Chapter 2.

Bellian sat dazed on the bed after waking up, quite unlike himself.

No, honestly, he was shocked.

“I slept this deeply……?”

It had been a very long time since he had slept so soundly without even dreaming once.

Moreover, it was the first time he felt this good after waking up.

He had slept so well that his appearance was a mess.

His hair stuck out disheveled and his face showed slight pressure marks.

But such a ruined appearance didn’t matter at all.

He would gladly look ruined every time if he could just sleep soundly—his insomnia was that severe.

“And to spend a comfortable night with a woman whose name I don’t even know.”

He definitely seemed to have slept with her, but he couldn’t remember.

He swallowed a hollow sigh and stared at the empty glass tumbling on the table.

“Just drunk on alcohol? What exactly did she feed me?”

‘A thief?’

If she’s a thief, she had quite the nerve to rob him.

‘What exactly did she steal?’

As he started to rise, he suddenly paused.

Instead of the cheap inn’s dusty smell, a refreshing fragrance circled his nose.

Bellian looked at the empty space beside him and whispered unconsciously.

“That woman……”

In truth, he hadn’t intended to spend the night with a woman like this.

He had merely been looking for a necessary woman.

The expressions of people gathered to enjoy the festival all looked the same.

Excited, thrilled, eyes full of anticipation.

Among them, Bellian felt like he alone existed in a different world.

He stood alone amidst emotions he couldn’t relate to at all.

Rather, feeling it was too noisy, he met eyes with a woman amidst the crowd who had the same eyes as him.

A woman who stood alone, unable to blend into the atmosphere at all.

Once their eyes met, they wouldn’t part.

Rather, the woman stared at Bellian more intently, challengingly.

At that moment, his previously silent mood gradually changed as he moved toward the woman.

He felt strangely drawn.

Remarkably, he was drawn to a woman.

Knock knock-!

“I’m coming in.”

Lloyd entered cautiously with the knock.

“Are you alright?”

“Rather, I feel so good it’s strange.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I’m fine.”

“Then let’s get ready and go to House Felisa. But goodness. Your appearance is this, this……”

Lloyd fretted over Bellian’s messy hair, then rubbed his palms together and pressed down on his hair.

“What are you doing?”

“What if someone sees His Majesty, the supreme ruler of the Great Alcanta Empire, looking like this?”

“And you just casually touch such a ruler’s hair?”

“Hehe, but it’s a bit neater now.”

Bellian shook his head with an incredulous expression at Lloyd’s proud behavior. Even in the midst of this, thoughts of her kept popping up.

‘I should have at least found out her name.’

“Ah, and the portrait of Lady Felisa has arrived.”

‘How can I find her? Should I issue an imperial order to search the area? What did she look like?’

Lloyd sighed at Bellian who pretended not to hear him.

Since he only paid attention to things he was interested in, Lloyd’s words probably didn’t even register.

‘That’s why he recklessly came to this cheap inn.’

If Oguren knew, he would breathe fire.

How dare you bring His Majesty to such a place! he would say.

Just imagining it made Lloyd’s heart tremble.

‘Thank goodness he’s at the border……’

He asked once more out of courtesy.

“Your Majesty, shouldn’t you at least know the face of the lady you’re meeting?”

He placed the portrait right in front of Bellian’s nose, trying to force him to look at it.

But as expected, there was no reaction.

In truth, this matchmaking itself was merely a pretext for Bellian to naturally leave the imperial palace.

‘Still, she will be your lifelong partner and Empress. How can you be so uninterested?’

Lloyd sighed and tried to take the portrait back. But Bellian urgently grabbed his hand.

“Your Majesty?”

No, rather, he snatched the portrait away.

Bellian stared at the portrait in disbelief, then raised the corner of his mouth deeply.

“Yes. This is what she looked like.”

Lloyd flinched at his suddenly bright smile.

“Are you perhaps ill? It’s not time for your cycle yet. We need medicine right away!”

“An imperial decree won’t be necessary.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll ask her directly what she dared to steal from me.”

“Steal? What do you…… Was there actually a thief?”

“Stop talking and let’s go to House Felisa immediately.”

“Pardon?”

“We need to hurry before she escapes. She’ll see my portrait too.”

“Escape? Who…… Your Majesty? Your Majesty!”

***

The moment the face from the portrait appeared before her eyes, her heart felt like it would jump out too.

Somehow both a flashback and a ticking clock rattled in her head simultaneously.

It’s not in one year.

I’m going to die now.

My life’s benefactor came to destroy me!

‘No. It’s not too late. Even now!’

She slowly backed away while barely managing to move her lips.

“I, really……”

“……”

“I’m sorry!”

As Shuvien bolted away before his eyes, Bellian let out a hollow laugh.

“You think you can escape so recklessly?”

Lloyd, who had followed him in, was bewildered by the sight of Shuvien vanishing.

“What is happening? Your Majesty! What exactly did you do to frighten her!”

“I just looked at her and called her name.”

“Pardon?”

“My very existence must make her heart race.”

Bellian followed after Shuvien with a relaxed smile.

“She’s just a mouse caught in a trap now. I know who she is.”

Shuvien tried to escape the house first.

But for some reason, all the exit doors were firmly closed.

“What’s this? Why won’t it open! Hello! Is anyone there! Let me out!”

Not a servant, maid, or even an ant was in sight.

“Please open the door!”

“With the Emperor in residence, it’s naturally sealed off.”

Her body flinched at the voice cutting sharply from behind.

‘This really is a mouse trapped in a jar!’

As she slowly turned her gaze, Bellian stood there calmly.

“So we meet again.”

‘No. I need to pull myself together.’

Yes. They say even if a tiger catches you, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.

‘It’s not my time to die yet. I still have a year!’

Shuvien quickly changed her attitude and bowed her head toward Bellian.

“I am in the presence of the great ruler and creator of the Great Alcanta Empire, His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Do you understand the situation now? How could you not recognize the Emperor’s face?”

Because I skimmed through it in a hurry.

I just glossed over descriptions of the Emperor.

They should have included illustrations!

‘Damn! I shouldn’t have chosen such a handsome man. But my eyes were drawn to him unconsciously. Was I always this weak for good looks!’

At that moment, Bellian’s shadow suddenly fell over her feet as he stared at Shuvien intently.

“Raise your head.”

“How dare I raise my head and look at Your Majesty?”

“Don’t make me tell you twice.”

At his fierce tone, she quickly raised her head.

“I, I truly never imagined you were His Majesty the Emperor.”

Bellian looked at her with a persistent gaze and opened his mouth.

“I couldn’t imagine it either. That I would spend the first night with the lady I was supposed to meet for matchmaking.”

“W-what are you saying! No, why were you at such an inn…… I mean, why were you there?”

The woman’s appearance—trembling like an aspen tree yet still saying everything she wanted to say—was amusing.

She was like that that day too.

Her gaze was challenging, and her attitude showed no retreat.

Bellian found himself speaking more and more freely.

“I was looking for something.”

‘Is it some secret mission? Then why not just continue your search instead of sleeping with a woman!’

Well, he is the strongest being in this world who can do anything.

Bellian Crea Alcanta.

The male protagonist of this novel.

His name means “creator of hell.”

The reason he’s called by such a terrifying name is because he’s the only human who can wield a magic sword imbued with magical power.

But there’s an enormous side effect.

Though he looks perfectly fine on the outside, he suffers from an incurable disease that could kill him anytime.

Of course, it wasn’t terminal.

Rather, he couldn’t even die carelessly.

But she had to pretend not to know.

As it was the only weakness of the strongest being, it was kept strictly confidential.

If she showed any sign of knowing that fact, she would be immediately executed.

‘My life is already like a fly’s, destined to die in a year, I can’t afford to hasten that!’

But his reaction was more subdued than expected?

She had caused trouble at their first meeting and even ran away.

Yet he wasn’t particularly angry now, it seems.

Rather, his constant staring made Shuvien’s heart race uncontrollably.

“Your Majesty, if you keep looking at me like that……”

“You look different from last night.”

Bellian slowly moved his gaze as he gradually cornered Shuvien.

“I didn’t notice yesterday, but you’re much shorter than I thought. Dressed like this, you’re quite cute.”

Shuvien flinched at his casually uttered words.

‘C-cute? What is he saying? Is he mocking me? Yes. He’s enjoying the sight of me cornered and frightened!’

Since it had come to this, she would push through with her original plan. The person in question had witnessed her debauchery.

‘This is actually good.’

“Your Majesty. Our matchmaking is water under the bridge, I mean, canceled, right?”

“What?”

“You saw it. I really love men! I absolutely love them! You don’t think that night was a one-time thing, do you?”

Bellian’s gaze gradually sank into coldness.

“Not just once? I wasn’t your first?”

“O-of course not!”

For the first time, anger clouded his face.

That makes sense. He couldn’t welcome such a woman into the imperial family.

“I have nothing to say if you break off the engagement. Even if I’m banished from society, I’ll accept it as punishment. If you could just spare my life for the sake of last night’s affection……”

“Who else did you spend the night with?”

“Pardon?”

“I can just find them all and kill them.”

“……”

“Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

“……”

Surely he’s not thinking of killing everyone to erase what happened?

He’s completely insane!

Marriage is definitely out of the question.

He’s the type who would behead her and more if her illegitimate status was revealed!

“E-even so, others would still know.”

“Why? Are you worried I can’t handle it properly? Don’t worry. I’ll make it certain.”

“No, that’s not what I mean…!”

In that moment, a desperate struggle for survival burst out.

“I-I’m actually pregnant!”

“…Pregnant? You’re carrying a child?”

Her heart pounded in a different way at his drastically changed expression.

‘What? Is this working? Of course it would. The woman who was to become Empress carrying another man’s child.’

This would definitely break the engagement. Surely he wouldn’t kill her immediately for going too far?

‘I don’t know, the water is already spilled!’

“Yes. I’m carrying a child.”

“But it’s not my child?”

“Of course not! Your Majesty and I only met yesterday!”

“Yes. That’s right. It couldn’t be. Yes. So it’s really not my child?”

Bellian asked the same question over and over.

This time this engagement will definitely be broken.

‘If I end up in prison because of this, I’ll find a way to escape somehow…’

“I’ve finally found it.”

“Yes. You found… What? What exactly did you find…?”

“My perfect empress.”

Bellian gripped Shuvien’s shoulders firmly.

His expression was so filled with ecstasy it was frightening, making Shuvien feel a momentary chill.

“Shuvien Felisa, from now on you are my empress. The child in your womb is also mine.”