#6. How Far Will You Allow Me?

Karina could only blink, unable to form words. She replayed his words several times in her head, unsure if she had heard correctly.

“Did you just say… dating?”

In the end, still uncertain, she stupidly asked again. Aidan just nodded with smiling eyes.

Dating? You and I, dating?

She barely held back from asking loudly. Was this making any sense? They were already married. Though it was a political marriage without dating, suggesting dating now seemed ridiculous. Besides, they had agreed to divorce in 6 months. She couldn’t understand why he would suggest dating now.

“Surely you haven’t forgotten our contract?”

When she asked with furrowed brows, Aidan just smiled, whether he understood or not. As she wondered if she needed to explicitly remind him about the promised divorce, fortunately, Aidan spoke first.

“A contract is a contract. But that doesn’t mean we can’t date during those six months, right?”

He seemed to think quite differently from Karina.

“They say dating and marriage are separate things anyway.”

Karina unconsciously frowned at his words, which didn’t sound particularly good. Was he no different from the original Aidan? It sounded like he was saying he could date other women despite being married, and her mood instantly plummeted.

“But since we’re officially married, aren’t we in the perfect position to date?”

This statement completely contradicted what he had just said.

“I don’t know which tune I should dance to.”

“I’m saying there’s no need to overthink it. Yes, we promised to divorce, but there’s no reason we can’t date in the meantime, and since we’re already married in others’ eyes, no one will think it strange if we date, right?”

Now she seemed to understand his thinking a bit better. It appeared he wanted to have a six-month limited-time dating relationship, just like their marriage. Though she understood his thinking, she didn’t agree with it. Even if their marriage was already done and couldn’t be easily undone, she didn’t want to have a time-limited dating relationship.

“I can’t find any reason why I should date Your Highness.”

It was an indirect rejection. She could date later, after leaving this palace and becoming completely unrelated to Aidan. Though Aidan had teased her about never having dated or had her first kiss at this age, Karina still felt no need to rush into dating. Though she wasn’t one to talk, having been prepared for an arranged marriage as the prince’s consort since childhood, it was precisely for that reason that she wanted to date someone she truly liked.

“There are plenty of reasons.”

Aidan answered with a relaxed expression. He nodded toward the servants and knights standing at a distance.

“Not just them, but there are countless eyes in this palace. You and I seem to be quite the focus of their attention.”

This was obvious just from the banquet held yesterday. So Karina didn’t deny it and just listened.

“Among those watching us now, there are probably people who will gossip about our relationship behind our backs. No matter how much you try to control people’s mouths, you can’t stop rumors from spreading. There’s a saying that even words without feet can travel a thousand miles.”

“I’m sure I’m behaving properly enough that they won’t find any issues.”

Whether they were a show-window couple or whatever, Karina was doing her best as his prince’s consort. Even if they would eventually divorce, she was still the prince’s consort for now. It was natural to show behavior appropriate to her position. Aidan himself had said it was enough if Karina fulfilled her role as prince’s consort.

“That’s the problem. You’re too stiff.”

Aidan crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and looked Karina up and down.

“You’re just the perfect ‘prince’s consort’. Not my woman.”

Karina’s eyebrow twitched at his last words. Not his woman? What nonsense was this?

“A woman in love doesn’t make expressions like yours.”

Aidan continued speaking, undeterred.

“I already declared in front of everyone at yesterday’s banquet that I’m completely smitten with you. But what if you’re not? Isn’t that also something people will talk about? ‘Karina Hewitt just entered the palace to make Aidan emperor and become empress.'”

“…What’s wrong with that?”

Though his point made her uncomfortable, she couldn’t argue because it wasn’t wrong. In fact, Karina had married him to make him emperor. She had been raised and educated as a necessary piece for him to become emperor.

“It is wrong. Very seriously wrong. Before being the prince’s consort, you’re my wife. Isn’t marriage supposed to be a relationship based on mutual affection and trust?”

The unexpected words felt like a blow to the back of her head. Affection and trust. These were words that had never existed between her and Aidan.

“Don’t tell me in this palace, or rather in this country, people just marry based on conditions alone without caring about such things?”

Aidan asked with an expression that suggested such a thing was absurd. Her current expression must have looked quite dumbfounded.

“Even if that were the case, wouldn’t it be better to get along well? Otherwise, married life would be hell — how could anyone endure that for a lifetime?”

Each of Aidan’s words felt like they were stabbing her heart with something sharp. Hell… was it? Were her past three years in the palace before returning to age twenty hell? When she asked herself, she couldn’t say no. She hadn’t known then. She thought that was how it should be, and believed she just needed to endure well in her position as prince’s consort. So she never expected affection from Aidan.

Because Aidan had no interest in her, she too pretended to have no interest in him while maintaining her pride.

If he had been favorable toward her, would things have been different? Could she have said, like Kate Spencer, that she didn’t need the position of prince’s consort, that just being by his side was enough?

As she pondered, Karina shook her head, thinking these were useless thoughts. There was no point in hypothesizing about things that hadn’t happened.

“Perhaps Your Highness was right.”

Aidan tilted his head, wondering what she meant.

“I’m thinking that maybe it was because the marriage life without affection or trust was so terrible that I came to tolerate having another lover instead.”

Aidan frowned at Karina’s resigned tone.

“That’s not something to tolerate, is it? If something’s wrong, it should be fixed. Not just left alone.”

Karina looked up at him. Seeing his expression of genuine incomprehension made her want to laugh. This person really was different from the people in this palace. His words about coming from a completely different place must be true. For the first time, she felt curious about what kind of place he had lived in.

“Anyway, regardless of others, I want to maintain a proper good relationship with you, even if it’s just for six months.”

Aidan continued the conversation, setting aside the parts he couldn’t understand.

“A relationship good enough that others would think we get along well.”

He emphasized his intention once more. With such reasoning, it was hard to refuse. It was like suggesting they pretend to get along well while playing the role of husband and wife — in a way, it felt like a natural additional clause.

“Well, actually, that’s just an excuse.”

Aidan shrugged and gazed at Karina. She could see her face reflected in his deep topaz eyes.

“I’m attracted to you.”

Karina flinched at his words delivered with a smile, unable to look away from him. It was one of the things she thought she would never hear from his mouth. It felt even more unreal than his suggestion to date.

“You don’t believe me.”

Aidan’s lips curved into a gentle smile. His eyes looking at Karina became even more affectionate. Once, she had seen Aidan treating Kate Spencer from afar. His expression then was exactly like now.

“I find Karina Hewitt more attractive than I expected. So I want to properly date you.”

Karina met his gaze silently, unable to respond to his deliberately clear words. He too added nothing more, seemingly waiting for her answer. As a result, only a silent atmosphere hung between them. Even the movement of Karina’s throat as she swallowed nervously felt pronounced.

“I…”

She opened her mouth but words wouldn’t come. Dating Aidan? She couldn’t picture even a moment of it. That’s how much she had never properly imagined dating Aidan.

“Your Highness.”

Kai had approached and bowed to the two of them, though she hadn’t noticed when he arrived. His interruption naturally made Karina turn away from Aidan. Then suddenly, she realized she felt relieved that she didn’t have to answer Aidan right away.

Why? If she didn’t want to, she could have just refused, right?

A big question mark remained within her.

“I apologize for interrupting your meal. I have an urgent message…”

Kai glanced cautiously at Karina as his words trailed off. Aidan asked what the matter was.

“It’s about Emily’s lover, whom you asked me to look into.”

Karina also reacted to Emily’s name. It was the name of the maid who she had pointed out might be connected to Aidan’s attack. But why was it about Emily’s lover rather than Emily herself?

“It’s fine, just tell us.”

When Aidan gave permission, Kai slightly bowed his head in acknowledgment.

“We found him.”

Aidan’s eyes changed at his answer.

“Where is he now?”

“He’s currently under protection outside the palace.”