CHAPTER 127
It was on their way back from the Garden of Light.
A small voice murmured from within his arms.
"Your Majesty, please put me down now..."
"Just until we reach the bedroom."
The Emperor tightened his grip around Arabelle, making it clear he had no intention of letting her go.
When the beast had leaped onto the table in the darkness if he had reacted just a moment later…
The cool air seeped through the tear in his uniform and touched his skin.
It was only for a brief moment, but for the first time, a shiver-like chill swept over his entire body and then disappeared.
He had almost lost Arabelle again.
The Emperor’s palm gently cupped her small face.
His long fingers slowly traced over Arabelle’s forehead, eyelids, cheeks, and lips.
It was as if he was trying to confirm that she was really there in his arms.
He could only feel at ease if he held her like this every day for the rest of his life.
The Emperor’s gaze lowered to take in the sight of her head buried against his chest.
His eyes gleamed as if something had come to mind.
He remembered women on the battlefield who had carried babies in slings on their shoulders.
If he made it bigger and stronger, it might be possible.
He imagined the shocked expression on Arabelle’s face if she saw such a sling.
But his mind was always full of ideas.
Not all of them could be called sensible, though.
If he made it from the finest silk and decorated it with the rarest jewels and embroidery, it might just work.
First, if it became a trend among the nobles, Arabelle might accept it naturally.
As he got excited about the idea of creating the most beautiful sling on the continent,
"Your Majesty put me down."
A more resolute voice pulled the Emperor back to reality.
His red eyes met Arabelle’s light brown gaze.
"Many people were killed or injured. It doesn’t make sense for me to return to the palace in your arms without a scratch while under the protection of you and the Guard."
For a moment, the Emperor’s eyebrow twitched.
"I understand that your heart is heavy because of the casualties, but I don’t want people to misunderstand your feelings because you’re taking care of me."
At Arabelle’s words, the Emperor’s eyebrow twitched again.
It was true that he wasn’t pleased that the Garden of Light, which he had gifted to Arabelle, was ruined.
But as for the casualties tonight…
He hadn’t thought about them.
He quietly observed Arabelle’s round eyes, which were welling up with tears as she thought about the victims.
It felt like he had been hit over the head with something.
The mere thought that he could have lost Arabelle made his spine tingle…
But he realized that those who died today were also precious to someone.
Up until now, he hadn’t concerned himself with people who weren’t of direct use to the Empire’s glory.
To him, they were just pawns in a chess game.
Pawns are to be used when needed and discarded when not.
He believed he was granting them the honor of repaying the favor of living as citizens of the Empire.
He had even less interest in people who weren’t connected to Heltered, like the performers from Semper.
But because of the woman in his arms, he had come to understand the sorrow of both those who had departed and those left behind.
The Emperor stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the Fourth Guard Division that followed him.
He slowly asked Sir Benji,
"How many casualties in the unit?"
"Five in total, Your Majesty."
In the past, he would have been satisfied with such a small number.
That’s when he considered soldiers as mere numbers.
"Give them the same treatment as those who fought in battle. Bring the families to the capital for the funeral and provide them with compensation befitting war heroes."
The eyes of Sir Benji and the unit members filled with emotion.
They had been worried about how the deaths of their comrades would be recorded.
Soldiers who died in service to the Empire were treated differently. They could have a proper funeral, and their families were generously compensated.
However, the soldiers who died today lost their lives not on a battlefield but in a garden within the palace.
Though they had fallen fighting a beast, military law strictly stated that they hadn’t died in battle.
Without the Emperor’s command, the five soldiers would have been classified as having died in a "disturbance" within the palace and been categorized as "miscellaneous."
Sir Jacob and Sir Peter, who were quietly observing the Emperor, felt a stir in their eyes.
They had never thought of the father and son as alike.
Emperor Maxwell and his father, Crown Prince Luca.
Maxwell, who had everything yet was deficient in emotion.
Perhaps that was why he had led the Empire to its greatest era of prosperity.
With nothing precious to him, he never hesitated or feared losing anything, not even his own life.
His only goal was to make the Empire the strongest on the continent under his rule.
The reason was simple. It wasn’t for the advancement of humanity or to honor the achievements of his ancestors.
He believed that since he was the best, his Empire should be the best as well.
It was self-assured confidence, bordering on arrogance.
His goal was the only thing that moved him; he cared for nothing else.
If something served his purpose, he kept it; if not, he discarded it without hesitation.
But now, that Emperor was beginning to change.
When the Emperor told Advisor Kyle, “Collaborate with the Sempher delegation to ensure the deceased troupe members can return to their homeland. Provide generous support for the funeral arrangements,” it felt as though he was hearing the voice of Prince Luka, who always prioritized people.
For the first time, the image of the 26-year-old Emperor overlapped with that of Prince Luka, eternally preserved at 26.
The two loyal knights hurriedly turned their heads to hide their reddened eyes.
***
Sir Jacob and Sir Peter headed back to the grand hall. The wedding, now truly imminent, was set for tomorrow. Despite the unsettling recent events, which left them feeling uneasy, it only emphasized the importance of heightened security.
As the two knights hastened across the outdoor corridor, a slender figure appeared in the distance. At first, they mistook him for a woman, but upon closer inspection, they realized it was a young man. Recognizing him, Sir Jacob and Sir Peter greeted him warmly.
“Well, if it isn’t Sir Theo!”
“How have you been?”
Sir Theo respectfully bowed his head to the two knights, who were friends of his father.
With a wink, Sir Peter teased, “You’ve been out of sight for a while. We were worried His Majesty might have exiled you.”
“What do you mean?” Theo asked.
“Oh, Sir Theo was the dance instructor for Her Majesty the Empress. But soon after, His Majesty took over and taught her himself,” Peter said with a grin.
“So you were wondering if Sir Theo was exiled afterward? Ha, ha. That’s something His Majesty might very well do. Ha, ha, ha,” Jacob chimed in.
“Don’t be too relaxed just yet. His Majesty is rather persistent, you know. Ho, ho, ho.”
Theo flinched slightly at the uncles' teasing.
“Please refrain from such dire jokes. The mere thought of that night in the private chamber still makes my knees weak.”
Teaching the Empress to dance had made him feel more at risk than facing dozens of enemies alone on the battlefield. Well, at least the experience allowed him to dance to his heart’s content while undercover in the Kingdom of Chatelle.
As promised, the Emperor appointed Sir Theo as the Empire’s envoy to Chatelle. Coinciding with this, an alluring dancer had taken the Chatelle dance scene by storm, her identity shrouded in mystery. The diplomatic mission returned to the Empire after five months, and the enigmatic dancer vanished just as suddenly as she had appeared. Rumor had it that one of the envoys, having fallen in love with the dancer, took her back to the Empire.
Sir Jacob eyed Theo’s thin frame with concern. Theo was the sole heir of the Mekere family, renowned for their mighty warriors who could slay bears with a single blow. But unlike his burly father, uncles, and cousins, Theo was not only small and slender but almost delicate in appearance.
“Don’t worry, sir. I may look like this, but I can finish three servings in one meal. Didn’t you always say, sir, that while I might not be able to knock out a bear with one hand, I’m so quick and agile that I could tire the bear out and then finish it off? Ha, ha.”
Theo flashed a broad smile, as if reading Sir Jacob’s mind. Sir Jacob, remembering his time teaching Theo at the academy, joined in the laughter.
“What brings you to the palace at this hour?”
Sir Peter’s question made Theo scratch the back of his head.
“His Majesty summoned me. I think it’s about the dance at tomorrow’s wedding reception. He asked me to observe Her Majesty’s dancing.”
The two knights nodded in understanding.
“Be sure to avoid any unnecessary physical contact with Her Majesty. A misstep might really get you exiled. Ha, ha.”
“I’d avoid it if I could. I brought three pairs of gloves with me. I plan to wear all three at once while teaching her to dance, just in case.”
As they bantered, Theo glanced around, lowering his voice.
“I heard some disturbing things on my way in. Are they true?”
The two knights exchanged glances. Though a gag order had been issued, such things were never fully kept under wraps. Even if all the guards maintained their silence, they couldn’t keep everyone in the garden from talking. Already, today’s events, likely embellished with additional details, were spreading throughout the Empire and beyond. By the time the rumors reached the northernmost parts of the continent, the Emperor would have become a god who single-handedly slew five wolves.
Nodding in response to Theo’s question, the atmosphere between the three became somber.
“It’s true that King Ator is being held in the palace, isn’t it?” Theo asked.
“Yes,” Jacob replied. “Honestly, I was surprised myself.”
“I never expected His Majesty to deal with King Ator so harshly. Frankly, we were all taken aback.”
As the two knights confirmed Theo’s suspicions, a frown appeared on Theo’s face.
Being well-versed in external affairs, Theo whispered cautiously, “People outside are talking more about the relationship between the Empire and Sempher than the appearance of the monsters. They’re saying that without the Emperor’s protection, Sempher will soon become prey for the powerful nations.”
“Rumors have already begun to spread?” Jacob and Peter raised their voices in unison.
Sempher, though militarily weak, was a strategically vital ally to the Empire. As everyone knew, the route from Sempher to the Imperial capital was the fastest and most convenient. Furthermore, the Empire relied on Sempher’s territory when expanding westward. Helterde hadn’t absorbed Sempher mainly because of a centuries-old debt of gratitude. Hundreds of years ago, the Imperial throne was in crisis, both internally and externally. The 14th Emperor had suddenly begun showing signs of madness, and the Empire was losing ground to the allied forces in the war. Sempher was the only ally that remained loyal to the Empire.
A royal physician sent by Sempher discovered that the Emperor had been poisoned, enabling his recovery and the Empire’s eventual victory. Since then, the Helterde Imperial family had acted as the protector of the Sempher royal family, fostering a close relationship that continues to this day.
The Emperor’s actions were uncharacteristic. Every word and gesture from the Emperor was usually calculated to perfection. Even if he suspected the Sempher royal family, he wouldn’t have humiliated King Ator so publicly. A man as measured as the Emperor would have calmed King Ator’s concerns while secretly conducting a thorough investigation.
It wasn’t like him to let emotions dictate his decisions, even if the garden he had gifted his wife was destroyed. His actions had not only damaged the trust between the two nations but had also provided an enticing opportunity for the powerful nations waiting to pounce on Sempher.
Could it be that love had clouded his judgment?
Shaking his head slightly, Sir Theo quickly made his way to the Emperor’s quarters.
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