And so, by the time they reached Solerium’s imperial palace, Solacamia, Swan was utterly drained. From Atlion’s arms to the carriage and back to his arms had been a cycle that had left her exhausted. Despite her distaste for the Imperial Palace, she fell asleep without protest when she saw the bed.

A full day and another morning passed before she finally opened her eyes, and the first face she saw was not Atlion’s, but Adelaide’s. Her light brown hair and warm gaze – so uncharacteristic of a noble – were instantly recognisable.

Swan glanced at the line of women standing behind Adelaide, just as they had before. They had come to “pay their respects”, standing with polite faces at Adelaide’s side, but Swan found their presence only irritating. Sensing their discomfort, Adelaide quickly ushered the women out of the room.

“Are you hungry?”

“This place….”

Swan trailed off, looking around.

“You must have been very tired.”

Adelaide replied.

“This is His Majesty’s bedchamber, the central chamber of the palace. It will also be the place where you’ll reside from now on.”

Adelaide’s friendly voice rang out clearly. Swan blinked as she looked at her, then glanced around the bedroom. Massive ivory-white pillars, gilded walls, a ceiling adorned with sacred paintings, a canopy bed draped in teal velvet and furniture painted a pale sky-blue.

The beauty of the intersecting curves and their delicate harmony was indescribable. Geometric patterns of intertwining vines, intricately carved flowers and birds, even the small corners of the shelves were covered with symbols of the imperial family. Massive plastered walls and gold. Everything was elegantly combined….

And yet Swan, who seemed out of place in all this – like something crudely carved out and forcibly attached – stared at Adelaide with fevered eyes.

“I have informed His Majesty that you are awake, so he will be here shortly.”

Adelaide said with a bright smile. A wave of dizziness washed over Swan. Her vision suddenly blurred. She rubbed her heavy eyelids in exhaustion and thought of Theo.

***

He was asked if he knew Solam. Theo replied that he knew where it was, but had never been there. He was then asked what this knowledge was for. He was a man who guarded the Imperial Family’s summer retreat, having served as a palace guard at the Summer Palace for 20 years. Whether the Emperor was visiting or not, this place had always been his workplace.

Fortunately, the man had a close relationship with the mason Theo was apprenticed to, so it was easy to strike up a conversation. Theo gave him a distant look before turning away. His thoughts wandered to Swan and Una, and a sense of darkness clouded his vision.

When he came home from work, there was nobody there. There were no people where they should have been. His family… In a hurry, he searched and finally found his way here – the Emperor’s Summer Palace. He looked up at the tall towers and the round dome.

He wondered if there was a reason why Swan had been brought here by the knights on horseback. Una was a small child, and Swan had no connection with the royal family. Yet the Emperor’s summer palace – what could have happened? He couldn’t understand.

No matter how hard he tried to get in, the message came back that the palace had already been emptied.

When he asked if the Emperor had really been taken away, the caretaker, hiding his fear, gave a vague answer and repeated the words telling him to leave. The mere mention of the Emperor made him look terrified, as if he had committed some grave betrayal… He bit his lip. Clenching his fists, he looked down the path as dusk began to settle.

“Swan.”

He couldn’t lose her. Absolutely, absolutely not. Just as Swan and Una were everything to him, Theo was the only one for her. He went home and packed his things. He thought of the one person who might have a map to Solam – Mr Tolly, who ran a large trading company in the village. Theo packed dry food and water and left the house.

***

The sunlight in the palace courtyard was warm. It had been two and a half weeks since she had left the summer retreat. Swan looked at the palace flowerbeds with a dry, indifferent gaze.

Long fingers brushed against Swan’s waist. The touch was suggestive, as if testing for sensitive spots. The Emperor gave her a mysterious look, as if inviting her to roll in the grass of the lush garden. Swan did not meet his gaze.

“Don’t you like it?”

She shook her head. It was beautiful. She hadn’t imagined that an autumn garden could be so breathtaking. Even without the greenery of summer, the colourful autumn leaves and golden foliage woven throughout the garden revealed the meticulous efforts of the palace gardeners to ensure the gardens blossomed in every season. Everything, it was said, was for the Emperor and Empress.

“Swan.”

“I like it.”

“Then why do you look like that?”

Swan turned her head. She had tried not to give him her attention, but his words made it difficult to keep staring straight ahead. Her eyelashes trembled, as they always did out of habit. Her face turned towards him as if on the verge of breaking. Atlion’s expression wasn’t much different. Truly, it wasn’t.

“I heard… I heard that I’m to be Empress. I want to know what’s going on.”

“Is that really the only reason?”

There were many other reasons. Swan was endlessly puzzled as to why she was here at all. Atlion’s hand wrapped around her fingers. Swan struggled to free herself from his grip.

“Then I wonder why you’re behaving like this.”

Atlion’s words were sharp, each syllable pronounced as if he were grinding it to dust. Swan looked up at him in shock. The man who had grown into the role of Emperor exuded an oppressive aura, even with a single glance. His fevered eyes blinked slowly and his lips quivered, barely parting.

“I told you, I don’t want to be here. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before I left, but I know my place is not at Your Majesty’s side. I don’t want to cause you any more trouble, so please let me go…”

“Who gave you permission? Who said you could decide when this begins and ends?”

“Your Majesty-“

“It may have started on your terms, but it won’t end on yours.”

“Your Majesty-“

Her arm was grabbed roughly. His narrowed brows and tightly pressed lips seemed to tremble slightly. Swan was reflected in the shadowed depths of his blue eyes. The grip on her arm loosened slowly.

“Why are you like this?”

The hand that had held her arm pulled at her waist instead, drawing her closer. The closer they were, the harder it was to breathe. A clean scent of fennel pierced her nose. Reflexively, Swan pressed against his broad chest, her small hands squeezing hard. Atlion’s eyes fell on her touch.

“What are you…”

“Didn’t you say you wanted me?”

“That’s… that’s not…”

“You said you wanted to bear my child, Swan.”

“I….”

“Is it because you want him? Do you want to be his wife?”

“I’m already with Theo….”

“Swan!”

His distorted face turned deathly pale. Swan stood frozen, staring at him before her trembling lips gave way to shallow, rapid breaths. She pressed herself against his chest and pulled away. A wave of nausea rose in her stomach, bile threatening to spill. Covering her mouth, she took slow breaths and turned her back to him. Atlion watched her calmly.

“Even if you were pregnant, it wouldn’t be time for morning sickness. So why?”

“W-With child, you say?”

“After being so intimate, why wouldn’t you get pregnant?”

He muttered indifferently and moved to embrace Swan. Disgusted, she pushed him away. Tears welled up in her eyes. She glared at Atlion, her breath catching in her throat, and then screamed, not caring that the guards might overhear. She was prepared to do anything to stop him.

“I’m not going to get pregnant.”

“Why not?”

“Why not?”

The words ‘because I don’t love you’ came to her. But instead of saying them, she hesitated, as if whispering to herself. She had asked again, doubting his sincerity, but his answer had been the same. Her tear-stained vision brought back memories of two years ago – when she had a miscarriage.

The excruciating pain, as if her womb was being ripped apart, accompanied by chills. The nausea that came with it. Even though Theo had held her, the shaking hadn’t stopped. She had cried herself hoarse for half a day, sobbing so hard it felt as if her very being had been drained, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

At that moment – the moment she realised she had been abandoned – the deep, piercing misery chilled her to the bone. How could Swan forget? She couldn’t, and that was why she had asked again. Foolishly. Yes, foolishly…

“And how exactly are you going to avoid getting pregnant? What means do you have to avoid carrying my seed?”

His voice was cold. Swan stifled her sobs and glared at him. The Emperor did not lash out in anger at her defiance. Instead, he stood silently for a moment before grabbing her slender arm and pulling her with him. Swan, dragged limply forward, struggled to break his grip on her forearm.

“I don’t understand why you’re acting like this all of a sudden. You’re the one who said you wanted me. You’re the one who wanted a life with me.”

He said, looking down at her as if he couldn’t believe her words.

Swan couldn’t help but feel that he was dismissing her rejection as nothing more than a childish tantrum. Her gaze grew sharper and finally she parted her lips to speak.

“Feelings can change, Your Majesty. As can everything else.”

His steady, unwavering gaze finally wavered. Swan watched as the fire in his blue eyes began to fade. Then, without hesitation, she coldly shook off his hand.