Chapter 3.3

Turning the corner, she saw Aristide chopping firewood. He placed a log of considerable girth upright on a knee-high stump, raised the axe high, and brought it down sharply.  

The axe gleamed briefly as it reflected sunlight before splitting the log cleanly down the middle. He used his gloved hands to tear the log apart and threw the split wood onto the growing pile.  

“Your Majesty.” 

Lucia called out.  

Aristide dropped the axe. Luckily, she had called him before he raised it high again.  

He muttered something.  

Hopefully, it wasn’t a curse.  

When he turned around, he was smiling as usual.  

“Miss Bianchi. Good morning. What brings you here?”  

His tone was overly friendly.  

“I came to chop firewood.”  

Lucia replied.  

He nodded, still smiling.  

“Ah, I see. But since I’m already doing it, perhaps you can go back now?”  

Without answering, Lucia uncovered the tarp beside the woodpile. Beneath it was a small table with a circular saw mounted in the center.  

Lucia picked up a thick log, placed it horizontally on the table, and fed it into the saw. Turning the crank, she made the circular blade whir and spin.  

Screech screech… crack….  

The machine devoured the log with its sharp teeth, splitting it cleanly down the middle. Lucia picked up the two halves and threw them onto the woodpile.  

Aristide put down his axe awkwardly.  

“You made this even without research funding….”  

“I asked Valeria to help gather the materials and built it myself.”  

“Ah…”  

As Lucia fed another log into the machine, she said, 

“Does chopping firewood happen to be your hobby, Your Majesty?”  

Perhaps because it wasn’t the question he had expected, Aristide relaxed his tense shoulders.  

“I try to help out with chores whenever I visit Moonlight Palace. Everyone says it’s unnecessary, but there are tasks that are easier for tall people to do.”  

He raised himself on his tiptoes, showing off his height.  

“I see.”  

Lucia turned the crank to speed up the slowing machine.  

After a moment, Aristide asked, 

“…Aren’t you going to ask about yesterday?”  

“You didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it, so I didn’t think to ask.”  

While Aristide fiddled with his gloves for a long time, Lucia silently worked the log-splitting machine.  

Thump thump… crack….  

For a while, only the noise of the machine filled the air.  

Breaking through the sound, Aristide asked, 

“How do you see it?”  

“Many reasons come to mind. Perhaps you didn’t get along with the late Emperor, or maybe seeing the portrait makes you miss him even more, and you don’t want to look at it, Your Majesty’s. It could also be that the portrait is poorly painted, and you dislike it, or maybe it’s so eerie it feels as if someone is watching you.”  

Aristide laughed.  

“I like the last reason.”  

Before long, he was standing beside Lucia, handing her logs. She skillfully adjusted the angles and fed them into the machine again. Neither spoke further.  

Although Lucia had feigned ignorance with Aristide, the most plausible reason among those she’d listed was clear.  

Aristide hadn’t gotten along with the late Emperor.  

And if he had turned the portrait around, their relationship must have been intensely bad.  

It was hard to imagine why Aristide would hate Emperor Orestes, who was considered the greatest ruler in the empire’s history. But she decided to let the matter rest, thinking of how Aristide hadn’t asked her why she had panicked over a bee before.  

Lucia glanced at the rapidly growing pile of firewood.  

They were chopping enough for a month.  

She could tell Aristide it was enough now, but she didn’t want to.  

She didn’t want to break this moment.  

***

While Aristide went to bid farewell to Cannoli, the harem members lined up at the door. Valeria, with a solemn expression, gave orders.  

“Girls, brace yourselves.”  

“What do you mean, brace—”  

Lucia began to ask, but Aristide returned before she could finish her question.  

He shook hands with Valeria.  

“Miss Retierre, thank you for showing me such excellent architectural designs. I promise to inform Minister Rovello in advance so the exports go smoothly once it’s completed.”  

Valeria gave a faint smile.  

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”  

Her reluctance was obvious, but Aristide didn’t notice and moved on to Celeste.  

“Miss Gravina, thank you for your soul-stirring performance. Is it difficult that music halls in Bederon don’t play your compositions because you’re a concubine?”  

“No, Your Majesty—”  

“I promise to pressure them into playing your compositions.”  

“…Thank you.”  

Aristide, satisfied, moved on to Julietta. She began speaking as soon as they shook hands.  

“Thank you for enjoying the play, Your Majesty. I don’t need anything and can manage on my own—”  

“I want to help! Hmm, how about Bella Fiselli as the actress for the ghost role?”  

“She’s completely unsuitable!”  

“Really? I think she fits the role. Hmm, of course, it’s your choice, but it’s good to have options. I promise to persuade the picky Bella Fiselli to like the role.”  

Julietta’s face fell.  

While Lucia pondered the cause of Julietta’s reaction, Aristide shook her hand. He seemed about to say something but closed his mouth, offering only a faint smile.  

After completing his farewells, Aristide waved his hand grandly as he stepped out the main gate.  

“Thank you for the delightful time! See you next month!”  

As the door closed, Julietta dramatically burst into tears.  

“Waaaah, I wrote the ghost role with Bella Fiselli in mind!”  

Valeria patted her shoulder.  

“There, there. Be grateful His Majesty didn’t make a prophecy.”  

Valeria turned to Lucia, who looked puzzled.  

“His Majesty’s promises never come true. He means well, but it’s unfortunate.”  

Reselda added to Valeria’s explanation.  

“Prophecies are even worse. Promises just don’t happen, but His Majesty’s prophecies turn out to be the exact opposite. If he says a research project will be a historic success, it flops spectacularly. If he predicts a play will be a massive hit, it gets terrible reviews on opening night.”  

Valeria spoke to Thea.  

“Thea, it seems His Majesty skipped you today.”  

Thea smiled shyly.  

“The invisibility trick is useful at times like this.”  

Bang!  

At that moment, Aristide burst through the door.  

“Miss Moretti! I forgot to say goodbye to you!”  

Thea’s pupils shook.  

“Your sausage-flavored carrots! I predict complete failure!”  

Still holding a grudge against the vegetables, he stormed back out.  

The moment the door closed, Thea jumped for joy.  

***

Aristide arrived at the harem carrying a basket again today.  

For the past week, he had been bringing fresh and rare ingredients daily, saying he wanted to share them with the harem members.  

The imperial staff clicked their tongues at how the Emperor now spent time with the harem even in broad daylight. Some turned away in disgust. Others lamented, wondering why they had to live under such an Emperor.  

But none of that mattered to Aristide.  

Valeria, who was sweeping the front yard of the harem, spotted him and greeted him.  

He raised the basket high.  

“Today’s strawberries are especially fresh!”  

The red stains around Aristide’s mouth and the pulp under his fingernails proved just how delicious the strawberries were.  

At first, he had brought rare ingredients, but perhaps there was a limit to “rare,” as Aristide now focused on “freshness.”  

Valeria accepted the basket filled with large, glossy strawberries and expressed her thanks.  

“Lucia is in the lab again today.”  

Lucia hadn’t left the lab since receiving her research funding. She hadn’t eaten or slept. The harem members had managed to coax and persuade her into sleeping for two hours, but that was all.  

Aristide hesitated as he picked a few large strawberries from the basket and stuffed them into his pocket.  

“Hmm, I don’t know why you’re telling me this, but thank you for the unnecessary report.”  

“We’re making sure she eats properly.”  

“I see. Again, I don’t know why you’re telling me this, but thank you for the unnecessary report—”  

“She’ll likely run out of energy and ideas in about two weeks and return to normal.”  

“I see. Again—”  

“You’ll be able to see her then.”  

Aristide studied Valeria’s calm smile but noticed the sparkle in her eyes.  

“Valeria, it’s not what you think.”  

“What do you think I’m thinking?”  

“We’ve known each other long enough for you not to pretend. You were like this last year when Princess Lorelai from the Kriel Empire visited.”  

“That wasn’t about you but for the sake of this country, Your Majesty. How wonderful would it be if someone like Princess Lorelai were our leader?”  

Valeria leaned on her broom, gazing at the sky as she imagined Princess Lorelai as the nation’s ruler in front of Aristide.  

“Anyway, I don’t think of Miss Bianchi that way.”  

“I see.”  

Valeria raised the basket high and lifted her eyebrows.  

“Who said the strawberries were hers? Sharing delicious things is the point.”  

“Next time, why not bring flowers instead?”  

“Miss Bianchi dislikes flowers that attract bees—”  

Aristide snapped his mouth shut, but it was too late for both him and Valeria to pretend otherwise.  

He sighed, seeing the sparkle in her eyes. Confirming they were alone, he spoke with difficulty.  

“Fine. You’re right; she reminds me of Cynthia, and that’s why she’s on my mind.”  

Dark, overly transparent Cynthia.  

…So different, yet now that I think about it, I don’t know why I ever thought she resembled Cynthia.  

Anyway.  

“That’s all. It’s not those complicated and bothersome feelings you’re imagining.”  

Valeria shrugged.  

“Understood. Then I’ll enjoy the strawberries.”  

Valeria greeted him and went back inside the mansion.  

‘Suspicious…’  

Valeria wasn’t the type to give up so easily.  

But there was no way to confront her about her schemes….  

Aristide glanced at the window of Lucia’s lab. After staring for a while, he turned around and headed back to the Imperial Palace.