Chapter 2 – Part 2

“The sun of Helvern, the great Emperor, I greet Your Majesty,” bowed the servants who passed by as Rohayden walked down the corridor. He accepted their greetings out of habit and headed toward his destination. His steps felt unusually light, though the difference was too subtle to notice consciously.

The scene from the previous night resurfaced in Rohayden’s mind.

‘Rash marigold.’

‘Ah! A chance I desperately sought and finally obtained!’

He occasionally suffered from insomnia, a fact known only to a few. On such nights, if he forced himself to sleep, he often had nightmares—ones he could never remember upon waking.

Those long, torturous nights were worse than they seemed. Because of that, when he sensed the signs, the emperor chose not to sleep at all. When the sky darkened and the moon rose, he would head to the garden instead of his bed and spend the night there.

***

“What are you doing here?”

Last night had been no different. As usual, he had entered the garden, but this time there was an unexpected intruder.

Her dark hair was tied back, falling loosely. Her delicate features, illuminated by the moonlight, appeared finely sculpted. She looked no older than twenty, a rare beauty—but that was of no particular importance to Rohayden. Whether beautiful or plain, it didn’t matter. What he wanted to know was something else entirely.

“Was I not supposed to be looking around here?”

‘Why are you here?’

Ever since Rohayden had declared that he would never take an empress from within the empire, the noblewomen had collectively abandoned their hopes of becoming empress. That much was true. But that didn’t mean they had given up on romance.

The emperor was an exceptionally handsome man. Even from afar, he was captivating. This meant that, setting aside the benefits of marriage, he was still an incredibly attractive person. Pursuing him simply for love wasn’t such a bad idea. Some even dreamed of a romance like those found in novels.

“Your Majesty, I don’t need anything else. Just love me!”

However, for an emperor who had long lost all affection, there was no chance of him saying, “Yes! Let’s fall in love!” He dealt with the noblewomen in the garden like swatting away pesky bugs.

No matter how much they pretended to be innocent or cunning, their acts failed miserably. Every attempt left them humiliated, sometimes even ending with them getting into scuffles with jealous friends. The success rate was zero.

People tend to learn. After many failures, the number of such attempts gradually decreased.

A few more years passed, and noblewomen using the garden as a means to approach the emperor became such a rarity that it didn’t even happen during monthly events anymore. What used to be a daily occurrence had turned into a rare “hidden event.” Rohayden was very pleased with this outcome.

Of course, ‘rare’ does not mean ‘non-existent’. Every now and then, a young lady would still appear, pretending to love the garden in hopes of catching the emperor’s eye. So when Rohayden encountered another uninvited guest in the garden, he thought to himself:

‘It’s been a while. Still, how annoying.’

“So you’re saying you entered here purely to look around.”

Rohayden deliberately spoke coldly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. If she had any guilt, she would surely show it. Yet, the young woman responded without a hint of hesitation.

“What other reason could there be?”

Her expression and tone were so innocent that Rohayden almost felt embarrassed for a moment.

‘Am I overthinking it?’ he thought. Logically, the garden was meant to be a place for people to visit. It wasn’t her fault that his experiences had been anything but ordinary.

“Do you truly not know?”

“Excuse me?”

“Or are you simply a skilled actor?”

It wasn’t like he hadn’t encountered noblewomen who were skilled actors before. Rohayden wasn’t quick to lower his guard. After all, he had endured nearly a decade of this. His distrust ran deep.

“If I’ve trespassed here without permission, I apologize. It may sound like an excuse, but it’s my first time here, so I wasn’t aware. I’ll leave immediately.”

But what was he supposed to do when everything she said sounded sincere? The more they spoke, the more Rohayden found himself unsure.

If this truly was an act, then she deserved an award for best performance in the empire. It was flawless, so much so that he found himself wanting to believe her, against all reason.

“Whose garden do you think this is?”

In the end, Rohayden brought it up himself. This was the emperor’s garden—the one he frequented. Surely, she had come here with an ulterior motive, hoping to meet the emperor, right?

“I can’t believe it.”

And then, she accused him of lying.

Rohayden was so stunned that he couldn’t begin to describe the sensation, even if he used hundreds of words. It was as if someone had hit him over the head.

‘She doesn’t believe me? She thinks it’s a lie that the emperor comes here? Is she being serious?’

“Well, it’s unfortunate this time, but I wish you better luck fooling the next person. Good luck!”

That’s what she said.

Until now, every woman he’d encountered had been obsessed with the idea of a romance with the emperor, pouring their heart and soul into their false performances. This was a first for him.

The fact that she dismissed the idea of the emperor visiting, thinking it was a ploy, was something no one else had done. After all, it was the emperor—young, single, and incredibly handsome!

“Besides, bait like ‘the emperor visits here’ would only be tempting to those with personal ambitions or a strong desire to meet him. There are people who value watering new seedlings more than meeting the emperor, you know.”

She was utterly unrestrained. He had just been treated as less important than a seedling. It was quite refreshing.

Rohayden stifled a laugh as he reached the entrance to the garden. Thinking about that morning, he couldn’t help but chuckle. She had been talking to flowers! It seemed that, as she claimed, her love for the garden was quite unique. Maybe a little ‘too’ unique.

“This might entertain me for a few days,” he murmured as he stepped into the garden. The midday sun hit his platinum-blond hair, making it gleam brightly. The corners of his lips curled into a clear smile.

***

Meanwhile, Mail hurried her steps. There was still some time before noon, but she intentionally arrived early. The last thing she wanted was to commit the disrespect of making the emperor wait.

‘The future ahead was already far from smooth. If she made a mistake and angered the emperor, adding more obstacles, it would truly bring her to tears.’

“…I’m here.”

This was the third time she’d visited this place in just two days. Although it was the first time she came here deliberately, she was glad she didn’t get lost. Standing at the entrance to the garden, Mail took a moment to collect herself. A final mental preparation.

‘Okay. Here I go!’

Despite her determined resolve, her steps were cautious, almost sneaky. She wasn’t trespassing, but still, she took care not to make any noise as she walked.

Mail would take a step, then look around, repeating this pattern. Her palms felt clammy with sweat.

‘When did I become such a coward?’

It was natural, really. This wasn’t just any regular meeting—she might be facing the emperor himself. If she wasn’t nervous in this situation, that would mean something was wrong with her nerves.

No matter how bold someone is, standing before the pinnacle of power would make anyone’s heart race. One wrong word, and her head could roll.

“…Seeing the lemonplat is calming.”

The vibrant yellow flowers were in full bloom, and Mail felt a bit more at ease as she took them in. Nature seemed to be a cure for everything. She let out a sigh of relief. Her composure was returning.

“Oh? There’s a velvet tree, too!”

Excited at spotting the familiar plant, Mail turned her attention toward it. It wasn’t a particularly large tree, only about the height of a grown adult.

Forgetting her earlier caution, Mail skipped over to the tree. Standing beside it, she noticed it was just a couple of hand spans taller than her.

‘The one in my garden is about this size too,’ she thought, referring to her home back in her kingdom, where she had personally tended the garden.

She gazed at the tree with a strange expression. The velvet tree had required a lot of care, so seeing one here, fully grown by someone else, gave her an odd feeling. How would she describe it?

“Like visiting someone’s house and seeing your own child there?”

Yes! That was it. Feeling satisfied with her own analogy, Mail snapped her fingers. Just then, a voice came from behind her.

“Raising it was a bit of work.”

Mail instinctively turned her head at the voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, maybe slightly deeper than she remembered. But as soon as she saw the owner of the voice, she froze in place. Her green eyes shook for a moment.

In the bright sunlight of the garden stood a man of unreal beauty.

His platinum blond hair shimmered, and his features were so flawless they seemed almost otherworldly. His deep-set eyes, perfectly sculpted nose, and the masculine yet graceful jawline made him appear as if carved by a master. Even his eyebrows were breathtakingly handsome.

Mail found herself thinking for a moment.

‘Am I dreaming?’
TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories