Chapter 30_Too Different, Too Much Has Changed

The Emperor chuckled to himself and closed his eyes, sinking deeper into the herbal-scented hot spring water.

At that moment.

Buzz buzz.

“Who is it?”

The Divine Sword, which was shimmering by his side, hummed simultaneously as he sensed a suspicious presence and quietly asked. It was a dangerous situation for someone to have infiltrated this place where no one else should be able to enter.

However, he wasn’t alarmed. There was no threatening smell, and with the Divine Sword by his side, he didn’t even open his eyes and asked quietly. But his voice was imposing enough to stop the intruder in their tracks.

“Your Majesty…”

A woman’s voice.

A thought crossed his mind.

Annoying.

“What is it?”

Rustle.

He reluctantly opened his eyes at the sound of clothes rustling. As expected, it was just as he had anticipated. A maid, revealing her voluptuous body and barely wearing any clothes, was cautiously approaching.

“Your Majesty… let me assist you with your bath.”

It sounded like she had something more important in mind. Bold. She had decided to take such a risky action. She could die for this.

As the maid took another step, a sound of something slicing through the air was heard.

Swish.

Aah!

Even though she wasn’t dead yet, a scream burst out. As always, the tip of the Divine Sword was touching the maid’s neck, unwavering as if waiting for the Emperor’s command.

Perhaps because she was a maid, even though she had heard about the Divine Sword, she didn’t know how it operated. She had never seen it in action, after all.

“Chamberlain!”

At his thunderous voice, the chamberlain rushed in, gasping in shock and stopping in his tracks.

“Confine her.”

The bold but reckless maid was immediately dragged away by the soldiers who followed. Although the situation was handled quickly, the chamberlain knelt before the Emperor.

“Why did you do something you’ve never done before?”

There must be a reason. The reason why that maid was able to enter here.

“I have committed a grave sin. That maid ran to me, saying she had an urgent message from Her Majesty the Empress. She said it must be delivered immediately. It was my disloyalty. Please kill me.”

The Emperor looked down at the trembling and pleading chamberlain. These days, messages had been coming and going frequently, so it seemed he had been deceived. However, it was always Bellita’s nanny who exchanged messages with the aide; no other maid had ever moved. Forgetting this and making a rash decision that could endanger the Emperor was unforgivable.

“Tighten security.”

What?

The chamberlain, surprised that he hadn’t been beheaded, looked up quickly but couldn’t utter a word.

“This is the only time. No more mistakes like this again.”

The Emperor dismissed the chamberlain, who was overwhelmed with gratitude, and leisurely relaxed in the hot spring water. The maid was lucky. The Emperor had retracted the Divine Sword only because he didn’t want to turn the sacred hot spring into a sea of blood.

Until now, the Emperor had no heirs and had turned his back on the Empress, so such maids were not uncommon.

They had the audacious thought that if they got pregnant, they could take the vacant position of the Imperial Consort, but none had ever succeeded. The Emperor loathed and was tired of such troublesome matters, especially those involving romantic entanglements. He had always been focused solely on unification, and that hadn’t changed.

Only one woman currently piqued his interest—Bellita. She was the Empress, no less. Now, even if they became closer or did anything, it wouldn’t be a problem. Therefore, he didn’t need any other woman.

This rumor quickly spread within the Imperial Palace.

Even to the Empress’s Palace.

This won’t do. I need to bring the two of them closer quickly so that such things don’t happen.

The nanny clenched her fist upon hearing the news.

It was good that the two of them rode horses together daily as she had suggested. Moreover, the fact that they even rode the same horse was even better. However, it was strange that His Majesty was helping with the riding practice. Very strange. Her Majesty didn’t need to learn how to ride. Even if she had lost her memory, her body would remember how to ride well after one or two attempts…. Then, ah! The nanny realized.

The Empress is a step ahead of me.

By saying she needed to practice because she hadn’t ridden in a long time, she could get closer and be held more often.

As expected. Our Empress’s extraordinary intellect shines even here.

Now that the two of them have started moving, it’s time to step up.

The Empress, who had taken an interest in His Majesty for the first time, and His Majesty, who knew only about unification.

From the nanny’s perspective, both of them were novices in this area.

So, I need to help them a lot. What would be good?

The nanny’s eyes were shining brighter than ever.

***

Anton was having a hard time. He had been tasked with something he absolutely didn’t want to do. Once again, he watched with a cold, disdainful gaze as the Empress, who had slipped off the horse, sat down as soon as her feet touched the ground.

He couldn’t dare touch the Empress, so he couldn’t extend his hand even when she fell. No, to be honest, he didn’t want to extend his hand.

She wouldn’t die from falling here. The Empress was holding the reins, so even if she slid off, her feet would touch the ground. It was better to prevent the horse from bolting, which would keep her from getting seriously hurt.

He didn’t know how many times it had been. She could have given up by now, but she kept getting back on and walking. An endless repetition.

Was the Empress always this persistent?

Like the Emperor, Anton also knew that the Empress was a skilled rider. However, seeing it with his own eyes, she truly looked like a beginner. It was hard to understand.

Why is she doing this so diligently when His Majesty isn’t even here?

He thought she was doing this to impress His Majesty, but the Empress overturned that thought.

If a new knight practiced this hard, he would recognize their potential and keep an eye on them.

But it was the Empress doing this. The Empress whom he detested. It was slightly confusing. There was no reason for the Empress to act like this in front of him.

Just a moment ago, when he appeared instead of His Majesty, she clearly showed disappointment, so he was sure she would stop practicing today.

That would have been better. He was actually expecting it. But she continued to practice. Even longer than when she was with His Majesty. This was driving him crazy. He was going crazy not knowing why the Empress was doing this. He had heard rumors of her change, but seeing it with his own eyes, those rumors were understated.

Too different, too much had changed.

Still, he needed to judge carefully. Not to be deceived.

The Empress’s hobby was deceiving and playing with people.

Anton’s gaze at the Empress, who was sweating and practicing, was confused yet cold.

***

Anton, who had spent a hard time, cautiously spoke before His Majesty.

“Her Majesty the Empress really looked like someone who couldn’t ride a horse.”

“I know.”

“But she practiced so hard that it was confusing.”

She did the same in front of me.

“Well done, Anton.”

The Emperor felt uneasy as he watched Anton, who showed no dissatisfaction and turned to leave. He had sent Anton instead today because he had urgent matters to attend to with Dein, but the fact that Bellita had practiced for so long bothered him.

[I was a bit worried you might tell me to learn from a stranger.]

[What are you worried about?]

[It’s uncomfortable, after all.]

She had said this just two days ago. That it was uncomfortable.

She had spoken as if everyone but him made her uncomfortable, yet she continued to practice.

The Emperor was sure that if he sent Anton, Bellita wouldn’t practice. But as Anton didn’t return for a long time, he was puzzled. She had practiced after all, and even longer than when she was with him.

She was practicing to impress me and to get close, yet she did it with Anton too?

She’s the best at confusing people.

There was nothing specific to criticize, but the Emperor’s mood was not good.

Don’t mess with Anton.

Knowing how much Anton disliked the Empress, the Emperor decided not to trouble him further. Anton was his most precious loyalist. The Emperor decided he would do it himself tomorrow and never send Anton again.

***

“Why did you practice for so long today?”

The nanny asked, as if she had been holding it in, while washing the Empress’s body in the bath.

“Wasn’t His Majesty not there today?”

“Yes. So I could do it longer.”

By now, enough time had passed that the nanny was allowed to assist with the bath. After doing it a few times, she had gotten used to it, and they had grown closer.

“Why?”

Why practice more when His Majesty wasn’t there?

“His Majesty was busy, so we had to finish quickly. But this time, it was Sir Cedric, so I could do it longer.”

The nanny tilted her head.

How should I interpret this?

Could it be… already?

“Madam. Who will you practice with tomorrow?”

“Of course, His Majesty. Why?”

The nanny stared at the Madam’s innocent face for a long time, hoping her thoughts were wrong. Of course, it’s still His Majesty. The nanny sighed in relief and gently scrubbed the Madam’s body with a fragrant pouch.

***

Knock, knock, knock.

While lying in bed, groaning from aching joints, Bellita heard a dull knocking sound.

Was it the nanny? Why wasn’t she sleeping at this late hour?

Bellita answered. But no one came in.

Did I hear wrong?

Bellita lay back down and sighed deeply at her slow progress in horse riding.

Her zero athletic ability was the same here too.

Knock, knock, knock.

She definitely heard it again. Bellita forced her aching body to get up, thinking it was strange.

Why weren’t they coming in and making her go out?

She walked across the spacious room.