As Dade got up and approached Nian, she couldn’t bear it any longer and ran into the bathroom. Seeing this, Dade laughed out loud with delight. Her frightened appearance, so unlike her usual self, seemed quite adorable to him.

In truth, he hadn’t entered this place intending to take Nian tonight. The joke had gone on longer because teasing her when she was tense was quite entertaining. Ordering one room was also an impulsive act because he liked her reaction.

In fact, he somewhat regretted it. Every night, he had restrained himself from reaching out to her during the brief time they spent together.

It hurt his pride to desire her when she was indifferent to him. So he had suppressed the urge to lay her on the workbench whenever he caught the sweet scent of her flesh as they brushed past each other.

Restraining himself from taking what he wanted was unfamiliar to him, making it quite a harsh ordeal.

‘I should get another room separately.’

Dade clearly thought so. And his thought shattered into pieces and disappeared without a trace when Nian emerged from the bathroom with moist eyes after finishing her shower.

Without time to think, Dade grabbed Nian and pushed her onto the bed, climbing on top of her.

“Your Majesty…… Wait.”

He pressed his lips against hers as she urgently tried to stop him. Then, as always, he roughly opened her small lips that tensed and resisted.

He found her soft tongue inside her mouth and licked it before sucking it in, swallowing all of her saliva along with it.

When Nian pushed against his chest during the rough kiss, he gathered both her hands in one of his and firmly pinned them above her head.

She twisted her body in resistance, but there was no way she could overcome the strength of the man pressing down on her.

After thoroughly exploring Nian’s lips, Dade finally kissed her white, slender neck that had always made him ache with desire.

“Your Majesty…… Stop.”

“Stay still.”

When he sucked on the thin skin around her neck, red marks appeared. As he felt the small, warm woman in his arms exuding the herb scent that drove him crazy, Dade’s breathing became rough with excitement.

He finally began to untie her clothes.

Nian’s struggles intensified at his touch, but it only helped him undress her more easily. Dade simply removed all her outer clothes except her underwear and carefully caressed her dazzling n*ked body as he gazed at it.

“Your Majesty, no. Please…… stop.”

Despite Nian’s desperate plea, Dade lightly grasped her firm br*ast. Along with the plump sensation that filled his hand, he felt the hard n*pple protruding against his palm, and his eyes grew darker with desire.

Soon after, he lowered his lips. When he took her small, pink peak into his mouth, smaller than that of an ordinary woman making it appear dainty, her body visibly stiffened.

He sucked on the lovely bud he had taken into his mouth, tickled it with the tip of his tongue, and stimulated it by lightly biting it with his teeth.

“Please…… Ah!”

Nian bit her lip and let out a suppressed moan at the unexpected sensation. Meanwhile, his hand that had been kneading her br*ast began to move downward.

His hand, which passed over her smooth stomach, unhesitatingly headed toward her underwear. And as his hand finally began to pull down her underwear,

“Sob. Your Majesty…… Please.”

Nian finally burst into tears. Hearing that, Dade finally raised his head, regaining his senses. Looking at her, she was trembling with her head turned away, and tears that had welled up were streaming down her cheeks.

At that sight, Dade closed his eyes tightly.

‘Damn it.’

He swallowed a harsh curse and released his grip, causing her to cover her face with both hands. Dade quickly rose from the bed, and Nian pulled the blanket over herself, sobbing.

Having risen from the bed, he took a sip of the cheap liquor on the table.

‘I must be crazy.’

Nian’s appearance fresh from the shower was more destructive than expected and enough to shatter his self-control. The moment he saw her black hair wet, he lost all ability to think and desperately explored her.

Lost all ability to think? No, like a madman.

After watching Nian sob for a while, Dade stood up. If he stayed with her like this tonight, he felt he would make her cry again. Dade sighed and opened the door.

“I’ll send someone tomorrow, so return with them.”

Nian’s crying didn’t stop even until he closed the door.

* * *

As promised, Dade sent a carriage to the inn the next morning. Having spent the night with her eyes wide open, Nian sprang out like a coiled spring as soon as she heard the news of the carriage’s arrival.

Nian’s eyes were bloodshot from the night’s events as she hurriedly boarded the carriage. With her face deeply hidden under her robe, she was anxious that his servant might recognize her.

Fortunately, his attendant didn’t try to confirm the face under the robe and simply glanced at her indifferently before starting the carriage.

As she watched the passing scenery in the moving carriage, the previous night’s events felt unreal, like a dream.

If it weren’t for the red marks she saw in the mirror this morning, she might have shaken it off and gotten up, thinking she had had a nightmare.

She too had thought about sharing a bed with him, her husband, before. In fact, on their wedding night, she had been prepared to accept him.

No, she had thought so.

However, thought and reality were vastly different, and when she actually faced his intense desire head-on, her body trembled with fear.

He approached her not as the Emperor or a husband but purely as a man in a place outside the palace, and it was something she couldn’t handle.

‘Now…… I can’t do this anymore.’

Nian closed her eyes tightly.

Dade hadn’t slept a wink either. He still felt as if the herb scent lingered on his lips, making him bite them tightly.

‘Damn it.’

It was always like this in front of her—Ilena. Like an adolescent boy, he couldn’t control himself and reached out to caress her, forcibly taking and exploring her.

What had started as vague curiosity had now become intense possessiveness, reaching a point where even he couldn’t control it.

Of course, she was beautiful. Especially her rare black hair.

But who was he? He had seen beautiful women to the point of boredom? And there were plenty of women he could spend the night with.

‘I wonder if she cried a lot.’

As her image rose in his mind again, Dade closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh, trying to dismiss her.

‘Now…… I can’t do this anymore.’

Finally, he opened his eyes. His blue eyes had deepened.

And he no longer visited the herb garden.

* * *

Dade’s absence was quite fortunate for Nian. She had been at a loss for how to face him again.

He suddenly appeared one day and then thankfully, disappeared without warning, just as he had come.

The herb garden became entirely hers again, and with the disappearance of the unwelcome visitor who had been bothering her every night, Nian’s daily life became quiet and peaceful once more.

However, the headaches that had been troubling her for some time grew worse by the day, now tormenting her as if they would devour her.

Tomorrow was the royal ball. Attributing the reason for her headaches to overexertion from the preparations, Nian decided she should rest starting tomorrow.

When even the fragrant herb garden failed to comfort her today, Nian eventually made her way to the East Palace earlier than expected.

Upon entering the East Palace, Azel approached with a fuss.

“Empress! Look at this.”

Led by Azel’s urging to a corner of the room, a dress was elegantly hung. The imperial ball, the largest of various balls, was an official event attended by even the Emperor, and Nian had always made various excuses not to attend. Nevertheless, Azel prepared a dress without fail.

The dress Azel had prepared this time was a modest beige dress adorned with delicate lace that would further highlight Nian’s fair skin.

“You’ve done something unnecessary, Azel.”

As Nian sighed while lightly holding the dress skirt with subtle pearls, Azel replied dejectedly.

“Why don’t you go this time, Your Majesty? There was even a message from His Majesty recently……”

Nian finally closed her eyes tightly when Azel mentioned him, whom she had been deliberately ignoring.

Like a child playing with a toy, he had persistently whined, explored her against her will, and then disappeared like smoke as if he had grown tired of her.

Being ignored by him was the same whether she was Nian or Ilena.

The emotion that welled up with his name this time pushed Nian to the point where she couldn’t hold back. If Azel hadn’t spoken again, tears might have burst forth.

“At least try it on, Empress.”

At Azel’s words, Nian hurriedly picked up the dress, fearing that she might burst into tears. Seeing this, Azel excitedly helped with the fitting.

The dress fit perfectly.

The airy lace material flowed elegantly along Nian’s slender body line to her feet, and the light beige was adorned with subtle pearls and stones that sparkled in the light with every movement.

The slightly low neckline accentuated her slender, long neck, and her black hair contrasted with the dress, making it stand out even more.

Azel clapped her hands with joy.

“Empress, you’re so beautiful. You must go this time. It’s too precious to enjoy alone.”