Chapter 13
“I told you I hate these kinds of events.”
“Then what? Did you want me to bring another woman even though I already have a lover?”
“You usually go to these things alone just fine.”
Adrian held Rivera’s hand tightly, as if he would never let go.
“The pressure from above is just too much this time.”
“Since when do you care about that?”
“I’m human too. Do you think I never feel the need to be careful?”
“Yeah, right.”
If someone claimed that Adrian Bartman cared about the Emperor’s opinion, every noble in the empire would burst into laughter. That’s how much Adrian disregarded the Emperor.
‘Why on earth does His Majesty favor him so much?’
Rivera couldn’t understand the thoughts of those in power.
Rivera had never attended a banquet with Adrian as his partner before, despite being his only female peer with whom he shared a close friendship.
“I’ve always insisted we’re just friends and even swore I wasn’t interested in you as a man. But now, if I show up as your partner, what does that make me?”
“They’ll think you’ve had a change of heart.”
“You… You don’t care about keeping our relationship a secret, do you?”
“Do you think everyone here brought a partner because they’re in love? Plenty of people just brought siblings to fill the spot. Why are you so worried about what others think? This is exactly the time to act confident.”
“In the world of women, it’s not that simple. They’ll pretend to be nice in front of me, but behind my back, they’ll definitely gossip and say I’ve been flirting around.”
Rivera had two friends who were well-connected in social circles. They always brought her gossip and rumors that others didn’t know, so Rivera was well aware of how vicious women’s social worlds could be.
“If anyone says that to you, just tell me their name. I’ll make sure they can never speak again.”
“Can you please watch your language?”
Rivera pointed a finger at him, scolding him to speak more politely.
“How old are you? You’re still acting like a fifteen-year-old child.”
“What can I do? I feel comfortable when I’m with you.”
Noticing that Rivera’s eye makeup had smudged a little, Adrian gently rubbed the corner of her eye with his fingertip to fix it.
“And you should calm down too. Your makeup’s smudging.”
“Ugh… And whose fault do you think that is?”
“Mine, obviously.”
Rivera glared at him with narrowed eyes.
“You’d better treat me well. I nearly threw my back out because of you last night.”
“Well, if you’d just listened to me from the start, it wouldn’t have come to that. I only had to convince you with my body because you refused to attend the party no matter what.”
“Convince me? That was coercion.”
“It was persuasion. And you gave in to me in the end.”
“What?”
“You even begged me to go deeper. Now you’re pretending you don’t remember?”
Rivera’s face turned bright red.
“I- I never said that!”
“You did. In your head. You wanted me to go harder, rougher. I just gave you what you wanted.”
“Wait… You could hear that?”
“It was written all over your face.”
Realizing that he had seen through her thoughts, Rivera puffed out her cheeks, unable to find the words to respond.
[How is it possible that he never loses an argument? Can’t he just keep these things to himself? No wonder he’s never been in a proper relationship. He doesn’t understand a woman’s heart at all.]
As if he could sense her irritation, Adrian moved behind Rivera and started massaging her shoulders to soothe her.
Seeing Adrian, who was usually so cold, wearing a gentle expression to appease someone, would have been shocking to both the Emperor and the nobles who knew him.
“Don’t sulk too much. You didn’t hate spending the night with me, did you?”
“I’ll admit that… but…”
Rivera, who had been spending time with Adrian, suddenly stepped back from him.
“I need to go.”
“Why?”
“Because His Majesty the Emperor is coming this way.”
Conversations with people in power were always burdensome and awkward, so Rivera decided to leave. When Adrian turned to look behind him, his expression soured.
“…When is that old man going to die?”
* * *
“Will you drink?”
The Emperor stood in front of Adrian, as if trying to flaunt their familiarity. He held out a glass of wine, asking if Adrian wanted to drink, but Adrian frowned, clearly irritated.
“Just get to the point already. Why are you bothering me this time?”
“It’s nothing serious. I just wanted to speak with your fiancée.”
“You know she avoids you because you make her uncomfortable, yet you still approach her. Your personality is truly despicable.”
“Haha, that’s why the Empress keeps scolding me. She says I torment the weak too much.”
The Emperor wasn’t fazed by Adrian’s rude tone. He was used to it by now.
After all, Adrian’s abilities were undeniable.
“Oh, and good work with the barbarian issue. Thanks to you, the kidnapped women were rescued. However…”
Adrian’s gaze shifted to the necklace around the Emperor’s neck.
A holy relic from the temple.
It was an item the Emperor never took off, as it allowed him to remain unaffected by Adrian’s abilities.
Though Adrian could read everyone’s thoughts, the imperial family knew that he couldn’t read the minds of those with divine power or those possessing holy relics. As such, the secrets of the Bartman family were known only to the Emperor. Most members of the imperial family carried holy relics, not only for protection but also to maintain their health.
“The women who were rescued from the barbarians have had children, but they have nowhere to live.”
“Then just build them a village.”
“Will you take care of it?”
What does this Emperor even do?
Adrian’s face twisted in frustration, prompting the Emperor to laugh it off as a joke.
“Haha! You really don’t have a sense of humor.”
It was clear the Emperor had been serious. When his attempt to lighten the mood failed, the Emperor shifted the conversation to Rivera.
“By the way, I’d like to have a conversation with your fiancée next time. What do you think?”
“Don’t ever meet her.”
“But isn’t it possible we’ll meet by chance?”
“If your meddling causes problems between me and Rivera, I won’t just stand by.”
The Emperor chuckled, finding Adrian’s agitated response amusing.
“What is it about that woman that has you so captivated?”
Adrian frowned, but the Emperor only smiled slyly, as if looking at a rebellious teenager.
“Well, I’ll leave that for now. Let’s have a meal together next time.”
“That won’t happen.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
The Emperor gestured toward Rivera, who was chatting with the Empress and surrounded by people.
“It’s up to me and your lady. Surely you wouldn’t defy a request from the Emperor?”
This lunatic.
Adrian suppressed the curse that was on the tip of his tongue.
If he told Rivera about this, she might suggest breaking up immediately. She hated uncomfortable situations more than anything.
‘I shouldn’t be worried about me saying the wrong thing. I should be worried about her saying it first.’
Adrian regretted not killing this Emperor during the conquest wars instead of the one from the Western Empire.
“See you next time.”
Should I just destroy this country?
* * *
Unaware of the conversation between Adrian and the Emperor, Rivera suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
‘I really feel like I’m going to get dragged to the palace at this rate.’
The current Emperor always looked at her with bright, curious eyes, as if he had a million questions he wanted to ask. His intense gaze made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
‘One wrong word, and I could lose my head. Avoiding him is the best strategy.’
Rivera wandered around the banquet hall, passing the time. Just then, two carriages from prominent families arrived, and two beautiful women stepped out.
One was Cassilia, the eldest daughter of the Mongoberry Duchy, one of the empire’s pillars. The other was Julia, the youngest daughter of Marquis Lillian, who ran the empire’s largest trading company and was also the Emperor’s niece.
Julia had the golden hair and blue eyes characteristic of the imperial family, while Cassilia had striking silver hair and golden eyes that gave her a cool, sharp aura.
“Cassilia! Julia!”
Seeing her friends, Rivera ran toward them. She was genuinely happy to see them, but the first thing they did upon meeting her was stab her in the heart.
“So, you got dumped again?”
“Shh! Don’t just assume that without asking her first. At least pretend to care.”
Should I be thankful for that?
Cassilia was blunt, while Julia was more considerate. Both were equally frustrated with Rivera’s repeated relationship failures. Cassilia grabbed Rivera’s shoulders and shook her, as if trying to knock some sense into her.
“What are you going to do? We told you not to date him, but you did it anyway, and now look!”
“It’s not fair! How was I supposed to know he’d turn out like that? Besides, the next guy I meet will be fine—”
Cassilia’s eyebrow twitched.
“Next?”
Sensing that Cassilia was about to explode, Julia gave an awkward smile and tried to calm her down.
“Take it easy. I’m sure Rivera has her own thoughts.”
“If she had any, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.”
“Still, yelling at her won’t solve anything.”
How are they even friends when they’re so different?
Noticing Rivera’s gaze, Julia spoke gently, like a kind teacher.
“Rivera, I don’t know who you’re dating now, but after you break up with him, why don’t you take some time to think more carefully before deciding?”
“I did think carefully before deciding.”
“I know, but from what I’ve seen, it seems like you’ve been rushing into relationships. You’ve always dated people you’ve just met, so there’s a lot you don’t know about them.”
That was true.
“So next time, why not look for someone closer to you?”
“Closer to me?”
Was there anyone like that?
“There’s a perfectly eligible man right next to you.”
“Who?”
“The Duke of Bartman.”
“……!”
Her heart sank. She thought for a moment that they had already discovered her relationship with Adrian.
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