CHAPTER 155
Side Story 4: From the Moment I Met You
The mountain behind Kander’s lord’s estate.
“Roaaar...”
A low groan echoed from between slack jaws.
In the crimson-tinged vision that dipped sideways, the dozens of spears embedded in the body came into view.
Blood flowed from the hind legs and sides, forming puddles on the ground.
A large, elongated black body twitched, trying to rise, but soon collapsed onto the grass once more.
Caught off guard.
Grinding his teeth, the Emperor trapped within the body of the black leopard fought to hold onto his fading consciousness.
This time, he had meant to finally end the lives of Count Laurel and the Northwestern Alliance, who had joined forces with him.
Count Laurel was a corrupt power broker who had built formidable influence in the southern region, thanks to the favor shown by the previous Emperor.
A loyalist who had saved Emperor Maxius's life during the war, he was now at the center of power abuse and corruption, but he couldn't be dealt with without just cause. A misstep could lead to disastrous consequences.
The Emperor feigned hospitality while meticulously gathering evidence. And then, they caught a big one.
"The Northwestern Alliance has joined forces with him. They plan to declare an independent kingdom centered around his estate."
This was the report from the Emperor's shadow army.
Their plan was to seize the southern region, where the central government's influence was weak, together with the Northwestern Alliance's army.
They had already brought in the Alliance’s new weapons and were strengthening their military by having troops cross the river.
They likely believed that, due to the region's characteristics, it would take the central army four days to arrive, giving them time to take control of the area.
Foolish and reckless.
The Emperor, upon hearing the report of their treasonous plan, had to restrain the corners of his lips from curling upward.
This time, he had the just cause he'd needed, so there was no longer any need to wait.
There was no need to send a separate army. His elite forces would be enough.
The Emperor gave the order:
"Prepare for a hunting trip."
Though the real targets of the Emperor's seasonal bear hunt were Count Laurel and the Northwestern Alliance, he set up camp deep in a remote mountain far south of Laurel's estate, to avoid arousing suspicion, and began the bear hunt.
A pained growl rumbled from deep within the thick neck of the black leopard.
It seemed the poison from the spears was spreading through the bloodstream.
The fading consciousness was more unbearable than the pain. He forced his eyelids open, trying to avoid succumbing to darkness.
The unexpected eclipse had triggered the curse.
To avoid being discovered in his transformed body, the Emperor fled deep into the mountain, far from the camp.
He had planned to hide in a cave for three days, but...
He encountered Count Corald.
Corald was tracking a beast with the imperial army on orders from the imperial family.
The irony made the Emperor laugh.
To think he would be killed by his own command.
If it had been an ordinary hunter, he could have easily shaken them off, but Corald was the continent's greatest beast hunter.
Using all his abilities and experience, Count Corald cornered the Emperor.
The original beast he had been hunting was long forgotten.
Ever since Crown Prince Luca was killed, Corald's sole target had been the black leopard.
Now that the leopard was before him, he couldn’t let it escape.
He vowed to either capture or kill it and present it to the Emperor.
Under Corald's command, the soldiers unleashed a simultaneous barrage of spears and arrows, inflicting severe wounds on the Emperor.
Luckily, a sudden downpour allowed him to escape, but this was the end of the line.
How futile it all seemed.
There had been countless times when he had to abandon his human form to survive on the battlefield, but he had never imagined he would truly die as a beast.
He clenched his jaws to keep from thinking of the word "pathetic."
A bitter smile formed on the lips that exhaled hot breaths.
He lay on the ground, pelted by the thick raindrops that stung like needles.
He no longer had the strength to rise on all fours.
But perhaps it was a relief.
Now, even if he died...
There was no one left to mourn him.
No one he had opened his heart to, so there would be no one to grieve for him...
No one would be left behind to suffer because of his loss.
He recited the words he had chanted like a spell since childhood.
Nothing and no one can hurt me. Nothing and no one can make me sad.
The heavy eyelids of the black leopard slowly closed.
At that moment,
A warm presence spread over his cooling body.
There were no words to describe it.
The indescribable warmth that suddenly spread through his entire being choked him up.
When he managed to lift his leaden eyelids, a pair of round, light brown eyes filled his vision.
Large eyes that seemed to take up most of a small, round face shimmered with emotion.
It wasn’t fear or disgust at seeing a beast. It was pure pity.
It was a gaze he had never received before. It was so sincere that it felt as if it reached deep into him, beyond his physical form, and it left him bewildered.
She was a small woman, so thin that she seemed frailer than the black leopard’s foreleg.
Instead of fleeing, she had approached him, knelt down, and now faced the beast head-on.
The Emperor blinked slowly in disbelief at the absurdity of it all.
He twitched his folded foreleg.
Slowly, he extended his sharp claws that could tear through armor.
He had to kill her.
She would surely go down to the village and report him.
The black leopard was the most dangerous beast in the Empire, designated by law. Anyone who found one was required to either report it immediately or kill it.
A great reward awaited those who contributed to capturing a black leopard, but those who aided or hid one would be severely punished.
A single swipe of his foreleg would end it cleanly.
No matter how weak he was, it would be nothing to take down the woman before him.
The Emperor tensed his shoulders as he watched the woman closely.
A small hand cradled his grotesquely distorted face.
Her clear eyes met his suspicious red ones without wavering.
“Don’t be afraid. It must hurt a lot, right? I’ll help you.”
Incredibly, with just a few words from the young woman...
Emotions he had thought severed rushed back in a torrent.
The pain from his body was nothing compared to the unbearable flood of feelings, and he turned his head away from the small hand that held him.
The woman gently stroked his tense ears and whispered softly.
“My name is Arabelle. I’ll stay with you until you get better. I’ll even give you a name.”
It was at that moment that Arabelle became the master of the beast.
***
The Beginning of the Couple's Long, Long Night
The night Arabelle crossed the Aether River and returned from the mythic world.
The lips he bit into were impossibly sweet.
Even as he savored them to his heart's content, he was filled with anxious impatience.
He had prided himself on having more patience and composure than anyone else in the world.
But as he cupped Arabelle's small face in his hands, the Emperor couldn't help but lament.
He parted her still shy lips and thoroughly explored them, quenching his thirst.
Once the thirst subsided, an insatiable hunger took its place, causing him to moan.
Before they even reached the bed, the Emperor showered his wife with kisses.
As Arabelle was gradually pushed back by his strength, the Emperor whispered to her.
"Wrap your arms around my neck."
Gasping breaths escaped from Arabelle’s slightly parted lips as she tried to catch her breath.
Her cheeks turned as red as a ripe peach.
The Emperor's throat bobbed as he restrained the urge to bite into her.
Unable to wait any longer, the Emperor lifted Arabelle vertically, holding her body close.
Their eyes met at the same level, locking together in mutual possession.
His deep red eyes, darkening to the point of explosion, seemed to burn away every strand of her hair.
And yet, she couldn’t look away. No, she didn’t want to.
Willingly, she plunged into his flames.
When his scorching lips bit into her delicate neck,
"Agh…"
A trembling sound escaped her already swollen lips.
It felt as though her entire body was being sucked into his burning lips. Her toes stretched rigidly within her stockings.
His large, slender fingers moved under her dress, creating ripples all over her body.
The rough, thick knuckles digging into her skin were so vivid that she shook her head.
The Emperor, as if he intended to swallow her very sobbing breath, seized her lips once more.
Without pausing in his kisses, he carried Arabelle to the bed.
It was the beginning of a long, long night for the couple.
– Belladonna, The Curse of a Beautiful Woman
Five months before the Emperor and Empress's wedding.
Crash.
The teacup in the Emperor's hand fell and shattered into pieces on the marble floor.
His red eyes, which never wavered under any circumstances, were shaken this time as he looked at his wife in surprise.
Because it was the Empress’s hand that had struck the cup from his hand.
Arabelle glanced back and forth between the spilled tea from the broken cup and the teapot on the table.
Her delicate shoulders trembled visibly.
The Emperor wrapped his arms around Arabelle’s shoulders and drew her into his embrace.
He didn’t know the reason, but he could tell that his wife was in a state of great shock.
As he gently stroked her dry back with her head resting against his chest, Arabelle’s voice broke through.
"Belladonna…"
"Belladonna? Do you mean the beautiful woman?"
The Emperor, not understanding what Arabelle meant, asked again.
Arabelle shook her head slightly.
In her confusion, her hand had acted before her words.
After calming herself in the Emperor's arms, Arabelle spoke again.
"Belladonna... it's a poisonous plant. It slowly kills the nerves and drives you mad. It's a poison not known in the Empire…"
The Emperor’s red eyes turned cold as he held his still-trembling wife.
***
The Emperor's second office.
The Emperor sipped the bitter tea with a smile.
It was a herbal tea the Empress had made herself for him, who did not like sweet things.
The more he drank it, the deeper and cleaner the taste became, and it had long been his favorite tea.
"My uncle must be drinking the precious tea sent from the Kingdom of Sebills every night, right?"
"Yes. He drinks it without suspicion, as it is from his mother's homeland."
At the Emperor's question, his aide Kyle reported.
Prince Eric, who had monopolized the production and trade of high-end tea, a gift from the previous Emperor, his father, had extensive knowledge and information about tea.
He had intended to mix Belladonna into the tea to give his nephew, Emperor Maxwell, a fate worse than death.
The poisonous plant would slowly destroy the nerves, rendering a man impotent and leaving him crippled, with twisted limbs. Eventually, it would drive him mad, making him wander the streets like a lunatic, searching for a beautiful woman.
Now, that very poison was being consumed nightly by Prince Eric, who was unaware that King Sebills, his uncle who had sided with the Emperor, had betrayed him and his mother.
"Shall we release Lady Bridget, the former maid, after the wedding festivities?"
The Emperor nodded at Secretary Lex's question.
"If we release her now, the Dowager Empress will surely become suspicious."
"We will arrange for her to stay at a convent, as she wished."
The Emperor narrowed his eyebrows slightly, showing that he was not entirely satisfied.
"I have no desire to forgive what Lady Bridget did to Empress Arabelle during the selection period…"
But he couldn’t refuse Arabelle’s request.
Lady Bridget had conspired with the Emperor’s aunt to avenge the wrongful death of Empress Catherine.
That didn’t absolve her of the crime of endangering Arabelle.
The Emperor had planned to leave her to rot in the underground prison.
"Thanks to Lady Bridget, we were able to uncover the truth about your grandmother’s murder. Please, grant her mercy."
At Arabelle's plea, the Emperor reluctantly nodded.
Lady Bridget had meticulously recorded every symptom on the late Empress’s body and everything in her chamber, which had allowed the case to be solved.
When used as incense, Belladonna’s effects were faster and more lethal.
It was the most effective poison for murder without leaving evidence.
Empress Catherine had enjoyed burning incense in her chamber, and the Emperor had gifted her Belladonna incense that he had received from a young lover.
With the windows closed, the Belladonna incense filled the night air with its deadly fumes, penetrating deeply into the Empress's lungs.
The ash color from the incense next to the Empress's bed and the residual scent were unmistakably Belladonna, according to Lady Bridget's records.
In particular, the faint purple hue in the Empress's nostrils, mouth, and under her fingernails were characteristic signs of Belladonna, which had ravaged her lungs and airways.
Naturally, all this knowledge came from Arabelle.
The day after the Emperor and Empress’s wedding.
Dowager Empress Natalia and Prince Eric were executed by guillotine for their attempts to assassinate the Emperor, for their conspiracy to kill the Empress, and for the murder of Empress Catherine.
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