He tightly embraced her slender waist while wrapping his other hand around her head. The more deeply he delved into their pressed lips, the more strength entered his hands.

After immobilizing her, he explored her mouth without restraint. The mucous membrane touching the tip of his tongue was hot and soft, and simultaneously, the purification flowing out naturally made the focus disappear from his eyes.

More, more.

He wanted to touch deeper.

He wanted to create an Aer where there was no place his touch hadn’t reached.

He wanted to look into and know everything about her.

Just for one day, wouldn’t it be okay? He wanted to reveal the possessiveness and desire for exclusivity he had kept hidden all this time.

‘This is how madly I’m in love with you.’

Louis, who wanted to express this with his entire body, held her in a way that caged her body and deeply pressed his lips against hers.

He explored her mouth relentlessly, barely allowing her to breathe, while savoring her skin with his fingertips.

His fingers, which had been tapping from below her ear to her neckline, slipped between her collar.

“Huu…”

At that moment, Aer, who was out of breath, couldn’t hold back and abruptly turned her head. It was the only expression she could make when she couldn’t speak or stop him with her hands.

“Haah, Lu.”

“…Yes.”

Louis wasn’t the only one who wanted to reveal everything without hiding. Whenever Aer engaged in such intimate actions with him, she felt a primal curiosity.

What would it feel like to completely open her energy?

She felt a desire to reveal everything without hiding in front of the Transcendent she trusted as a Purifier.

“Do… the Emperor and Empress have to observe the consummation day?”

“…”

Louis, who fully understood her question, had his eyes flickering roughly, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Is this all the luggage you’re taking?”

Louis asked in a deep, husky voice.

“Yes, this and the letters on the table. I’m planning to move the rest later through Luke.”

“I understand.”

He firmly supported Aer’s bottom with one arm while straightening his bent body.

“Kyaa!”

Suddenly lifted, Aer instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck in surprise.

“Hold on like that. We’ll arrive soon.”

At his words, Aer finally recalled that he had arrived incredibly quickly. Louis gathered her luggage and letters before leaving her room.

Aer, who met Luke just coming up the stairs, waved her hand to hide her embarrassment.

“…My lady? …Y-Your Majesty?”

Luke, who didn’t know Louis had arrived, bowed deeply in confusion. Aer, still in Louis’s arms, spoke to Luke.

“From now on, tell them there’s no master here, so you can’t accept letters. The same goes for gifts. Understood?”

“Ah, yes! Understood!”

It was sudden, but this was why she had planned to enter the palace. Since people couldn’t keep sending invitations to a house without a master, she thought it would be better to move to the imperial palace a bit earlier, even if it seemed premature.

Louis, hearing Aer’s words, felt sorry for not having thought of this aspect himself.

“Did so many come?”

“…A little?”

“I’m sorry…”

Louis, filled with apology, kissed Aer’s ear and cheek.

“Hehe, you can make it up to me for the rest of your life.”

Forgetting that Luke was there, Aer also kissed Louis’s cheek and whispered. Louis replied with an expression of having the whole world.

“Yes, I’ll love only you for eternity.”

“…Really, how embarrassing.”

Though she grumbled about being embarrassed, a deep curve formed at the corners of her mouth.

The two entered the space that Astin had opened. Luke, watching from behind, thought it looked like the two were melting into the light.

Luke couldn’t take his eyes off the two people who disappeared affectionately into the mysterious light.

T/N: Hold on, you’re not bringing Luke and the others with you? Having already loyal staff members attend to you when entering the palace would give you a strong foundation from the beginning, wouldn’t it?

***

The grand banquet hall, where the new Emperor’s coronation and wedding ceremony were being held simultaneously, was bustling with many people.

Due to rumors that the new Emperor was a Transcendent and the new Empress was a Purifier, not only nobles from the capital but also provincial nobles had come up.

Thanks to this, all the shops in the capital were prospering, but there was one place that was uniquely closed.

Kaylee was sweating profusely in the luxurious Empress’s palace, checking and rechecking Aer’s attire.

Beside her, Astin was mumbling while holding a communication device.

Though it started with Aer, it was now Astin who was caught up in the fun of spreading information through the communication device. He was actively working as a communication transmitter using a pseudonym.

“Everyone, I told you. I can enter the imperial palace. It might be hard for you to believe, but I am watching Her Majesty the Empress preparing not far from here. The wedding of the century is not far away, everyone.”

Aer was watching Astin’s behavior with narrowed eyes.

“Is it okay to be like that in the palace? I’m so nervous.”

Like Aer, Kaylee also watched the chattering Astin with anxious eyes.

If it’s the imperial palace, impenetrable security should be vital, but how could he spread such detailed information?

“Hmm… I think he’s going to get scolded.”

Recalling Astin being severely scolded by Louis recently for doing the exact same thing, Aer sat down in a chair as her legs hurt and muttered.

“Ah! Boss! No, Your Majesty! You shouldn’t sit down, the dress will wrinkle!”

“Ah, you must be wondering which atelier made the Empress’s dress. Just a moment.”

Astin, who had been mediating from a distance, quickly approached Kaylee and thr*st the communication device at her.

“Madam Kaylee, who runs ‘Kaylee’ and ‘El Te Amo’. Where did you get the inspiration for the dress that Her Majesty the Empress is wearing?”

Hearing Astin’s question, Aer was impressed. As the person in charge of the two shops and as a designer, Kaylee couldn’t resist talking about her inspiration, and she began to speak toward the communication device with a serious expression.

“I first got inspiration from Her Majesty the Empress’s vivid sea-like hair and spring-announcing pink eyes. But I decided to just give it a point to match the imperial palace’s etiquette and wedding ceremony. As you know, our Empress has beautiful skin like silk and sugar, so she can pull off any outfit. Also, a dress suitable for a wedding ceremony would be a pure white dress, right? On top of that, I expressed Her Majesty’s elegance with gold thread embroidery to match the symbol of the Basium Empire. And…”

Sure enough, Kaylee, who had been worried about Astin’s behavior, had also forgotten the place and was explaining enthusiastically.

Aer looked at the two with affectionate eyes. It seemed that the people who had relied on each other during difficult times shone more in value as time passed.

“Your Majesty, the Empress, it’s time for your entrance.”

At the call, Aer rose from her chair, and Kaylee, who had been chattering, hurriedly ran over to check the dress one last time.

Aer headed to the Hall of Light with the help of the palace attendant and Kaylee.

The Hall of Light, which only opened for the Emperor’s coronation or major events, was characterized by beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging like stars in the night sky throughout the vast banquet hall.

A red cloth crossed the center, and nobles stood in a line according to rank. Among them, there were familiar faces.

From Vivian and Knox, the protagonists of the original novel, to Ian, Kai, and Diego.

Even her father and mother all looked at Aer as she appeared. Unlike the original work, today she was the protagonist.

No, from now on, she would be the protagonist of her own life.

“El.”

The person who had been waiting for her the most was none other than Louis.

Aer happily gazed at him, who couldn’t take his eyes off her face, rather than her white dress that shone dazzlingly in the sunlight.

“Lu.”

“…You’re so beautiful.”

Louis, who was examining her from head to toe with an enraptured expression, stopped his gaze at one spot.

Her mark, which she had always kept covered, was radiating its presence magnificently just for today.

On the day when both their hearts were filled with affection for each other, the marks of the two changed. They transformed into fully bloomed forms, like the moon waxing full or flowers in full bloom.

He, who had been quietly looking at Aer’s mark, lowered his head and briefly pressed his lips against it before pulling away.

At that moment, the audience stirred, but they probably weren’t as surprised as Aer.

“…Lu!”

Louis, who glanced at Aer as she reprimanded him in a small voice, responded with a nonchalant expression unlike before.

“I just kissed what’s mine.”

He couldn’t express possessiveness over her entire being, but the mark was different. This mark was for him.

“Really…”

Aer, who didn’t dislike Louis becoming more and more shameless as days passed, glared at him but eventually laughed.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress. You may enter.”

At the palace attendant’s words, the two took their eyes off each other and looked straight ahead. Far away, the Emperor’s crown and the Empress’s crown awaited them, shining dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Before placing Aer’s hand on his arm, Louis kissed the back of her hand. After pressing his lips against it lingeringly, he pulled away and his purple eyes gleamed mischievously.

“I look forward to our future together, El.”

“Me too.”

After exchanging brief greetings, the two slowly moved forward.

Various thoughts from those present resonated in the minds of the two, but they couldn’t be influenced.

After all, thoughts are just thoughts.

Arriving at the place with the crowns, the two faced each other according to the Pope’s guidance.

At that moment, it seemed as if all the thoughts of others that had been cluttering their minds disappeared at once.

They gazed into each other’s eyes with complete focus, everything else fading from view as they answered the vows. Even with crowns now placed upon their heads, the two remained locked in mutual adoration, the world around them seeming to disappear.

“The new Emperor and Empress of the Basium Empire have been born. Everyone, pay your respects!”

At the resounding voice, the nobles standing in front of the two bowed their heads in unison.

It was the day when the Emperor, a Transcendent, and the Empress, a Purifier, ascended to the throne, which would be known to their descendants for a long, long time.

Refrain from Obsession End

T/n: Before I start with my thoughts and things I don’t like, let me tell you I really loved this story. To have a male lead who has the ability to mind control all people is truly frightening when you consider the implications. I normally despise the “mind control” plot device with a passion, so I appreciated that it belonged to the protagonists this time. Looking back at how difficult Aer’s life was and her emotional state during those times, this ending feels particularly satisfying for her. For Louis too, since they’ve both finally found what they needed in each other. (°◡°♡)

Now to the next points:

Is it only me, or are there still a few loose ends, for example with the Kingdom of Lunaris and Damian, who had his eyes on Aer? Is he really giving her up now? Just like that? And if we talk about him, let’s talk about Dorothy too. It was somewhat disappointing to discover that her mission apparently explained everything about why she stayed with Aer all that time. (◔ヘ◔)

Or the whole reason her father changed. Didn’t we gloss over the fact that her father made a complete 180-degree turnaround a bit too easily? (o_O)?

Calix could have also escaped the clutches of the original novel, as we know from other stories, since Aer changed so much. The brief moments from his perspective seemed to suggest this – how else could he suddenly become so indifferent to Vivian? Therefore, I find it somewhat disappointing that this wasn’t explored more deeply. (ᇂ_ᇂ |||)

I think he was actually quite lonely himself and doesn’t really know how to help himself. Either he has autistic tendencies or he truly doesn’t understand how to rebuild bridges with his children.

For example, he could have appeared before Aer himself from the beginning, before sending all his staff to he,r only to fire them. I don’t want to completely defend him – he really wasn’t a good father – but we never saw his side of things. The novel was mostly from Aer’s perspective, and if I’ve learned one thing after devouring several novels, it’s that even a narrator isn’t always reliable. (.•̵̑⌓•̵̑ )

My belief that there was something like the clutches of the original work was reinforced by the OG protagonists. The Duke himself wondered at the end why he was always so malicious toward Aer, even though his hatred was actually only directed at her father. Or how surprised he was when it came to paying the Marquis for his assistance, and his aides completely resisted it. Not to mention that the strange dynamic between Vivian and Calix was never fully explained. What had she promised him so that he would heal her? Questions upon questions. Maybe I’ll get one or another answer if I reread the novel. What are your opinions?