Darkholm Translation

CHAPTER 045 "I have a request..." Arabelle quietly spoke, fidgeting with her hand held by the emperor. She felt embarrassed and her eyes felt hot as she still wasn’t used to sitting in such an intimate position on his lap. "Speak of anything." Even during breakfast, the emperor's red lips curved in satisfaction from the indulgence he had taken. He used to mock men who promised the stars to their loved ones, but now he felt he could do even more than that, making him feel awkwardly bashful as his face reddened. Arabelle looked up at the emperor, her gaze unwavering as she spoke slowly. "Please promise me you won’t help me in the Empress Selection Competition." The emperor's eyebrow arched at Arabelle's unexpected request. He had planned to abolish the pointless competition as soon as they returned to the palace and announced their marriage. "The Empress Selection Competition is far more challenging than you can imagine. Many young ladies wh...

CHAPTER 044 Crackle, crackle—the sound of the small fireplace burning logs was the only noise in the quiet bedroom. Emperor’s red eyes, which had gently caressed Arabelle’s light brown eyes, disappeared behind thick eyelashes. His head slowly tilted to the side, resting on her still slightly tense shoulders. Inhaling the sweet and innocent scent of her skin, which tormented him every night, the emperor let out a low groan. Her scent brought a peaceful calm like the early afternoon spring sunshine. At the same time, it stimulated his entire body, pushing the limits of his reason mercilessly. Both were feelings the emperor had never experienced before. Her scent, the complete opposite of her innocent demeanor, was tantalizing. As if to take away the audacious scent that dared to tempt the emperor, his straight, sharply defined nose moved from her shoulder to her neatly arranged collarbone and up to her nape. Arabelle’s shoulders shivered each time his pointed, firm nose brushed past, spr...

CHAPTER 043 At the Same Time, in the Imperial Palace’s Pavilion. "Are you ready?" "Yes, of course." "Then let's begin." With a scarf tightly tied around her head, Vera asked the question, and Rosa and Dina nodded with determined expressions. Millie followed them with a nonchalant look as they stepped out of the pavilion. In the middle of the dark night, the three maids came out with the curtains they had torn down from the bedroom and the reception room, beating them with sticks to dust them off. They raised their voices loudly as they talked. "The dust has piled up, but since the lady was here, we couldn’t clean properly. This is a good opportunity. Let’s bring out the carpets and give them a good shake too." "Let’s just wash all the bedsheets and blankets too. They won’t be needed tonight anyway." Vera and Rosa beat the dust out of the curtains rhythmically, making sure their voices weren't drowned out by the banging. Dina, th...

CHAPTER 042 In the chaotic scene filled with screams and cries, a gleaming blade was about to fall upon her neck. “Close your eyes.” The steady, low voice resonated clearly in Arabelle's ears. Even in that short moment, the silhouette she missed came into her blurry vision. At the Emperor's command, Arabelle squeezed her eyes shut. Before the sharp steel could touch her skin, the rough hand gripping her shoulder loosened. Then, with a thud, the leader of the traffickers, who had held Arabelle hostage, fell backward to the floor without a sound. “Do not open your eyes.” The Emperor's voice, calm and cold, came from right beside her. Although the sounds of clashing swords and the screams of traffickers and hostages mixed around her, Arabelle kept her eyes closed as the Emperor had instructed. Even without hearing the Emperor's voice, Arabelle knew. The mere belief that he was by her side allowed her to stand on her trembling legs. Every time the sound of the sword whistle...

CHAPTER 041 Same time. The Count of Korald's mansion. “Father!” Count Korald looked through his monocle at his son who burst into the study without knocking. Timothy, who had rushed up the three flights of stairs in one breath, stood in front of his father, catching his breath. His cheeks, flushed red, showed how excited he was. “I finally found her. I met her today!” His honest green eyes, unable to hide his joy, sparkled like jewels in the lamplight. “Who did you find?” Count Korald, who had been comparing ancient words from a notebook found in a cave with the oldest language books in the empire, rose from his desk and asked. “I went to the plaza today… and I met Lady Arabelle!” At Timothy’s answer, Count Korald’s expression also brightened with unexpected joy. It was two years ago when he was chasing a horned beast that had crossed into the human realm from the Eter River boundary in the Hampfrt Mountains of the southern region. In an empire where ancient idol worship had vanish...