Chapter 4 (Part 9)

“……Hmm.”  

The Emperor’s face took on a peculiar expression as he watched the woman with wavy silver hair walking ahead of him.  

Duke Richard had always dared to speak bluntly to the Emperor, showing no hesitation in his disloyalty.  

‘Your Majesty, if you continue like this, innocent citizens will die! Please reconsider!’  

He acted as if he were better than the Emperor, completely unafraid for his own life.  

Jeremy, the eldest son of the illustrious Richard family, had been the center of everyone’s attention since childhood.  

‘Yes… having too much can be a flaw.’  

With golden hair that seemed to hold the warmth of the sun and deep, profound black eyes, Jeremy always had followers by his side.  

It was the complete opposite of Felipe, the second son of former Emperor Morciani.  

Timid and lacking any particular talents, Felipe had spent his childhood gazing longingly at the things that shone from the shadows.  

It wasn’t until the death of his perfect elder brother, the Crown Prince, and Felipe’s subsequent ascension as Crown Prince, that he began to garner attention.

‘I cannot help but admire the wisdom of His Highness the Crown Prince!’  

‘It is an honor for my family to meet the light of the empire, Your Highness.’  

The number of people bowing and flattering Felipe grew steadily. Felipe enjoyed seeing people lower their heads to him.  

But at the same time, he wasn’t entirely pleased.  

Felipe remembered clearly those who hadn’t even looked at him before he became the Crown Prince.  

‘They are people who will turn their backs on me someday.’  

Suspicious by nature, Felipe Morciani trusted no one—not even the nanny who had raised him since childhood.  

That’s why he kept those he found most troublesome but useful, like Duke Richard, close by. He tried various methods to control him as much as possible.  

An arranged marriage was part of that plan.  

‘I’ll give you a life you never wanted.’  

However, after initially resisting the marriage vehemently, the Duke had become strangely quiet once he was married.  

‘Why aren’t you complaining, as you usually do?’  

Felipe feared that the forced marriage might have turned out to be a blessing for Jeremy.  

That was far from the Emperor’s intention, which was to make the Duke suffer.  

‘That must not happen.’  

This was precisely why Felipe had orchestrated today’s encounter. He wanted to meet Duchess Richard in person and resolve all his doubts.  

‘Women are all the same.’  

In the past, Felipe had not been popular with women, but after becoming Emperor, they flocked to him.  

‘Your Majesty, I wish to dedicate myself to you.’  

‘Would you grant me the honor of serving your noble self?’  

The endless stream of disgusting and vulgar whispers sickened him. So, he assumed Duchess Richard would be no different.  

‘…That’s what I thought.’  

She had clearly recognized him, momentarily hesitated, and then acted as if nothing had happened.  

This was in front of someone as radiant as the sun—the most beautiful, wealthy, and powerful man in the empire.  

Far from attempting to seduce him, she didn’t even seem interested.  

She had shown less interest in him than she had in the ragged girl selling flowers earlier.  

‘What an interesting woman.’  

Her concern that he might destroy the cockfighting ring had been written all over her face.  

“Ah, I see the coachman over there.”  

Relief was evident in her voice, and Felipe’s lips twisted.  

“Have they already fixed it?”  

When they reached the carriage, Therese bid him farewell.  

“Please take care on your way.”  

The Duchess remained polite until the end but showed not even the slightest hint of favor toward Felipe.  

‘Why is this so irritating?’  

Felipe had momentarily forgotten his original purpose of finding out why the Duke wasn’t complaining about the marriage.  

Feeling oddly dissatisfied at the thought of parting ways, Felipe straightened his posture.  

“I enjoyed today’s walk, Duchess Richard.”  

At his brief farewell, her eyes widened.  

‘Yes, that’s the look you should give me.’  

“I’ll see you at the ball, Duchess.”  

Felipe plucked a single flower from the bouquet she was holding and placed one hand on his chest in a formal gesture of farewell.  

Before she could say anything, he quickly climbed into his waiting carriage.  

“Depart immediately.”  

The carriage swiftly left the filthy, noisy bazaar—a place entirely unsuited to him.  

But the farther he got from the bazaar, the more Felipe’s heart raced.  

“I feel strangely disgusted.”  

Felipe stared blankly at the white flower in his hand, then clenched it tightly.  

“It’s such a plain, scentless flower.”  

The crushed petals fell to the floor of the carriage, and only then did Felipe’s expression relax into satisfaction.  

* * *  

After parting with the Emperor and returning home, Therese found the Richard estate unusually quiet. She was arranging the flowers she had brought back into a vase.  

The malnourished face of the child who had sold her the flowers came to mind.  

“At least she won’t go hungry today.”  

Then, she recalled the Emperor’s persistent gaze.  

‘What was his reason for meeting me today?’  

The Emperor was not someone who acted without purpose, especially not in a dangerous place like the bazaar.  

Although he hadn’t shown any overt hostility, the encounter left her feeling uneasy.  

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out the answer. As she brushed her arm against the remaining thorns on the flowers, she heard the heavy sound of armor.  

When she turned around, she saw Duke Richard holding his helmet and wearing a terrifying expression. His sweat-dampened bangs were disheveled, as if he had rushed over in a hurry.  

“…Your Grace.”  

“Who gave you these flowers?”  

The Duke growled as he glared at the flowers. She couldn’t understand why she needed to explain something like this.  

“I bought them with my own money.”  

“…I see.”  

At Therese’s indifferent reply, the Duke let out a long sigh.  

He had been in the middle of training the knights when he received a message late in the afternoon.  

‘Your Grace! The Duchess is at the bazaar with His Majesty the Emperor.’  

It was a message from someone Jeremy had discreetly assigned to watch over Therese.  

Upon hearing it, Jeremy was filled with dread. The ferocious Emperor was an unpredictable figure.  

‘Therese is in danger!’  

He had abandoned the training session and rushed to the bazaar, his heart pounding the entire way. There was something else he feared—what if his suspicions turned out to be true?  

What if he discovered that Therese was actually a spy planted by the Emperor?  

By the time Jeremy arrived, the Emperor and Therese had already parted ways. He had received a report from someone who had observed their interaction and then hurried straight to the Richard estate.  

“Are you hurt anywhere?”  

The Duke placed his helmet on the table and stepped closer, gripping Therese’s shoulders. He inspected her face and neck thoroughly.  

“I-I’m fine.”  

Therese realized from the Duke’s unusual reaction that he must have known about her encounter with the Emperor.  

“If it’s about His Majesty, nothing happened. It was just a chance meeting because my carriage broke down.”  

“Did he say anything else?”  

The Duke stepped closer, his voice urgent. His black eyes, still fixed on Therese, carried a persistent intensity.  

“…Well.”  

Therese hesitated, suddenly recalling the Emperor’s words.  

‘I like kind people.’  

She knew it didn’t mean much, but she wondered if this was what the Duke was curious about. As her cheeks flushed, the Duke sharply asked again.  

“Why is your face turning red?”  

“…Um.”  

His hands, which were shaking her, grew rougher, as if he were becoming agitated.  

“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for the Emperor?”  

Occasionally, the Duke would say absurd things like this. The Emperor was a terrifying figure, not someone one could possibly fall for.  

Therese straightened her posture, bracing herself against his grip.  

“It’s because you are holding me like this, Your Grace.”  

At her response, his grip loosened slightly, and he stammered.  

“Does your face turn red when I do this?”  

“…Th-that’s…”  

The Duke lowered his head, and his hair lightly brushed her forehead.  

Being so close, his scent was overwhelming. The mix of sweat and sandalwood filled her senses, leaving her unable to say anything.  

“I’m relieved that nothing happened.”  

Therese couldn’t understand what he meant by “relieved.” His large, warm hands holding her, his affectionate gaze—all of it was incomprehensible.  

“Did you rush over because of me?”  

When Therese asked, the Duke’s ears turned red.  

Thinking she had asked something unnecessary, she quickly changed the subject.  

“Please, never meet His Majesty the Emperor alone again.”  

“…Yes, I understand.”  

Though today’s events had been completely unintentional, the Duke seemed so desperate that she had no choice but to agree.  

“Then I’ll go prepare your bathwater, Your Grace.”  

Therese finally managed to pull away from him.  

“Ah, the smell of sweat… I apologize.”  

The Duke, now aware of himself, looked embarrassed.  

His scent hadn’t been unpleasant at all, but she didn’t have the energy to correct him.  

Therese quickly turned and left the drawing room, leaving the table cluttered with thorns and leaves behind.