Chapter 2.3

Aristide quickly turned back to the window.  

“They say merchants in the alley rescued him when he was being beaten in front of the bookstore. You don’t need to worry; he wasn’t seriously injured. In fact, he’s been frantically searching for you since you ‘disappeared.’”  

Lucia took a deep breath, holding back her tears.  

“Thank you for letting me know.”  

“Is there nothing else you’re curious about?”  

Lucia didn’t answer.  

“Then I’ll tell you. Your parents have been imprisoned for hiring assassins.”  

Why don’t I feel anything?  

She thought she’d at least feel anger if not relief.  

“And the three people who assaulted you under their orders—they’ve been arrested too. Apparently, the Bianchi couple lured them in with promises to erase their debts.”  

Aristide stared at Lucia as she stood motionless.  

“Is something wrong?”  

“…There were four of them.”  

At her response, Aristide nodded.  

“I forgot about Leo Galante.”  

The man who had whispered, “Please forgive me, Miss,” before assaulting her.  

“He jumped off a bridge a few days after your attack. He must have been consumed by guilt, thinking you had died. Thanks to the note he left behind, the full extent of the Bianchi couple’s assassination plot was revealed. In a way, he repaid his debt to you.”  

For a moment, everything felt distant to Lucia, as though she were underwater.  

Only his last words echoed in her ears: “Please forgive me, Miss…”  

Lucia felt neither sadness, anger, nor resentment.  

Her emotions and thoughts had stopped altogether.  

“The real problem is your brother. There’s no evidence linking him to attempted murder, but…”  

After the house burned down, Ferris had roamed around, vowing to kill his sister if he ever found her.  

Now, with no money and his parents in prison, he had become a sailor to survive.  

Yet it was clear that his hatred and desire for revenge against Lucia still burned fiercely.  

“Won’t he try to take revenge? You’ll likely have to spend your life avoiding him… What should I do for you?”  

“I already owe you a debt I can never repay,Your Majesty—”  

“Enough of that. What do you want?”  

“…If I may, could I make a request?”  

He gestured for her to speak.  

“I want to become a concubine.”  

***

Tick-tock, tick-tock.  

Even the clock seemed stunned, skipping a second.  

“I will dedicate my life to becoming the Empire’s greatest inventor for you, Your Majesty. Whatever you desire, I will create it for you. I know how ridiculous I must look, asking for this after already being rejected once, but please, give me just one more chance.”  

Aristide tapped the desk with his long fingers, staring at Lucia as though she were an unsolvable riddle.  

“Becoming a concubine won’t benefit me in any way. In fact, it will only deepen your debt to me.”

“Which is why I humbly ask you, with your boundless generosity, to grant me permission, Your Majesty.”  

“Why are you doing this?”  

Lucia stared at the floor as she replied.  

“I’m tired.”  

Her voice grew quieter.  

“I just want to live peacefully now.”  

“…Are you certain?”  

“Yes.”  

Aristide studied her for a moment before averting his gaze again.  

“Then so be it.”  

And so, Lucia became Emperor Aristide’s concubine.  

***

Lucia was riding a carriage to the harem.  

Though it was within walking distance, she didn’t have the energy for that.  

Her mind was a tangled web of thoughts, echoing endlessly.  

‘Come and confront me…’

‘Please forgive me, Miss.’

She couldn’t let Mr. Saper get hurt again.  

If Ferris returned, he would try to kill her again.  

She couldn’t let others get hurt because of her anymore.  

Mr. Saper had closed the bookstore for weeks, desperately searching for her, even though she was the daughter of the people who had hurt him.  

She needed to reassure him.  

If I sent a letter tonight saying I had fled to another country, would he believe it…?  

The carriage arrived.  

The concubines had come out to greet her.  

Lucia avoided their gazes as she stepped out of the carriage.  

Her tiny bag, too small to be considered luggage, was carried by Celeste, while Julietta casually put an arm around her shoulder.  

“His Majesty only told us you were coming a few hours ago, so the room’s still a mess, but starting tomorrow, we’ll pamper you properly! Oh, and Valeria made oxtail stew—it’s a rare dish we only get on special occasions.”  

“It takes four hours just to cook.”  

“Feel free to speak casually, okay? I’m so happy we have another youngest member!”  

Valeria and Julietta spoke in turn.  

Walking alongside them, Thea smiled at Lucia.  

“It’s been ages since we had a party!” 

Julietta clapped her hands.  

The concubines didn’t ask why Lucia had changed her mind and become one of them.  

They simply chatted as usual while entering the harem.  

***

Underneath the sprawling pink clouds, Lucia sat on a small hill next to the harem, gazing down at the transparent lake below.  

She had been told to take a walk until dinner was served, so she sat there idly, passing the time.  

Countless black birds perched on the trees, then, as if responding to an invisible signal, simultaneously gathered in the middle of the sky.  

They formed a black cloud-like flock and flew out of sight.  

The birds that failed to join the flock returned to the trees, only to attempt to join another group.  

When they failed again, they returned to the trees, repeating the cycle endlessly.  

Thea approached silently and sat beside her.  

She spoke.  

“People still don’t understand the movements of birds. Which one becomes the leader, and why some birds fail to join the flock.”  

Another flock formed, moving like waves before flying far away.  

Lucia asked.  

“Do they know themselves?”  

The two silently watched the world as the sun set.  

***

The concubines were preparing breakfast.  

There were no maids or servants in the harem.  

To prevent the secret—that the concubines weren’t really concubines—from leaking, no outsiders were allowed in.  

It was also because the concubines unanimously found it uncomfortable to have servants.  

“Good morning, Lucia.”  

Valeria greeted her as she stood by the kitchen.  

Lucia awkwardly returned the greeting.  

“Sorry for being late.”  

Lucia had only fallen asleep after sunrise and hurried downstairs as soon as she checked the time.  

“It’s perfectly fine. Come sit.”  

Lucia apologized again and took a seat at the table with freshly baked flatbread from the oven and strong brewed coffee.  

“Did you sleep well?”  

Thea, sitting beside her, asked.  

Lucia gave a vague answer, saying it was fine.  

Yesterday, contrary to Julietta’s expectations, there was no ‘party’ to welcome Lucia.  

After dinner, she attended an hour-long lecture on the rules of life in the harem—respecting personal space, fulfilling assigned household duties, actively supporting each other’s research activities, and so on.  

Afterward, she unpacked her belongings alone in a dreary room.  

Even after lying in bed, she could hear occasional cheers and arguments from card games on the first floor, but since she hadn’t been invited to join, Lucia didn’t bother going down.  

In truth, the concubines knew that the first day in the harem wasn’t something one would want to commemorate, so they had sent Lucia to her room first, assuming she would prefer to be alone.  

Just as Lucia was about to drink her coffee, she heard a heavy knock on the front door.  

Lucia stood up. She hadn’t helped prepare breakfast, so she felt the need to make up for it somehow.  

However, Julietta waved her off and went to the door herself.  

Julietta greeted the milk delivery man as she opened the door.  

When Julietta handed him the money, he received it on a handkerchief, as if even the slightest touch disgusted him. He then dropped the milk crate with a thud and grumbled as he walked away.  

‘Even if they don’t respect the Emperor’s women, I thought they’d at least fear us…’  

Lucia thought to herself.  

Julietta picked out the broken glass bottles to discard and carried the milk crate inside.  

“Ugh.”  

She plopped into a chair and grumbled, prompting Celeste to ask, 

“Why are you suddenly upset? It’s not the first time.”  

“No, but isn’t it ridiculous? If we’re being technical, who’s dirtier—a man who sleeps with many women, or a woman who sleeps with only one man? They’re fine delivering milk to the Imperial Palace, but why do they act like this toward us?”  

“That’s not the right comparison. You should compare ‘a man who sleeps with many women’ to ‘a woman who sleeps with a man who sleeps with many women.’”  

Celeste’s response made Julietta grumble again as she bit into her bread.  

“I understand why people dislike us.” 

Reselda said.  

“To them, we seem like women who sell our bodies in exchange for money, power, special treatment, and protection. Unlike concubines in other countries, we don’t even have the duty to produce heirs. We just have to satisfy the Emperor. Other than not being able to become Empress, we have everything in our hands and live comfortably. It’s only natural that they hate us.”  

Lucia tried to calm her queasy stomach.  

Picking at her food, she eventually finished breakfast.  

When Valeria expressed concern about whether the food wasn’t to her liking, Lucia reassured her, saying it wasn’t the case, and insisted on doing the dishes since she hadn’t helped prepare the meal.  

Just as she rolled up her sleeves and moved the dishes to the sink, Thea began clearing plates from the table.  

“I’ll do it alone. It’ll make me feel better.”  

Despite Lucia’s protest, Thea stacked the plates and brought them to the sink.  

In the end, the two washed the dishes side by side.  

The kitchen was quiet except for the sound of steel scrubbers scraping against pots and boiling water bubbling away.  

Suddenly, Lucia remembered a tidbit Mr. Saper had told her about fish. When raising them, it’s important to gradually introduce them to new environments so they can adjust.  

Lucia reflected on how the concubines treated her.  

They didn’t ask about her family, a topic she didn’t want to revisit.  

They occasionally sought her opinion, giving her opportunities to join their conversations.  

They were treating her the way one might treat a fish being acclimated to a new tank.