CHAPTER 113
Two mornings before the wedding.
“Head maid! Your Majesty... Your Majesty...!”
Two young maids ran screaming into the sitting room connected to the Empress's bedroom.
They were the new maids who had joined the Empress's bedroom team yesterday.
Vera's face paled as she looked at the maids running out of the bedroom.
“What happened to make you look like you've seen a ghost?”
The problem was that they hadn't seen anyone, not that they had seen a ghost.
“Her Majesty the Empress is not in her bedroom!”
“The dress we prepared for her to wear this morning is still hanging there.”
The maids stomped their feet and made a fuss as they answered Vera's question.
They had entered the bedroom at the time when the Empress should be waking up, but there was no one there.
It was impossible for the Empress to go for an early morning walk or leave the bedroom.
Moreover, all three of the maids who followed the Empress like shadows and Millie were present.
Vera and Dina were picking out new curtain fabrics for the sitting room and bedroom balcony, while Rosa and Millie were preparing a light breakfast in the drawing room.
“What if she’s been kidnapped...?”
“We must inform the guards immediately!”
If there was a problem with the Empress’s safety, the dedicated maids wouldn’t be safe either.
Until it was determined that the late Empress Catherine's death was natural, all the maids, servants, and guards who had served her had been imprisoned in the underground dungeons.
“Stop right there!”
Vera stopped the maids who were about to run to the guards at the door.
“Don’t make a fuss, check if the water in the bedroom bathtub has cooled. And don't forget to add jojoba oil, which is good for muscle relaxation.”
The calm expression on Vera's face made the maids' mouths go dry.
Come to think of it, the other maids were also working as if nothing had happened.
The Empress, who should be in bed, had disappeared without a trace, yet the head maid and the closest maids didn’t even bat an eyelash.
Rebellion…!
A sense of foreboding arose, feeling that they, the newcomers, might take all the blame if something went wrong.
The two young maids exchanged trembling glances, and Vera gave a loud order.
“What are you doing? Her Majesty would want to bathe before breakfast, so prepare quickly. Dina and Millie, go and attend to Her Majesty.”
The headmaid must be crazy. She spoke as if the Empress was still in the bedroom.
The two maids stood motionless, stunned, while Dina and Millie passed them and entered the bedroom.
“What are you doing? Hurry up. We need to rush because of the tea party after lunch today.”
Rosa's voice, lightly pushing their backs, had a hint of laughter in it.
“Ah...!”
“Sorry for screaming, Your Majesty...”
Following Dina and Millie into the bedroom, the two maids let out short screams.
Their eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the bed.
On the bed that had been empty until moments ago...
The Empress was leaning her upper body against the headboard.
The Empress, who had been nowhere to be found, not even in the bathroom or on the balcony, was undoubtedly there.
With her cheeks lightly flushed, Arabelle raised a small hand to greet them.
The large eyes of the Empress, who couldn’t lie, trembled slightly.
“Your Majesty...”
One maid opened her lips to ask where she had been, but
“Your Majesty, you must take a bath. You used your muscles so much last night... No, no, I mean, your muscles might have stiffened while you slept, so we have prepared warm water for you to soak in.”
Dina quickly supported the Empress and led her to the bathroom.
“Bathing Her Majesty is our responsibility, so please tidy up the bedroom.”
Holding a silk robe, Millie told the maids her age before heading to the bathroom.
The bathroom door closed firmly in front of the maids, who stood in the bedroom, stunned, mouths agape.
The bedroom was just as it had been tidied up last night.
After straightening the slightly disheveled bedding and coming out to the sitting room, the door connected to the corridor opened.
The two maids quickly bowed their heads as they saw the long legs entering through the opened door.
“I came to have breakfast together.”
“Breakfast is prepared in the drawing room. It's the place where the morning sunlight is the softest. Her Majesty is bathing, so please wait for a moment.”
Vera guided the Emperor to the drawing room.
Peeking up while still bowing, the two maids saw the Emperor for the first time.
Their cheeks turned red as if on cue, having never had a chance to see the Emperor before.
Though they had heard the rumors endlessly, they hadn’t realized how perfect he would look.
His noble forehead, a high bridge of his nose that balanced it out, a clean philtrum below the sharp bridge, and lips elegant as a seagull’s wings, flowing down to a manly jawline that seemed almost unreal.
The Emperor’s face boasted flawless proportions and harmonious symmetry as if crafted by a genius mathematician and a master sculptor working together.
The young maids couldn’t help but gulp as they took in his smoothly extended neck above the uniform collar and his lean silhouette without an ounce of excess fat.
Even under the moderately roomy daily clothes, the Emperor’s muscles clearly stood out.
As they watched in a daze, the Emperor's back disappeared into the drawing room...
“Lower your eyes while you still can.”
A low voice that sent shivers down their spines reached the two maids' ears.
Their gaze, fixed on the Emperor’s rear, was quickly blocked.
Rosa, who had a physique comparable to the Emperor's, stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at them with fierce eyes.
***
Just as Vera had said, the drawing room window’s direction was perfect for catching the soft morning sunlight.
The tender golden light gently caressed Arabelle's cheeks, freshly out of the bath.
Seated across from the Emperor, Arabelle’s cheeks were flushed a deep pink.
She wasn’t sure if it was from just having come out of the warm bath or if it was due to the lingering memories of last night's passion, moments still imprinted on her body.
Or perhaps it was because of the Emperor’s red eyes tracing her lips from across the table.
No matter how hard she tried to clear her thoughts, her cheeks treacherously burned hotter.
For Arabelle, the morning after was more embarrassing than the night spent with the Emperor.
To be honest, she had no time to feel embarrassed when spending the night with the Emperor. Throughout the night, the Emperor consumed all of Arabelle’s shyness and reason.
The problem was that as her mind cleared in the morning, the events of the previous night vividly returned to her.
Especially when sitting face-to-face for breakfast like this, meeting his gaze was even harder.
Embarrassed, Arabelle hurriedly took a sip of tea, only to flinch as her chapped lips and sore mouth stung, causing her shoulders to tremble.
“Oh dear, is the tea too hot?”
“N-no, it’s not.”
Arabelle shook her head, but the Emperor’s low laughter tickled her ears.
At that moment, she was reminded of the Emperor’s breath that had fallen all over her body throughout the night.
Watching Arabelle, her face now blushing up to her forehead, the Emperor picked up a peach covered in fine fuzz.
Her cheeks looked even more luscious and inviting than the ripe, deep pink peach, making his mouth water.
Though he had tasted her all night, his thirst returned so quickly.
The Emperor inwardly clicked his tongue at his endless desire.
The emperor took a bite of the peach, his eyes never leaving Arabelle. The clear juice staining his red lips reminded her of the emperor's lips that had marked her body from her neck to the deepest parts last night. Remembering where his lips had finally rested, Arabelle's large eyes quickly fell.
Her face showed every thought. She would never be boring to watch all day long. The emperor smiled, watching her large eyes wander aimlessly. However, this moment wasn't entirely comfortable for the emperor either. While it was delightful to have breakfast with his beloved wife...
Watching Arabelle's innocent face, which knew nothing of lies, was a kind of torture. He had to hold his right hand with his left to prevent himself from sending away all the servants attending them immediately. His urge to quench his thirst by enveloping her lips and laying her soft body on the table was almost unbearable.
He deeply regretted agreeing to her request. He had never known regret until this moment.
"During the wedding period, I want to wake up in my own bedroom," Arabelle had said, clenching her tiny fists with a determined look on her face.
The emperor, known across the continent for his self-control, restraint, and patience, was nothing but a brazen beast when with his wife, seizing every opportunity to deepen their marital bond, day or night.
If this continued, Arabelle wouldn’t be able to wear her wedding dress, with its neckline exposing her neck, or even stay awake during the ceremony. Arabelle’s maid, Vera, and Baroness Rosalind had to devise a countermeasure in the empty bedroom of the absent empress.
That night, Arabelle rejected the emperor, who sought to share the morning with her.
Even without Vera and Baroness Rosalind's input, Arabelle, who had been waking up in the emperor's bed since their private wedding, realized that the intimate moments of the night didn't end with the morning. While the emperor went about his daily duties with vigor, Arabelle would fall back asleep in his bed, waking up to find the morning had slipped away.
Seeing her struggling with sleep during a banquet with diplomatic couples, the emperor softened. Arabelle took advantage of that moment of weakness to secure his promise.
Despite suspecting that Vera and Baroness Rosalind might have coached Arabelle, the guilty emperor reluctantly nodded.
The agreement was that during the wedding period, Arabelle would return to her bedroom before morning and they would abstain from marital affection during the day.
Following his promise, the emperor had to use the secret passage to carry Arabelle back to her bedroom. Though they could have used the main doors, it would have meant Arabelle, exhausted from their nighttime activities, would have to walk down the long corridor from the emperor's bedroom to hers.
For Arabelle, being carried through the palace corridors in the emperor's arms was unimaginable. Though she had been carried twice before, she had been in a deep sleep both times and had no memory of it.
The emperor's red eyes deepened as he watched her delicate fingers break apart a moist blueberry scone.
Remembering how he had comforted and reassured her last night, holding her delicate fingers as they intertwined, the emperor's already stiff lower body became even more uncomfortable.
He rubbed his long neck with his palm to maintain his resolve. When Arabelle saw his manly neck above the uniform collar, a flash of herself clinging to him and whining crossed her mind. She remembered burying her face in his chest and shaking her head while pleading.
"Getting bathed in the morning is so embarrassing. Even today, Vera and Dina were so shocked they forgot to breathe."
The emperor's low laughter fell on her crown.
"You could bathe here and then return to your room," he had whispered softly into her ear.
At that moment, what did she say...
Remembering her words to the emperor, Arabelle's face paled slightly.
"I can’t lift a finger... I'm so tired... It's because of you, Your Majesty... ugh..."
The emperor's hands had lifted her waist, seating her on his lap. He removed the sweat-drenched hair from her cheek, his lips lowering to the base of her neck.
"I’ll wash you myself, so what’s there to worry about?"
Seeing the eyes that glowed with fire, her vision blurred once more as flames enveloped her body.
She faintly recalled hearing the splashing of bathwater as she fell into a faint sleep.
When alone with the emperor, unbidden bouts of childishness and petulance she had never shown even to her parents would emerge. Flustered, she bit her lower lip slightly.
Touch.
The emperor’s lips gently covered hers, his hot flesh licking the strawberry jam from her lips before slowly pulling away, as if reluctant.
"I realized I hadn't greeted you this morning. It’s natural for a couple to greet each other in the morning, so I haven't broken any promises."
The emperor savored the sweet taste of strawberry jam on his tongue as Arabelle’s eyes turned into crescent moons, and she smiled softly.
The two maids, who had been secretly watching the emperor, now couldn’t take their eyes off Arabelle. They realized that the sight of a woman in love was breathtakingly beautiful.
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