CHAPTER 007
“The livestock wailing at the break of dawn sends chills down my spine.”
“I never knew cows could bellow that loudly.”
“It’s not just the livestock but all the animals and birds in the mountains crying out in competition. My eardrums are throbbing...”
The Emperor’s elite guards muttered quietly among themselves. On the dimly lit mountain path at dawn, they held their reins tightly, maintaining vigilance. The guards and soldiers, who had just left the village, were tense and crossing the forest, puzzled by the sudden uproar from the animals.
Even the Emperor’s white horse, renowned for its bravery in battle, seemed agitated by the eerie cries of various wild animals deep in the forest, frequently stumbling.
The Emperor had a suspicion about the cause of this commotion. He turned his gaze to the adjacent carriage.
Through a small glass window, large eyes peeked out and met the Emperor’s. As soon as the baby deer’s eyes met the Emperor’s, it quickly disappeared inside.
Furrowing his brow, the Emperor looked away, but soon, he was glancing sideways at the window. Tear-filled, light brown eyes reappeared, and a small hand began to wave frantically.
Surely, it wasn’t waving to greet the Emperor...
As the small hand moved tentatively, the unseen animals in the dense forest seemed to cry out even louder.
A flock of dark birds, barely visible, flapped into the dawning sky, circled above the carriage, and then vanished.
It seemed that not only the village livestock but even the wild animals sensed her departure and were causing an unprecedented ruckus.
‘Now that you’re a mother, you must be extra careful when participating in races. By the time you return, the twins will have grown a lot.’
These were the words Arabelle had spoken while hugging the mare that had given birth to two foals after a difficult night in the stable.
Arabelle, who had held the two newborn foals in her arms and even named them, was now causing a stir among the animals as she left the manor, crossed the village, and entered the forest.
As the sounds of the livestock gradually faded, the sorrowful cries of wild animals and birds from the hills behind the manor continued incessantly, keeping the Emperor’s guards on edge.
Unlike the animals causing a noisy commotion, her family showed no signs of reluctance in letting her go.
The eyes of Arabelle’s sisters and cousins were filled with envy and jealousy towards her, who was going to the Imperial Palace alone.
Despite the generous compensation they received, Baron Kander and Arabelle’s father, Jonathan, seemed indifferent to whether Arabelle went to the palace as a candidate for Empress or was sold off as a slave.
The small bundle she brought down from the attic room, not even a proper bedroom but the maids’ quarters, was all the luggage she had.
“Let’s go.”
As the Emperor recalled Arabelle’s tearful face, constantly looking back and sobbing, he felt a bitter taste and pulled the reins to increase the speed.
As the Emperor sped up, the carriage and guards matched his pace, galloping unimpeded through the dawn mountain path.
After a while, when they were about to leave Baron Kander’s domain and enter a new territory, the Emperor slowed down.
“I need to rest my eyes for a moment, so I’ll ride in the carriage.”
The Emperor’s words left his right-hand man, Commander Jacob, and his left-hand man, Deputy Commander Paul, wide-eyed in surprise.
It was extremely rare, almost unheard of, for the Emperor to ride in a carriage. Maxwell had only ridden in a carriage once since becoming Emperor, during a trip to attend a state event, where he was attacked by assassins.
Since then, the Emperor had always traveled on horseback, rain or shine, to stay vigilant against potential attacks.
What was even more surprising was that the carriage now held only a young noblewoman, without a chaperone.
Until now, the Emperor had never created an opportunity to be alone with a woman. He knew well that any resulting scandal would be politically exploited.
Moreover, the Emperor despised ‘small talk’ with noblewomen. He considered idle conversations about the weather or daily meals to be a waste of time.
Perhaps that’s why he had never arranged private meetings with the Empress candidates. He believed that marrying the winner of the selection was merely fulfilling one of his duties as Emperor.
‘Should I have Arabelle ride a horse while His Majesty rests in the carriage?’
Sensing Jacob’s dilemma, the Emperor preempted him.
“There’s only one carriage, and I can’t let the lady ride a horse. It looks like it might rain soon. There’s no choice but to ask for her understanding and rest briefly in the carriage.”
Jacob and Paul simultaneously looked up at the clear autumn sky. It was a sunny day with no sign of rain.
Knock.
A knock sounded from the suddenly halted carriage door, and then it opened. Arabelle hastily wiped her tears and adjusted her posture as she watched the Emperor enter.
“What brings you...?”
Her eyes were red from crying, Arabelle asked, and Maxwell replied somewhat gruffly.
“I may be healed, but my body is still stiff and easily fatigued. If it’s not too much trouble, I came to rest briefly.”
The Emperor placed a hand conspicuously on his abdomen as he spoke, and Arabelle’s eyes filled with concern.
The Emperor felt oddly pleased by the round eyes looking at him with such worry, and the corners of his usually stern mouth lifted slightly.
He had never tolerated anyone pitying or feeling sorry for him. No one had ever looked at him that way. He was the strongest ruler who possessed everything.
But the girl’s concerned gaze... inexplicably warmed a corner of his heart.
However.
“To ensure you can rest well, I will leave. I can ride a horse just fine.”
Arabelle’s words as she stood up quickly soured the Emperor’s mood.
“Do you wish to spread rumors of me being a heartless Emperor who evicts a lady from her carriage on a weary journey?”
“N-no, I wasn’t thinking...”
“I’ll just rest my eyes for a moment, so don’t mind me and rest as well.”
When the Emperor scolded her, Arabelle shook her head and sat down again. Sitting on the opposite bench, the Emperor crossed his long legs and closed his eyes, signaling the procession to resume with a knock on the carriage wall.
‘I came in because she was crying.’
Maxwell’s closed eyes furrowed slightly. He had never concerned himself with anyone’s tears before. That was the other person’s problem, not his.
Many clever young ladies had tried to shed tears at the right moments to gain his attention, but they soon realized it wouldn’t work on him. He would pass by indifferently without even offering a handkerchief.
The Emperor tilted his chin slightly and gazed at Arabelle. He was practically giving her an opportunity to speak to him, but the young lady sat with her head down, fidgeting with her fingers on her lap.
‘When in the same space as the Emperor, shouldn’t she be trying to catch his interest by saying something?
The weather, how the capital is, even what to eat for lunch—there are plenty of topics to talk about. The Emperor, disliking the silence in the carriage, grumbled internally.
‘For a young lady of marriageable age, being alone in a confined space with the Emperor should be the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet she says she’ll leave.’
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
***
Through the thinly curtained window, the morning sunlight gently shone on the Emperor’s face.
Gathering her courage, Arabelle’s wide eyes slowly took in the Emperor’s face, which appeared to be asleep. It was like looking at a masterpiece that a great artist dedicated to God, the closest depiction of divinity.
Every aspect of the Emperor exuded sharpness and restrained elegance.
His bangs were slightly long, but the back was neatly trimmed, giving his glossy black hair a tidy look. Under his broad forehead, his thick, dark eyebrows were well-defined, and his long, lush eyelashes lay over closed eyelids.
His high, smooth nose gave his face perfect proportions, and his moderately large, red lips exuded an intellectual and seductive aura. It was the first time she understood the unfamiliar word ‘sexy’ that Margot had mentioned.
His sharp jawline wasn’t light; it displayed a masculine strength, and his olive-toned, healthy bronze skin reminded her of his prowess in leading the Empire to victory in war.
It was astonishing to see such a striking face sleeping right in front of her, something she couldn’t even dream of.
When her gaze lingered on his long, straight neck, Arabelle quickly turned her eyes to the window. Remembering the Emperor’s naked form from the other morning, her face flushed, and she covered it with both hands.
Not believing what was happening to her, she pinched her cheek lightly. It stung, so it didn’t seem to be a dream.
Arabelle looked out the window at the smooth, well-maintained road on which the Emperor’s procession was traveling and thought,
The Emperor had an overwhelming charisma that could instill fear, just as the rumors said. Especially when his red eyes, which seemed to see through everything, gazed at her, it felt like her heart was tied to a heavyweight and dropped.
However... Arabelle placed her hands over her heart and smiled faintly.
‘He’s a good person.’
He could have taken her away forcibly, but he respected her opinion. He even elevated her to an Empress candidate to reward her for her help.
Arabelle silently prayed that the Emperor’s curse would be lifted so that he could marry the most noble and beautiful lady in the Empire, befitting his stature, and that she could somehow be of help to the kind Emperor who even yielded his carriage.
Soon after, her small head began to nod up and down.
She had been awake for two nights, and her exhausted mind could no longer resist the pull of sleep, though she remained in a stiff, upright posture, still tense.
Reflected in the sunlight, the golden-red eyes watched Arabelle’s head bobbing up and down. Trying not to pay attention, the Emperor closed his eyes again but then opened them.
He picked up a nearby blanket, bent over, and carefully placed it over Arabelle’s lap. Yet, seemingly dissatisfied, he furrowed his brow and looked down at her as her head kept nodding.
If he gently pushed her shoulder, she could lie down and sleep comfortably on the bench. Hesitating for a moment, Maxwell moved closer to Arabelle and brought his index and middle fingers to her left shoulder.
As he began to push her shoulder to lay her down, the carriage suddenly jolted, possibly hitting a large stone it hadn’t noticed. The carriage bounced up high and then fell.
Losing his balance from the unexpected jolt, Maxwell, who had intended to push Arabelle’s shoulder gently with two fingers, ended up pushing with his palm, and... fell onto Arabelle’s body as she toppled sideways.
Startled, Arabelle’s eyes flew open and met the red eyes looking down at her.
Their eyes met in shock, but so did their bodies, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle.
Stretching his long arms, the Emperor raised his upper body off Arabelle.
As if she expected him to get up, Arabelle, her forehead flushed, began to sit up too, but the Emperor didn’t move further. His red eyes stopped moving, fixed on her slightly parted pink lips in surprise.
When his gaze traveled back up to her large eyes, Arabelle’s shoulders started to tremble. It was the same look of hunger she had seen in the cave in the mountains. Somehow, it was more terrifying than a wild beast’s.
With one corner of his mouth lifted, the Emperor bent his arms and pressed down gently on her small frame, making Arabelle shut her eyes tightly.
“If you avoid my gaze once more, I don’t know what I’ll do. Open your eyes and look at me.”
The hoarse, raspy voice echoed in Arabelle’s ears.
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