When Carlisle realized that the woman he had kissed was the precious flower of the Marquisate of Olsen, he intended to compensate her appropriately and resolve the situation before it became any more complicated.

He had no intention of clinging to the matter unnecessarily.

He hadn’t anticipated the searing heat coursing through his body or the electrifying jolt that shot through him the moment their lips met, but correcting a mistake was more important.

However, the woman who had just been gasping for breath alongside him, responding fervently to his kiss, now lowered her gaze with an eerily calm and composed expression, as if nothing had happened.

In that instant, Carlisle’s emotions wavered.

A twisted urge to shatter her serene façade welled up inside him.

He disliked the unsettling feeling that he was the only one affected while she remained indifferent.

So, against his usual nature, he decided to provoke her further.

He deliberately cornered her in a way she wouldn’t immediately recognize.

“What will you wager as collateral to keep this secret?”

“Your Majesty, I just—”

“Ah! Did you say I should trust my own judgment since I was the one who kissed you?”

Carlisle’s gaze slowly swept over Cornelia like a predator eyeing its prey.

“That’s not enough. Didn’t you also say that this was a mistake on both our parts? Rejecting my offer is your choice, but I want something more certain.”

Cornelia bit her lip at the subtle pressure Carlisle exerted.

“I… I swear on my honor.”

“That sounds like the same answer as before.”

“Unfortunately, for now, that’s the only answer I can give.”

After a brief hesitation, her response came sharp and unwavering.

Though she remained composed, she couldn’t fully conceal the fierce pride lurking beneath her calm exterior.

A flicker of intrigue flashed in Carlisle’s glassy red eyes, which had until now betrayed no emotion.

He had only meant to prod her slightly for amusement, expecting little reaction—yet she had exceeded his expectations.

‘What a shame.’

He would have liked to keep her around a little longer, but Carlisle decided it was time to untangle this mess and restore order.

“I’ve heard your pledge. I’ll consider it.”

“…”

“Now then, it’s time for both of us to enjoy the rest of the party.”

Cornelia was thrown into confusion by Carlisle’s words.

‘Enjoy the party? Like this? Without giving me a proper answer?’

Was he serious?

Just moments ago, he had been pressing her as if threatening her for collateral to keep the secret, and now he expected her to act like nothing had happened?

A dull ache spread through her neck, and a headache set in.

She knew she had to suppress her emotions, but she couldn’t help feeling resentment toward the emperor, who seemed to dismiss her so easily.

She closed her eyes briefly, attempting to quell the burning anger within her.

“Y-Your Majesty…?”

Carlisle, who had supposedly left for the terrace, was now standing right before her.

“I was going to leave, but you caught my eye.”

‘Caught his eye? What does that mean?’

Seeing Cornelia’s puzzled expression, Carlisle curled his lips into a mysterious smile.

“It seems our connection will last longer than expected.”

“Pardon?”

“Our mistake is one thing, but even as emperor, there are certain traditions I cannot ignore.”

Carlisle’s gaze trailed over Cornelia’s delicate, bare shoulders before lowering further.

Following his gaze, Cornelia slowly looked down—only to see her small, exposed feet.

In that moment, her pale face turned ashen.

Panicked, she tried to pull down her dress to cover them, but the mermaid-line gown clung too tightly to her body for it to be of any use.

Desperately, she looked up to find her shoes.

And then—

Carlisle lifted the hand he had hidden behind his back.

Dangling from his fingers was the very shoe she had been searching for.

‘Of all things…!’

She wasn’t the type to recklessly kick off her shoes, not even in the heat of the moment!

Cornelia suddenly recalled the scolding she had often received from Sophie and her nanny, and she regretted it deeply.

Despite the Roman Empire’s open-minded culture, one of its ironclad traditions dictated that showing one’s bare feet to anyone other than a fiancé or spouse was strictly forbidden.

It was an utterly absurd law, yet as a citizen of the empire, she was bound to abide by it.

If Carlisle were to reveal that she had exposed her feet to him, or if anyone were to learn of this incident, her reputation would be utterly ruined.

“It seems I’ll need a different form of collateral.”

Carlisle flashed a charming smile as he observed Cornelia’s increasingly flustered expression.

He spoke in an unhurried, languid tone, clearly enjoying the situation.

Why did that relaxed demeanor of his feel so infuriating?

Cornelia didn’t even realize that she was biting her lower lip in frustration.

All the noble etiquette and composure she had cultivated over the years proved utterly useless.

She needed the most rational course of action she could take now.

“Your Majesty, if you forget about this incident…”

“That’s not an option.”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Carlisle’s firm response cut her off.

“Then, regarding the compensation you mentioned earlier—”

“You want this as an exchange for keeping our kiss a secret, was it not?”

His deep red eyes locked onto Cornelia’s beautiful face.

His tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

But Cornelia had no choice but to persist.

“I never accepted that compensation. If Your Majesty permits it, I could still use it.”

“That’s true. If I change my mind, that is.”

“Then… would Your Majesty be willing to reconsider?”

“Oh dear, what should I do? I have no intention of changing my mind.”

‘What? Why?!’

He had been willing to compensate her to keep the kiss a secret.

So why was he now insisting on using her bare feet against her?

What could he possibly gain from this?

Cornelia wanted to protest the emperor’s unfair treatment at the top of her lungs.

‘Could he be planning to humiliate me…?’

The thought sent a ripple of unease through her amber eyes.

That might be true.

After all, she was the daughter of the leader of the noble faction, standing in direct opposition to him politically.

Depending on Emperor Carlisle’s intentions, this situation could become a weakness that might be used against her father and brother’s activities.

For him, it was a trivial matter, but due to a ridiculous law, Cornelia’s carefully built reputation in high society could suffer damage.

Of course, given her background and status, such a blemish wouldn’t significantly hinder her activities as a noble, but it was certain that she would be the subject of gossip for a while.

Cornelia was angry at herself for letting her guard down in the heat of the moment.

She also found Carlisle’s cunning calculations and his attempt to shake the situation using a minor slip-up utterly unpleasant.

However, she fought hard to suppress her emotions instead of voicing her protest.

There was no benefit in reacting emotionally against someone with more power than her.

“Your Majesty…?”

She struggled to steady her breath, taking a deep breath, when Carlisle suddenly lowered his head toward her.

The proximity was so close that their lips nearly touched, making Cornelia flinch and instinctively step back, only for his hand to grasp her slender waist, blocking her retreat.

His jet-black hair, resembling the night sky, and his fiery red eyes, like the burning sun, pierced through her.

Cornelia stood frozen under his blatant gaze, unable to utter a single word.

His perfectly symmetrical, sculpted features were breathtakingly beautiful.

Dressed in a pristine white uniform embroidered with the imperial emblem, the Philium flower, Carlisle exuded a natural sense of authority.

The sheer breadth of his shoulders, capable of easily overshadowing her, made breathing momentarily difficult.

She considered herself someone with a strong presence, yet she felt small and fragile before him.

If nothing else, she had to admit—he was an impossibly handsome man. And all of his external features happened to align precisely with her ideal type.

“Have you finished admiring me?”

“Ah…”

Carlisle’s deep, hearty laughter echoed.

The sound jolted Cornelia back to her senses.

She realized she had been staring at him in a daze, completely forgetting about her urgent demands and even her anger.

Embarrassment flushed her cheeks, and she instinctively lowered her gaze.

Carlisle’s scorching gaze trailed over her from head to toe before pulling away.

Before she knew it, the air around them had thickened, and the previously tense atmosphere had grown unbearably heated.

“I was curious because I’ve heard countless praises about you.”

Carlisle’s sudden words were spoken in a deep, husky tone.

His voice had an inexplicable charm that demanded attention, drawing her in without her realizing it.

Cornelia was suddenly reminded of their fiery kiss.

Just recalling the moment made her face turn red and sent a tingling sensation through her entire body.

‘Focus! Stop thinking about it!’

She squeezed her eyes shut.

As if doing so would erase the memory of their encounter.

Yet, the more she tried to push it away, the more vividly she recalled the electrifying thrill that had coursed through her body—and just how soft and intoxicating his lips had been.

“The Marquis of Olsen certainly has a reason to keep you hidden.”

“Your Majesty…”

His low whisper unsettled her like a temptation.

She instinctively averted her gaze as if trying to escape.

Carlisle, however, reached out, gently tilting her chin back toward him with his fingertips.

As the distance between them narrowed once again, his deep, woody scent enveloped her senses.

Her eyes, nose, lips—every fiber of her being were wholly focused on him.

“So, how was it?”

He suddenly asked.

“What do you mean…?”

“The kiss.”

His darkened gaze lingered on her red lips—the very lips he had relentlessly claimed moments before.

Still slightly swollen from their passionate exchange, they glistened temptingly under the light.

“Did you enjoy it?”

Carlisle’s crimson eyes gleamed as if determined not to miss even the slightest twitch in her expression.

Under his unwavering gaze, her breath hitched, and her lips felt parched.

“Do I have to answer that?”

“It would be best if you did. Depending on your answer, I might change my mind.”

This was undoubtedly unfair.

Cornelia knew that full well.

Yet, despite her awareness, she couldn’t think of a way to escape the treacherous web of temptation Carlisle had spun around her.