In the deep of night.

Niel stood by the window in a light shirt, looking at something.

It was the proposal ring returned to him by her a few hours ago.

Although his quick response had managed to quell the scandal with Yupheon, he couldn’t avoid strange rumors circulating for a while.

Yupheon Arne. He knew that the deranged priest from the Holy Kingdom had a formidable personality, but…

‘I never expected him to interfere with my proposal in such an unhinged way.’

Thinking of Yupheon somehow made his head throb.

Immediately after the incident, Niel had expelled Yupheon from Yetrisha and issued a restraining order.

If he interfered in such a manner one more time, Niel intended to bury him despite the potential friction with the Holy Kingdom.

Anyway, she would need time to think, so he could wait a little while the strange rumors about him and Yupheon were forgotten.

Niel pushed away these troublesome thoughts and looked at the ring glittering in the moonlight.

‘…She didn’t seem to remember.’

He smiled bitterly, recalling the day he had wanted to place this ring on her finger.

In winter when the days were particularly short, amidst suddenly falling snow…

He was drifting through old times that only he remembered.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.

He tried to ignore it, but as the noise grew louder, Niel put the ring deep into a drawer and stepped out into the corridor.

“What’s happening…”

Niel’s mouth closed as he was about to ask the servants outside.

“We-we’re sorry, Your Majesty. Somehow a strange woman broke through the palace security and suddenly intruded all the way here…”

“She insists on meeting Your Majesty. We tried to resolve it at our level, but she simply won’t listen to reason…”

Among the knights and servants bowing with embarrassed faces, he saw a familiar face.

With hair as black as ebony and red eyes that seemed capable of bewitching anyone…

“Niel Alpenhayer.”

The moment their eyes met, she called his name with a languid voice, her eyes curving.

Only one person called his name in such a manner.

Jella, his former fiancée whom he adored beyond measure.

“I came to see you.”

At her words, spoken with a gentle smile, Niel’s expression hardened.

‘She came looking for me at this hour?’

Glance. Niel’s gaze swept over her appearance.

It was no wonder the servants and knights in the corridor had blocked her, thinking her a madwoman.

She was wearing only a thin shawl over a white nightgown, as if she had just gotten out of bed.

And beyond that thin shawl, her round shoulders and white arms… and even more intimate and breathtaking curves were all too visible.

Niel couldn’t bear to look any longer and lowered his gaze.

But he immediately regretted it.

The short-hemmed dress she wore fully revealed her round knees and bare legs.

She hadn’t even worn socks properly, and when his gaze reached her fair ankle bones, Niel unconsciously clenched his fist tightly.

‘In such attire… she came all the way here…’

His eyes darkened. The thought that others had seen her in such a disheveled state somehow made his mood sink.

“How long do you intend to keep me standing here?”

At this moment, Jella asked with her arms crossed askew.

Her voice clearly revealed her displeasure.

Niel immediately curved his eyes gently and said to the people:

“She is indeed my guest. Please step aside.”

“Pardon?”

The servants and knights guarding the corridor asked in confusion.

Niel tilted his head slightly toward them and asked:

“I said she’s my guest. Do I need to repeat myself?”

“We-we’re sorry, Your Majesty.”

The people blocking her quickly made way.

Jella snorted haughtily at them.

“I apologize, Miss Jella. My people kept a precious guest standing in the corridor. Please forgive their rudeness.”

Niel approached her and elegantly extended his hand.

People made bewildered faces at the Emperor’s excessive apology, but Jella alone maintained an indifferent expression as she placed her hand on his palm.

“Please prepare a warm cup of tea, Alex. And a blanket for my guest to cover herself.”

Niel said to the head servant as he escorted her to the tea room adjoining his bedroom.

The tea room connected to the Emperor’s bedroom was one of the Emperor’s most private spaces.

For the past five years, the Emperor had not allowed anyone in there.

Even the former Marquis Alpenhayer, the Emperor’s father, would meet the Emperor in the reception room downstairs, not there.

Yet he was bringing such a suspicious woman inside in the middle of the night.

Although her bewitching appearance was certainly beautiful, she seemed mentally unstable no matter how one looked at it.

The head servant was very worried, especially with the Emperor’s scandal that had reached them from outside today. But it would be overstepping his bounds to say anything more.

So he bowed to Niel and the unfamiliar guest and withdrew.

As Jella indifferently stepped into the tea room, she paused and her eyes hardened at the sight before her.

“Please sit over here.”

Niel guided her inside.

With a low table in the center, antique-designed couch chairs faced each other.

As Jella sat down, Niel spread a blanket over her shoulders.

“The air outside is cold. Walking around like this will give you a cold.”

“I’ve never caught one of those.”

Jella replied curtly as she watched Niel carefully pulling the edge of the blanket to ensure no skin was exposed.

It wasn’t particularly funny, but he let out a quiet laugh.

After waiting a little while, the head servant personally brought warm tea.

“Drink this, Miss Jella. It will warm your body.”

Jella lifted the teacup and glanced around the room.

“Nothing has changed here.”

“Yes. Not just here, I’ve preserved everything as it was. Since I didn’t know when I would return it to you.”

At those words, Jella burst into laughter.

“So you really became Emperor to return the throne to me?”

Instead of answering, Niel responded with a deep smile.

Jella looked at him with an expression of disbelief.

“You really did something stupid, Niel Alpenhayer.”

“And you, coming at this hour when rumors could easily spread…”

Niel asked in a gentle voice as he lifted his teacup following her:

“Have you decided to accept my proposal from earlier today?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Jella nodded indifferently.

Niel stared intently at her face as she sipped from her teacup.

Her attitude was different from usual.

Niel Alpenhayer was a perceptive and suspicious person. Especially when it came to matters related to her, he was someone who wouldn’t miss even the smallest, most trivial change.

The woman before him was different from the one he knew.

But at the same time, she was clearly her.

She had habits that others wouldn’t notice.

For instance, holding the teacup with both hands to enjoy its warmth before drinking hot tea.

Crossing her right leg over her left when she sank into the couch backrest.

Such trivial habits as unconsciously playing with the edge of the blanket, wrapping it around her index finger while conversing…

No matter how well someone might imitate her, they couldn’t perfectly replicate these small ingrained habits.

So the woman before him was undeniably her.

But simultaneously, the woman before him was doing things she would never do.

It was suspicious that she would seek him out at this hour, in such attire.

She was an intelligent woman.

If she had truly decided to accept his proposal, she wouldn’t have come to him so recklessly like this; she would have written a letter.

She would have challenged him, saying she would accept his proposal if he could make the imperial citizens accept this royal marriage, testing him.

So this wasn’t like her at all.

‘What is she thinking?’

Niel judged that there was definitely something he didn’t know, but he didn’t hastily reveal his suspicion and smiled gently as usual.

“So, is that all you came for?”

“Hmm.”

Jella put down her teacup on the table, propped her arm, and looked at Niel.

“It’s late, so you should stay in the palace tonight. I’ll have a guest room prepared…”

“Is that necessary?”

“…?”

Suddenly she interrupted his words and curled the corners of her red lips.

“You like me, don’t you? Niel Alpenhayer.”

“……”

Slowly.

Niel’s face hardened.

For a moment, Niel stared at her with an expressionless face and then asked:

“Why do you think that?”

“Am I wrong?”

“You’re right. I do like you.”

Niel didn’t deny it and nodded.

“For quite a long time now.”

As he added this, a gentle smile bloomed on his face again.

“So, what is it that you want from me.”

Niel asked, tapping the armrest of the couch with his fingertips.

“That you bring up emotions I’ve hidden for so long?”

Unlike his gentle expression, there was a subtle displeasure in his tone.

“What I want.”

Jella stood up. The blanket that Niel had carefully draped over her shoulders slid down.

She placed one knee on the low table and leaned slightly toward Niel.

Crash.

The tea set on the table fell to the floor.

“If I tell you what I want.”

Jella asked, gently grabbing his chin and lifting it.

“Will you give it to me?”

“Well.”

Niel looked at her with a gentle gaze, undisturbed by her bold gesture, and answered:

“If it’s something I can give, I’ll consider it.”

“I don’t like such ambiguous answers.”

She pressed his lower lip hard with her thumb, narrowing her eyes.

She had somehow adjusted her position to sit on the edge of the table, and her knee kept bumping against Niel’s knee.

Niel lowered his gaze and glanced at their touching knees.

But she immediately grabbed his face with both hands, lifting it to make their eyes meet.

“I want a definite answer, Niel Alpenhayer.”

Staring intently at the red eyes that seemed to bewitch their opponent, Niel slowly opened his mouth.

“…I will. Whatever you want.”

At those words, the corners of her mouth curled up.

“Good boy.”

“Such praise should be directed at your knight, not me.”

“My knight?”

“Cail Aleret, your servant who thirsts for a word of praise from you.”

“…Ah, right. He exists, too.”

Jella smiled questioningly, then asked Niel:

“Then what kind of praise do you want?”

“What do you think I want?”

“Hmm, let’s see.”

She smiled mischievously and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth.

Touch.

Soft lips touched lightly and then pulled away.

“Something like this?”

“……”

There was no answer. Jella leaned closer, placing one hand on his thigh.

“Why? Am I wrong?”

“……”

“It doesn’t seem like I’m wrong.”

“……”

Niel’s eyes twitched at the gentle caressing hand.

“See?”

Jella giggled and tilted her head toward his lips again.

Her lips playfully nibbled his lower lip before releasing it.

Flinch. Seeing him freeze, Jella let out a shallow laugh and captured his parted lips more deeply.

His body seemed to tremble, and then suddenly,

Swish!

In an instant, he grabbed Jella’s arms and pulled them away.

“Ha……”

A painful breath, as if he were enduring something, escaped through his teeth.

“Niel?”

Not expecting to be rejected by him, Jella blinked and looked at him.

Then, the moment their eyes met, Jella instinctively paused.

A burning heat was blazing in the pale green eyes that held her image. It was a fierce gaze that seemed unbelievable for such a gentle man.

Just as Jella, feeling an instinctive sense of danger from that heat that seemed capable of devouring her, was hesitating and trying to back away.

Swish.

A thick palm delved through her black hair, grasping the back of her head and pulling her close, while simultaneously Niel’s forehead bumped against hers.

Unlike the light contact, a fierce desire was clearly surging.

“Your Oppa.”

A low baritone flowed through his loosely parted lips.

“Told you that’s not how you kiss.”

“What…?”

“Who taught you so clumsily? Your pretty childhood friend? Or that handsome slave you cherished?”

“No, I…”

Niel gently covered her eyes with his other hand and whispered.

“You should close your eyes, Ga-eul.”