Chapter 3.1 – Naturally

From old times, the small country of Ernim had produced artists who remained in the annals of continental history.

Ever since the Marquis’s young lady from the Empire showed up here for convalescence, the salons in the capital had been abuzz every day.

As expected of the daughter of Marquis Helvetica, said to be the second richest after the Emperor, from the moment she set foot in Ernim, she bought the best seats at the most beautiful and historic opera house, and there were even rumors that she selectively sponsored promising actors. The beautiful young lady always attracted rumors and people wherever she went.

“Ah, she’s here again today.”

“Indeed.”

As soon as the young lady appeared in the box seats, everyone couldn’t help but glance over. Her elegant platinum hair, like clouds touched by sunlight, stood out even from afar, so there was no need for opera glasses to confirm her attendance.

Though she was popular, the young lady always watched performances alone. Artists hoping for her patronage, those wishing to make her their muse, and people wanting to befriend her all lined up, but not a single person had ever been invited to her box seat.

But today, she had company. Though it was odd, since the companion sat in the back and they barely exchanged words, more people were curious about who that lucky person could be.

* * *

Olivia was the type to relieve stress by watching operas.

Ernim, worthy of its reputation as a nation of the arts, had a vast array of operas, and for Olivia, who sometimes came to see new operas that had never played in the Empire, the Marquis had even bought her a house in the capital as a graduation gift from the Academy.

Upon arriving, before shopping for clothes or jewelry, the very first thing Olivia did was buy the front box seat at the opera house with the most performances.

A different show every day. In fact, even the same performance didn’t get boring, as the cast and singers’ condition changed the expressions slightly, but trying out all sorts was still the best.

‘Time just flies by.’

Exchanging simple nods with people she recognized from tea parties or salons, Olivia climbed the stairs with practiced ease. Meanwhile, she was counting the days that had quietly passed.

She had actually been trying not to look at the calendar, but it had become such a habit that she even forgot her own birthday. She only realized the date this morning when a mountain of gifts arrived from her father and brothers in Gothishr.

She shook her head, recalling her father’s letter asking if she wouldn’t come home now. Hiding out for just two months didn’t feel safe. At the very least, she needed to hear news that Eloin was engaged before she could think, ‘Ah, it’s about time to pack up!’

Still, since everyone would be disappointed, she thought she should send a long letter and gifts, and with that in mind, she entered her box seat and sat in her usual chair.

“……?”

This had never happened before, but she felt a chill run down her spine. Olivia reflexively turned around, but all she could see were the familiar folding bed, curtain, and door.

“What is this?”

Tilting her head, she looked at the people filling the seats below and felt relieved. There was no way a ghost would show up in such a crowd, right? With a sigh and a laugh, she relaxed just as the curtain rose, and she quickly became absorbed. The chill from earlier was completely forgotten.

After some time had passed, she found herself crying her eyes out. It was the saddest part of the show, where the male lead, misunderstanding the female lead’s love, sings an aria about leaving because he can’t bear any more pain.

“That’s not it, Euplani. Dert loves you…!”

No matter how many times she saw it, this scene always brought tears to her eyes. When the female lead heard the male lead’s aria and her expression crumbled, Olivia buried her face in her hands.

It was then that a handkerchief was offered from beside her.

“Use this.”

“Ah, thank you…?!”

Olivia, about to accept the handkerchief without a second thought, froze in place. She was sure she’d come alone—so who was this person offering it?

When Olivia, frozen in fear, didn’t move, the other person gently dabbed her face with the handkerchief. The touch was careful, pressing softly at her tear tracks instead of rubbing harshly.

But the voice was the exact opposite—grumpy and sullen.

“You feel sorry for them, but why are you so cold to me?”

Only then did Olivia realize the person wasn’t a ghost or some pervert trying to scare her. But the identity of the intruder was even scarier than either.

“Y-Your Majesty? No way, Your Majesty? Eloin Wordniak, Emperor of Gothishr?”

“…How many times are you going to check?”

Olivia’s violet eyes hesitated as they met Eloin’s. In just two months, his jawline had grown sharper, and her heart pounded so loudly she couldn’t tell if it was from fear or something else.

“Why have you gotten so thin…? No, what about the country, how did you come to a foreign land like this?”

Olivia was diligent about reading the newspaper, but there hadn’t been a single line about Eloin coming to Ernim.

“Is that all you’re curious about?”

“What?”

“Are you only interested in the Emperor, not me?”

“What are you talking about? You are the Emperor, aren’t you? How am I supposed to separate the two?”

“…At least you are curious.”

Eloin kept saying strange things. Olivia was about to ask what that had to do with anything, but shut her mouth. She didn’t want to see his face, which had brightened just a little, fall back into gloom.

“Anyway, what brings you here…?”

“Why are you being so formal again?”

“…Ah.”

Olivia scratched her cheek awkwardly with a small laugh. Since it was a good day, she decided to let Eloin off with just this and got to the point.

“Today is your birthday. I wanted to give you a present.”

A present? What a surprising thing to say. From the moment he appeared, Eloin had been surprising her with every word. Yet, seeing her eyes sparkle with curiosity, he quietly lifted the corners of his mouth.

“The present is me.”

“Huh? Wait, huh?”

Eloin knelt on one knee at Olivia’s feet and opened a small box. Inside was a huge jeweled ring that sparkled even in the dark.

“Please marry me, Lady Olivia Helvetica.”

“What?!”

At the thunderous proposal, Olivia jumped up and shouted, but fortunately, it was the moment when the timpani crashed on stage and the spotlight was focused on the stage, so no one noticed her outburst.

The timpani brought her dazed mind back. She quickly sat down and slammed the box shut, scolding him.

“What are you doing? Why are you proposing to me? There hasn’t even been an Empress selection.”

“I don’t need any Empress selection. Liv, you and I have been promised to each other for a long time.”

Olivia’s jaw dropped. Was this one of those engagements where the person involved was the last to know?

“Uh, are you… dreaming…?”

He always said he only dreamed about her—could it be…? As Olivia eyed him suspiciously, Eloin’s face twisted. Barely holding back his emotions, he drew closer and growled low.

“That first time we met, you were the one who kissed me. You said you wanted to marry me!”

“What?”

Olivia was shocked, but it was true. The Marquis and her brothers’ “Don’t get married, Olive” refrain had started the day they witnessed that scene.

「You’re really pretty! Let’s get married!」

The young Eloin thought Olivia, who appeared out of nowhere, was an angel. Bewitched, he nodded, and when she smiled brightly and pressed her lips to his as if stamping a seal, he finally realized this was all real.

Olivia was not an angel, but a person just like him.

That didn’t mean he ever broke his promise. He had fallen in love at first sight.

“You don’t even remember… To be bound by such a promise all my life…”

It was the same when he attended the Academy. Even when his father ordered him to return quickly since the Crown Prince’s position was vacant, Eloin stubbornly stayed until graduation, just to see Olivia from a distance. He hoped that maybe, just maybe, her aversion toward him would soften.

Even when he was pushed aside again and again, and only thorns remained where fresh flowers once bloomed in his heart, he endured.

“You said the Imperial Family was promiscuous, but I’ve never held another woman. I swear to the heavens.”

“…I never said promiscuous. I just said you learned about those things early.”

Olivia’s face flushed as she corrected him. To think that a man who claimed to have loved her since childhood was now gently caressing her knee and looking at her with such undivided attention—it was so romantic that she wondered if she’d stepped into an opera herself.

Eloin’s hand slowly took hers, interlacing their fingers with a languid movement that made her heart pound so hard it felt like it might leap out of her throat.

But she couldn’t let herself be swept away by a moment’s emotion and mortgage her entire life.

“I’m… still the same as before. I want to meet other people, and I don’t want to live feeling trapped.”

“I have not the slightest intention of making you unhappy.”

Eloin brought her captured fingertips to his lips. As if he were casting some kind of spell, a tingling warmth spread from her fingers.

“If you become Empress, Liv, you’d have to lead the social scene, wouldn’t you?”

“There aren’t only ladies in society, you know. Are you going to chase away any gentlemen who try to talk to me?”

Old memories spilled from Olivia’s lips. Whenever someone tried to speak to her, Eloin would glare and drive them away, and if anyone seemed to show interest, he’d secretly follow and beat them up.

A sigh slipped from Eloin as he held her slender wrist.

“That was when I was a child. Do I really seem that unchanged to you?”

“That’s…”

“If I’d really wanted to keep you, you wouldn’t have been able to take a single step outside my bedroom that night.”

Eloin slowly traced her arm with his lips. The sensation of his kisses traveling up her skin seemed to ignite a fire within her, but Olivia deliberately looked away. Still, Eloin continued, undeterred.

“Above all, I trust you, Liv. You like people, but it’s not as if you’d accept just anyone’s embrace.”

That was the conclusion Eloin had reached after watching Olivia for so long. She seemed kind to everyone, but she could spot and cut off anyone who approached her with impure intentions. That was why Eloin had found it so hard to approach her again. He wasn’t as pure as he’d been when he was younger.

“Of course… Ah.”

Her answer cut off with a gasp. His lips, which had somehow reached her shoulder, now drew a long line along her collarbone.

“So, when you spent the night with me, I thought it meant you’d accepted me again.”

“What…”

For a moment, her violet eyes went blank, meeting his deep blue gaze.