28. A Gap in the Heart (2)

As Edward headed to his bedroom, he finally felt the effects of the alcohol spreading through his body. His face burned beneath his eyes, and his throat felt parched as if it were on fire. Rubbing his neck, Edward hurried toward his bedroom.

“Her Highness the Empress Consort is waiting for you inside.”

The attendants informed Edward as he was about to enter the bedroom.

“Larael?”

Edward quickly entered the bedroom.

In the darkness, Larael was waiting for him.

When the door opened, Larael rose from the sofa where she had been sitting. She walked slowly around the sofa toward Edward, who stood motionless, and spoke.

“I stopped by to see Your Majesty before heading back. Are you alright?”

After the banquet ended, Larael had come to Edward’s bedroom instead of returning directly to the Abella Palace. She had been worried about Edward disappearing with Herwen and had something to deliver to him.

As she approached Edward, a strong smell of alcohol hit her nose. Larael frowned slightly. Even in the dim light, Edward’s eyes were drawn to her radiant skin. His gaze roamed her face before stopping at her slightly parted red lips.

Without realizing it, he was drawn to her, capturing her red lips in his own. Edward cupped her face gently with both hands, but his actions were far from gentle. As if trying to quench his thirst, he urgently sought the space between her lips. Unlike his usual self, Edward kissed her roughly and persistently, exploring her mouth with fervor.

“Your… Your Majesty!”

Larael, overwhelmed by Edward’s unusually intense kiss, pushed him away slightly to catch her breath. But Edward, unfazed by her resistance, grabbed her face with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her back, pulling her close again. He kissed her eyes, her cheeks, and the edges of her ears without pause.

“Your Majesty, you seem to be drunk tonight.”

Larael firmly pushed Edward away and stepped back two paces. When Edward reached out to her again, she raised her hand in a resolute gesture and spoke firmly.

“Your Majesty, please come to your senses. I will take my leave now.”

Biting her lip, Larael grabbed the small box she had placed on the table and hurriedly left the bedroom.

Edward stared blankly at her retreating figure before collapsing onto the sofa, leaning his head back. Herwen’s words kept echoing in his mind.

[Don’t trust Larael completely. I hate to say this, but I’ve recently heard that she may have approached me with a purpose. And that night… wasn’t her behavior afterward far too composed?]

“Larael…”

Edward softly murmured her name.

The bedroom, now devoid of Larael, sank into a deep darkness, as if all the light in the world had vanished. The chilling silence, which he hadn’t felt since having Larael by his side, enveloped him and refused to let go.

Edward shook his head violently, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that were tormenting him. But it was no use. Pressing his throbbing temples, he let out a long sigh.

—

In the carriage on her way back to the Abella Palace, Larael fiddled with the birthday gift she hadn’t been able to give Edward. The small box contained a notebook she had made herself.

When she lived in the Count’s estate, Larael had enjoyed making notebooks as a hobby. Though it had been a long time since she last did it, she had painstakingly revived her old skills, carefully choosing all the materials to create the notebook.

She had written her favorite poems inside and added pressed flowers that matched the verses. Despite her lack of skill, she had also drawn illustrations. But when the moment came to give it to him, it had felt too trivial and insignificant, so she couldn’t bring herself to hand it over.

‘Should I have just left it on the table?’

Larael couldn’t shake the unease she felt about Edward’s unfamiliar behavior. She didn’t know what conversation he had with Herwen, but knowing Herwen, he had undoubtedly said things to provoke Edward endlessly. Larael bit her lip tightly.

Back in her bedroom, Larael placed the gift in a drawer and thought about Edward before going to bed. At the same time, she felt a lingering warmth where his lips had touched hers, prompting her to fling open the window. The cool breeze instantly cooled her heated skin.

“Your Majesty, it’s cold. You might catch a cold.”

Sasha spoke in a worried tone.

Ignoring Sasha’s concern, Larael gazed at the darkened garden of the Abella Palace, lost in thought. She recalled something Dean had said at the banquet. Dean had been very pleased when Larael had kept her promise to provide him with undisclosed information about the nobles, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

[Your Majesty, what should I do next?]

Dean had asked her first, even though she hadn’t made any requests.

‘What to do next…’

Slowly turning her head, Larael looked toward the Empress Dowager’s palace. Though it wasn’t visible, she knew it was there, somewhere in that direction.

‘Our noble Empress Dowager…’

She came from a family so renowned that there wasn’t a single person in the Kazel Empire who didn’t know of them.

When Edward’s mother, a foreign princess, passed away, the Empress Dowager naturally ascended to the position of Empress. Larael suspected that the death of the former Empress wasn’t due to illness but was somehow connected to the Empress Dowager.

Larael stared at the distant palace with a complex expression before shivering and stepping back. Joanna quickly shut the window.

‘Is Edward alright?’

Thinking of Edward filled Larael with an inexplicable mix of emotions. She went to bed but couldn’t fall asleep.

Having spent the night wide awake, Larael began her external activities in earnest. Aside from her trip to meet the Marchioness of Argen, she hadn’t ventured outside the palace at all. But starting the day after the banquet, she began going out freely, visiting bookstores and attending famous singers’ performances, paying no mind to the gazes of others.

Whenever she left the palace, one place she always visited was the Marquis of Argen’s residence.

Larael would spend hours wistfully browsing baby items before purchasing them. Giving these items as gifts to the Marchioness of Argen brought her great joy.

Whenever the Marchioness expressed her delight, Larael felt that joy resonate within herself.

“Your Highness, you always bring gifts when you visit. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Beatrice, did you speak to the Marquis about the matter I mentioned last time?”

“Yes, I explained it well. I suggested replacing Your Highness’s guards with more reliable individuals. We can’t have another incident like what happened at the theater.”

The “incident at the theater” referred to the time when Larael had almost been hit by an object someone had thrown while on her way to see a singer’s performance. Larael hadn’t made an issue of it and had even ensured Edward wasn’t informed. She had simply asked the Marquis of Argen, through Beatrice, to replace her guards.

“From what I’ve looked into, I find Sir Berser or Sir Handelson to be promising candidates. But is it too much to specify someone?”

“If His Majesty finds out about what happened to you, he’ll make a huge fuss. Can’t we at least do this? I’ll speak to Jayden immediately. If he refuses, I’ll tell His Majesty myself.”

Beatrice widened her eyes and responded with determination.

—

Larael took out the gift she had intended to give Edward from the drawer and stared at it. She hadn’t expected it would take this long to deliver it. Since the banquet, Edward hadn’t come to the Abella Palace.

She considered visiting the main palace to deliver it herself but decided against it after hearing from the head maid that Edward was busy with endless meetings about the mana stone mine.

‘There will be an opportunity eventually.’

With a wistful expression, Larael looked at the gift one last time before placing it back in the drawer.