Chapter 1.7

The next morning, Lucia didn’t immediately get out of bed.  

Sunlight streamed through the curtains she had half-heartedly closed, and the sound of the neighbor’s aria echoed through his open window.  

Having failed to sleep a wink, Lucia gave up and opened her eyes.  

‘You disgust me.’  

She touched her slender neck. It was astonishing that she still had her head after spewing such insults at the empire’s highest authority and even slapping him.  

‘Even for me, I went too far this time.’  

How could she so casually insult the Emperor and reject his command to become a concubine?  

Concubine…  

‘Researchers! I’ve never laid a hand on them!’  

Believing the words of such a filthy Emperor would be madness.  

Yet, contrary to the rumors, he hadn’t dragged her to his bedroom by force, and considering the regular customer she had seen so far…  

‘A generous lifetime salary, free lodging, and a laboratory…’  

If, by any chance, his words were true…  

What a cruel joke of fate this would be.  

To live the life she desired without being bound to a man, she would have to pretend to be a woman who existed solely to satisfy men.  

For life.  

Lucia buried her face in her hands.  

***

When she went out for a walk around the neighborhood to clear her head, Elvia was sitting in the drawing room.  

Elvia’s father disliked Lucia, so Lucia couldn’t visit their house, and Elvia had to lie to come to Lucia’s home.  

“Lucia!”  

Elvia stood up, her face lighting up.  

“Where did you disappear to yesterday? After dancing twice with Mr. Zarko, you were nowhere to be found! I looked everywhere for you, but you were completely gone!”  

Lucia opened her mouth to make an excuse, but Elvia didn’t wait for her answer and immediately began excitedly recounting everything that happened with Mr. Zarko.  

As Elvia rambled on, Lucia’s thoughts drifted to the Emperor’s proposal.  

If her parents found out she had been offered a position as the Emperor’s concubine, what would they say?  

They valued reputation above all else, so they might prefer to kill her, or perhaps they would covet the power and prestige that came with being related to a concubine…  

“And so, we’re going to see a play as a family this weekend, and Mr. Zarko is coming to greet us!”  

Lucia played along just enough to avoid being caught daydreaming and offered congratulations. Elvia, pleased, glanced at the closed door and suddenly whispered with a serious expression.  

“Actually, I didn’t lie to my father and come here just to talk about that. I wanted to warn you.”  

Elvia lowered her voice even further.  

“You need to be careful.”  

Lucia’s breath caught for a moment.  

Had rumors already spread about me being offered a position as the Emperor’s concubine?  

“Mr. Scotto, whom you rejected, still holds a grudge against you. If word of it has reached me, your close friend, then it’s not something to ignore.”  

A man plotting revenge because his proposal was rejected…  

“So, lay low for now.”  

Elvia spoke firmly, seeing the ominous look in Lucia’s eyes.  

“What did I do wrong?”  

Elvia sighed.  

“You heard about Julia Ricci, didn’t you? She talked back too boldly, and a few months ago, the men in the neighborhood dragged her out of her house and beat her. I saw it myself. They say she’s deaf in one ear now.”  

Lucia’s eyes burned with fiery determination as she spoke quietly.  

“…What did you do?”  

“What?”  

“What were you doing while Julia Ricci was being dragged out?”  

Elvia’s face froze like a statue, her eyes reddening.  

Her voice trembled as she answered firmly.  

“I stayed still to avoid ending up like her. Why?”  

An ocean of silence flowed between them.  

Unable to endure the heavy atmosphere, Elvia stood up.  

“You seem to think you’re some great warrior, but don’t delude yourself. While you’re running away from the world, I have to fight tooth and nail to survive in it.”  

Lucia didn’t reply.  

Elvia swallowed the tears welling up in her eyes.  

“So if you won’t share the burden I carry, don’t judge the way I live my life.”  

Without looking back, Elvia left.  

Lucia stared at the closed door, then closed her eyes and leaned her head against the sofa.  

***

On Friday, the carriage sent by the Emperor arrived at the bookstore.  

“Are you Lucia Bianchi?”  

An Imperial Knight entered the bookstore and asked.  

“…I’m not sure.”  

Lucia, standing behind the counter, hesitated and slowly backed away.  

“Don’t waste time complicating things. Just come with me.”  

It was clearly a threat.  

Mr. Saper was out buying coffee…  

Lucia hesitated before retrieving something from under the counter and hiding it in her skirt, then followed him.  

‘I’ll catch him off guard and strike.’  

Inside the rattling carriage, Lucia checked the three weapons hidden in her skirt.  

A three-section whip that extended to arm’s length when swung, spicy gas that temporarily blinded people, and pea-sized explosive pellets.  

As Lucia waited for the right moment, the bumpy road gradually smoothed out.  

The carriage passed under an archway covered in crimson bougainvillea flowers. Above the arch was a large sign.  

Casa del Concubin.  

House of Concubines.  

Lucia repeatedly banged her head against the carriage wall in rhythm with its shaking.  

‘I’m insane. I’m insane. I’m insane.’  

Coming here of her own accord without fleeing.  

The carriage stopped. Her body lurched forward, and cold sweat trickled down her back.  

Voices murmured outside.  

“Why isn’t she coming out?”  

“His Majesty said she was confused. She might still think we’re actual concubines.”  

“His Majesty, honestly. Why did he personally intervene this time?”  

“Let’s wait. We don’t want to scare her because of us.”  

Lucia took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. She barely pushed it, and it swung open with a whoosh.  

Blinding sunlight momentarily obscured her vision.  

After blinking several times, she saw five women standing with bright smiles.  

“Miss Bianchi, welcome to the harem.”  

***

After leading Lucia into the dining room inside the mansion, the ‘concubines’ introduced themselves briefly.  

The eldest and architect, Valeria Retierre.  

The physician, Reselda Falco.  

The composer, Celeste Gravina.  

The playwright, Julietta Cusano.  

Lastly, the botanist, Dorothea—nicknamed ‘Thea’—Moretti.  

Lucia had imagined a decadent and vulgar interior, but the harem was modest and resembled a typical household. It felt like a countryside villa, with plaster peeling off the walls and a wide ceiling crossed by beams. The furniture and utensils bore signs of long use.  

While the concubines began eating, Lucia didn’t touch her food. Valeria asked her.  

“Miss Bianchi, is there something wrong with the food?”  

“No, I was waiting for the others.”  

“Hahaha!”  

Valeria laughed heartily.  

“Sometimes we forget about the rumors surrounding us. Recently, how many of us did the rumors say there were?”  

Thea answered.  

“I think it was twenty-six.”  

“It’s probably my fault. I tend to openly say I’m a concubine, and it seems people think I’m someone else every time I change my hairstyle.”  

Reselda tied up her loose black hair as she spoke.  

“There are only five of us concubines.”  

Valeria explained.  

“The rumors have been exaggerated by people who like to embellish what they’ve heard.”  

Lucia muttered, “I see,” and finally brought her fork to the food. Although the pancetta-wrapped shallots looked delicious, to Lucia, they tasted no better than sand.  

Julietta leaned over and whispered to Celeste, who was sitting beside her.  

“She looks like she’s going to faint.”  

“Shh.”  

When Emperor Aristide had mentioned meeting a new researcher a few days ago and said there had been a ‘small misunderstanding,’ they hadn’t expected the situation to be this severe.  

The women exchanged glances. Valeria set her spoon down heavily and spoke.  

“We know you didn’t come here just to have lunch. Let’s get straight to the point. You’re curious about our nights with Emperor Aristide, aren’t you?”  

“Pfft!”  

Lucia couldn’t help but spit out the soup she was trying to swallow.  

Julietta whispered to Celeste again.  

“As expected of the upper class, they get embarrassed over trivial things like this.”  

“Please, just be quiet.”  

Valeria spoke firmly to Lucia.  

“I swear, His Majesty the Emperor has never laid a hand on any of us. Right, everyone?”  

All of them nodded vehemently, and Lucia replied hesitantly.  

“…I see. His Majesty did mention that as well, but…”  

“I understand. It’s hard to believe.”  

Celeste nodded sympathetically.  

“When I first came to the harem, I was terrified, wondering if I’d been tricked. I spent the whole night trembling in fear that His Majesty might suddenly barge into my room, but nothing happened.”  

Reselda chimed in.  

“For months, I even slept with a lock on my door.”  

Julietta laughed and added.  

“One time, I was walking with His Majesty when it suddenly started raining. My clothes were completely soaked, and my skin was visible through them, but His Majesty didn’t even glance at me. He just took off his coat and draped it over me. At the time, His Majesty’s sole interest was in the snack he was holding. Even though the snack got completely soggy and turned into a lump of flour, he still finished it.”  

The pallor on Lucia’s face gradually gave way to a flush of color.  

It seemed ridiculous to believe the words of women she had just met, but somehow, they were more convincing than the Emperor himself.  

Perhaps it was because their expressions mirrored her own.  

“If you’re really researchers—”  

“…Not ‘if’ we’re researchers, we are researchers.”  

Valeria corrected her.  

“Why did you choose me as the new researcher? How did you know about me?”  

“We were impressed by the quality and ingenuity of your inventions.”  

“My inventions? You’ve seen them?”  

“Of course. They’re famous.”  

“…What?”  

“His Majesty spreads them everywhere. Every time he visits, he brings a new invention and boasts about it as if he made it himself. He displays them all over the Imperial Palace and brags about them to ministers and Imperial guests. You didn’t know?”  

“…I didn’t know.”  

“Your invention’s eagle emblem is so well-known. People are very curious about who you are.”  

Lucia had engraved an eagle emblem on her inventions, but she hadn’t realized it had become famous.  

She unconsciously smiled.  

The women smiled along with her.  

Lucia felt she was one of them.