapidly as she hugged her two sisters with all her strength.
***
"Y-Your Majesty, if someone sees us... Oh..."
Her lips were swallowed up by his large ones, and she couldn't finish her sentence, letting out a soft sound instead.
She felt anxious, worried they might be discovered by the ladies or soldiers in the palace, but her body couldn't stop responding, making sounds she'd never made before.
No, instead, her body trembled from the overwhelming sensations he gave her, clinging tightly to the Emperor's neck, unable to pull away.
It felt like her mouth was on fire, the heat spreading even to her ears.
As the long, thick flame of his tongue claimed every corner of her mouth, tingling sensations spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
When the Emperor's Adam's apple bobbed, Arabelle's slender shoulders trembled in unison, matching his breath.
Day by day, the lessons the Emperor taught her about the interactions between lovers grew more explicit and extensive. Not just her lips, but every tender part of her body blossomed with red heat under the Emperor's touch.
His soft lips and hands, which persistently claimed her neck, slowly moved lower, spreading warmth. His large hands, teaching her they weren't just for holding, ignited places she hadn't imagined.
When the chilling sensations made her feel like she was losing her mind, Arabelle would let out small sobs. The Emperor's red lips would then brush against the fine hair of her earlobe, whispering words only she could hear, soothing her with kisses.
When Arabelle's head tilted slightly as she grabbed the Emperor's dark hair with her slender fingers, stars seemed to pour into her round eyes from the night sky.
As if to prevent her from even looking at the sky while they were together, the Emperor's large hand cradled the back of her head, pulling her into his embrace.
***
She thought she had been sitting on the Emperor's lap, but at some point, she found herself standing between a wall and the Emperor.
Or rather, she was leaning against the wall, clinging to the Emperor.
"If you're already exhausted, how will we spend our wedding night? My restraint, which I've held back for so long, will shatter that night."
His whispers, falling along with his hot breath below her collarbone, were spine-chilling.
Arabelle felt both resentful and strangely needy for the Emperor, who mercilessly broke her down, whenever his warmth left her, even for a moment. Her inconsistency made her shiver with frustration.
"My fiancée's body reacts so beautifully in my hands that I can't stop."
As the Emperor teased her openly, tears welled up in Arabelle's eyes, and she pushed against his shoulder. The Emperor chuckled from his throat, gently holding her small frame in his arms, patting her comfortingly.
"Sorry, sorry."
As he tried to calm his own body, which was on the brink of losing control, the Emperor gently kissed the crown of Arabelle's head. He worried they might end up in the bridal chamber before the wedding ceremony and competition was even over.
The Emperor's red eyes hardened for a moment as he pressed his lips against her head.
He placed a long finger on Arabelle's lips and spoke softly.
"It seems the maid who was keeping watch has returned."
Arabelle pressed her ear against the wall but heard nothing. She looked at the Emperor quietly.
However, as he predicted, soon there were light footsteps approaching.
Thud, thump, thud.
Millie appeared, landing on the ground after jumping over the wall.
"Millie."
Arabelle called Millie's name softly, and Millie turned to face Arabelle. The Emperor had already hidden himself in the shadows.
"Did everything go well?"
Arabelle asked with a gentle smile, approaching Millie. But then, large tears began to fall from Millie's eyes, which were always fiercely open.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Arabelle clasped Millie's hands, concerned. Millie's small sobs quickly turned into loud crying.
She hadn't cried once since her life had been mortgaged to Baron Varon and the loan sharks at the age of thirteen because of her father's debt.
"My lady... sniff, sniff... my lady..."
"Yes, what is it? Are you hurt?"
As Arabelle's voice filled with concern, Millie's sobs grew louder.
Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she struggled to speak through her tears.
"Sob... Adele and Mary... sniff, sniff... they're my sisters... wail..."
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