Chapter 7 (Part 1)

The ball had reached its climax, and the Emperor’s mood was at its peak.  

He laughed frivolously, generously bestowing valuable gifts upon the nobles who greeted him.  

Even amidst all this, the Emperor did not allow Therese to return to her seat. Because of this, Therese endured an uncomfortable time throughout the evening.  

After dealing with a crowd praising the Emperor for some time, Felipe Morciani leaned toward Therese.  

“Well, Duchess Richard, I have a good proposal for you.”  

A proposal from the Emperor—it gave her an entirely bad premonition.  

“I find you quite pleasing.”  

“…Thank you.”  

Therese’s heart shrank at the Emperor’s compliment. It was as if she could already see her severed arms and legs rolling across the banquet hall.  

“You seem kind, and quite intelligent as well.”  

At his continued words, Therese’s shoulders stiffened even more.  

“How about having an affair with me? I think we suit each other quite well.”  

The moment her fears became reality.  

She had wondered why the Emperor had come all the way to the Bazaar, pretending to be an aimless traveler.  

Had he been interested in me all along?  

‘…Why?’  

Therese first looked around.  

She was afraid someone might have overheard the Emperor’s words. Fortunately, the music and noisy chatter filling the ballroom ensured that no one but her had heard him.  

Her mouth went dry, and her throat felt prickly.  

‘I must respond carefully.’  

The Emperor’s words could have been idle banter, or they could have been sincere. However, even if they were genuine, they were unlikely to reflect ordinary affection.  

‘It must be mere curiosity.’  

Becoming the Emperor’s new canary was out of the question.  

“It is an honor, but I am already married, so an affair would be difficult, Your Majesty.”  

“Duchess Richard, are you more conservative than you appear? Isn’t it fashionable these days for husbands and wives to have affairs? I wonder if there is a single noble here without a lover.”  

Though free love was spreading like a trend, Therese had no interest in it. Merely trying to forget Duke Richard was already exhausting enough.  

“My apologies.”  

When Therese firmly refused, the Emperor’s gentle expression abruptly shifted.  

“Do you know whom you are rejecting right now?”  

It was said that spending just one night with the Emperor guaranteed a significant rise in social status.  

‘But I have no need for such things.’  

From the daughter of a merchant to the daughter of a Baron, and then to a Duchess—none of it had brought her happiness.  

The enraged Emperor suddenly stood up and approached Therese from behind. He reached out and grabbed a handful of her silver hair that cascaded over her cloak.  

“Soft, just like the flower you gave me recently.”  

That was untrue.  

The flower had not been given by her; the Emperor had taken it on his own whim.  

When Therese dared not brush off his touch, the Emperor let out a satisfied murmur. He pushed her head to the side, his gaze tracing the slender neck exposed between her cloak.  

“I wonder if it would snap if I touched it.”  

The Emperor’s chilling voice filled Therese with fear, but she struggled to remain composed. From the moment she sat in this seat, all eyes had been on her. If she defied the Emperor’s command, everyone would witness it.  

‘My family will be harmed.’  

Countless families had fallen into ruin after incurring the Emperor’s displeasure. Felipe Morciani never spared a pawn on the chessboard that had no use.  

The image of her father and Duke Richard collapsing under the executioner’s blade stiffened her back.  

The Emperor slipped his fingers under her cloak and whispered intimately.  

His touch was so forceful it felt as though he was gouging into her skin. Each time his sweat-drenched fingers brushed against her, Therese felt nauseated and had to hold her breath.  

“Are you truly content with just the position of Duchess?”  

“…”  

Goosebumps spread across her entire body, and Therese tensed to keep herself from trembling. Any misstep could lead to her execution for treason on the spot.  

“I could give you far more than Duke Richard ever could.”  

Indeed, the Emperor of the Empire held a status far nobler than that of a mere Duke. He lacked nothing in wealth or power, and many young ladies were infatuated with Felipe’s mysterious beauty.  

“Do you know how many women wish to share a bed with me?”  

The Emperor’s intimate whisper felt as repulsive as a snake slithering down her back.  

To share a bed with the Emperor—  

Even the thought made her feel like vomiting.  

The Emperor’s fingers, which caressed her delicate neck, were rough, as though they might tear apart her dress at any moment. Though the sensation was horrifying enough to make her faint, Therese struggled to hide her feelings.  

If she could just endure this, the dancing guests would remain oblivious to what was happening between the two of them.  

‘I must not get caught up in a scandal with the Emperor.’  

Instinctively, she also knew she must not show any weakness to the Emperor.  

‘I would become easy prey.’  

Her gaze caught sight of Count Pablo. He had hurriedly entered the ballroom, engaged in serious conversation with a few nobles, and then stepped out again.  

Adding Count Pablo’s actions to the Duke’s earlier abrupt departure only deepened her growing unease.  

‘I must follow him immediately.’  

Therese clenched her fists tightly. At that moment, a servant approached and whispered something to the Emperor. Felipe, looking regretful, extended his hand toward Therese.  

“I would like to spend more time with you, but it seems I must part ways for now.”  

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.”  

Though she maintained her composure and bowed politely, Therese’s legs wobbled beneath her dress as she moved away from the Emperor.  

***

Back at her seat, Therese drank water to calm her trembling heart. Her mind was a chaotic mess, but she needed to carefully consider the many tasks at hand.  

‘Why did His Grace leave in such a rush? What is Count Pablo up to? What exactly is happening right now?’  

However, she was stuck in the ballroom for the time being.  

The sight of women in colorful dresses spinning wildly in dance was dizzying as their reflections flickered across twenty mirrors and twenty windows.  

They seemed entirely unconcerned about whatever might be happening outside, enjoying themselves to the fullest.  

‘Even now, beyond the walls, people are dying because they cannot afford a single meal.’  

Nearby, a crow waited its turn for a meal beside a mother and her child, both emaciated to the point of skin and bones.  

The world was as unfair as ever.  

Those who had everything were unaware of their fortune, while those who had nothing knew only misfortune until the day they died.  

‘I was no different.’  

Therese had not always been interested in those outside the walls.  

She had once been nothing more than a carefree tomboy living under a wealthy father, free of worries.  

It was only after meeting Roshan and planning new endeavors with him that she began to realize things she had never known before.  

To her, who had thought the Bazaar and the capital were the entirety of the world, new friends began to appear.  

‘But there’s still so much I don’t know.’  

As she fiddled with the onyx brooch on her cloak, a sigh escaped her lips.  

‘I’ll have to find an opportunity to slip away.’  

If she continued sitting here, playing the part of the elegant Duchess Richard, she felt her face might freeze in that expression.  

At some point, Maria Richard had approached and sat beside her, gently fanning herself.  

“My dear, I didn’t know you had such a close relationship with His Majesty.”  

Her face was so kind that they might appear to others as an enviable mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.  

‘The Emperor, and now my mother-in-law.’  

The timing was truly impeccable, and Therese’s expression crumpled.  

“We don’t have much of a relationship.”  

Having already had an exhausting evening, Therese replied curtly, hoping Maria Richard would lose interest in her.  

But, as always, Therese’s hopes went unanswered.  

“So, you’re trying to seduce the Emperor? Acting like some lustful wench—it’s utterly disgraceful! You’re making me blush!”  

Maria, covering her mouth with her fan, spewed harsh words, barely containing her anger.  

“They say a house prospers when it takes in a good woman, but how did someone like you end up in our family?”  

For Maria Richard, this was the most humiliating ball she had ever attended.  

Since coming of age, Jeremy had refused to attend such events, leaving her to always attend alone.  

‘And now, I thought I’d finally stand with my eldest son.’  

But this pale-faced woman had snatched her son away.  

And in front of everyone, no less.  

‘As I suggested, young couples look so lovely together.’  

‘Indeed, the Grand Madame’s generosity is a model for all noblewomen.’  

Maria had deliberately maintained a leisurely demeanor after her daughter-in-law had taken Duke Richard’s escort.  

But watching her son and daughter-in-law dance together had made it difficult to suppress her resentment.  

‘Won’t he even ask me for a single dance?’  

No matter how she tried to justify it, her son’s actions were far from proper etiquette or filial piety.  

And so, she had waited for this moment when Therese was alone.  

‘I must go and teach her some manners right away.’  

That was the duty of Maria, the matron of the Richard family.