Chapter 27

Rustle, rustle.

A bright blue sky. The temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. A cool breeze blew just enough to lift one’s spirits. On the neatly maintained grass sat a pristine white tea table.  

‘It was a good decision to come out here. This is pure healing.’  

Sabrina lifted her teacup, listening to the rustling sound of leaves swaying in the distance.  

She had been worried yesterday, but the moment she stepped into the garden, her mood brightened considerably.  

‘Indeed, people need to breathe fresh air to live.’  

On top of that, the desserts baked with care by the Imperial chefs tasted like heaven, no matter when she ate them. The ones baked by the maids back home were delicious too, but honestly, they couldn’t compare to these.  

“Oh, really?”  

“Yes, truly.”  

Conversing with Chase was also enjoyable. Their conversation flowed effortlessly from one topic to another, like a stream.  

The weather, work, food, childhood memories, favorite books…  

“But you know, Sabrina.”  

The conversation, which had been moving freely, began to take an unpredictable turn.  

“I suddenly got a little curious about something.”  

“Yes, go ahead.”  

Chase, uncharacteristically hesitant for a moment, suddenly posed a question.  

“Do you have someone you’re interested in these days?”  

Someone I’m interested in?  

Sabrina’s eyes widened at Chase’s question.  

‘Chase asking such a question? How unexpected.’  

Was he asking if there was someone I felt romantically inclined toward? Or was it simple human curiosity?  

Whatever it was, it was definitely an unusual question coming from him.  

So, what would be the ideal answer to this question?  

How could I tactfully explain that I wasn’t considering anyone as a romantic partner, nor did I have the time to foster close relationships because of work?  

After a brief moment of thought, Sabrina smiled and replied.  

“Why would I have time for such things? For me, Your Majesty, you’re everything.”  

At Sabrina’s answer, Chase’s eyes widened in surprise. He opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly took a sip of his tea instead.  

Sabrina flinched at Chase’s somewhat flustered demeanor.  

‘Oh no, did he misunderstand what I meant?’  

She had no complaints about working tirelessly for him, not in the slightest.  

Hastily, Sabrina added an explanation to clarify her feelings.  

“I’m entirely satisfied with my life. I’m genuinely happy right now.”  

“…Is that so?”  

Sabrina nodded vigorously.  

“Especially these days… I couldn’t ask for more. If I could live like this forever, I’d be the happiest and most fulfilled person in the world.”  

So please, let’s continue working diligently, just like we are now. Alright?  

Sabrina spoke with heartfelt sincerity.  

Generous pay, competent colleagues, a perfect superior.  

Although her workload was still heavy, Chase’s recent display of near-supercomputer-like efficiency had significantly lightened her burden.  

‘These days, I hardly even work overtime…’  

At this rate, she thought, this place might just qualify as a dream job. As long as Chase didn’t revert to being a hopeless romantic, Sabrina had no complaints about her work life.  

Chase, who had been lost in thought, cautiously asked again.  

“Are you really satisfied? Is there truly nothing more you want?”  

What more could I want?  

Well, if she could be greedy, more vacation days would be nice, and a raise wouldn’t hurt either.  

But she wasn’t desperate enough to demand such things, so Sabrina shook her head.  

“Wishing for anything more would be greedy. How could I dare to desire or ask for more?”  

With a slight smile, Sabrina continued.  

“All I wish for is… to become someone indispensable to you and to remain by your side for a long time, Your Majesty.” 

***

Thump, thump. 

Was this the sound of a heart or a drum? 

Tonight, Chase’s night was more tumultuous than anyone else’s.  

Chase traced the patterns on the ceiling with wide-open eyes several times. Unlike a few weeks ago, when he had tossed and turned trying to fall asleep, tonight his face showed no intention of even attempting to sleep.  

‘So it was true.’  

He had been uncertain for a while, but today confirmed it.  

Sabrina Wintlet liked him.  

And quite a lot, at that.  

Chase’s face turned redder than the tea he had drunk earlier. He summoned the memory he had replayed countless times in his mind, enough to wring it dry of any remaining sweetness.  

“Do you have someone you’re interested in these days?”  

“Why would I have time for such things? For me, Your Majesty, you’re everything.”  

“I’m everything to her…”  

Chase murmured softly. He had been so surprised when he heard those words earlier that he had unknowingly made a foolish expression.  

‘Oh no, what if I looked stupid?’  

He regretted his hurried decision to grab the teacup in a panic.  

“I’m entirely satisfied with my life. I’m genuinely happy right now.”  

“…Is that so?”  

“Especially these days… I couldn’t ask for more. If I could live like this forever, I’d be the happiest and most fulfilled person in the world.”  

Sabrina had said she was content with the current situation. That she wished things could stay this way forever.  

‘Could it be… because of that?’  

Ever since Chase became aware of Sabrina’s feelings, he had drastically reduced his outings. He tried to communicate with Elena through Clayton whenever possible and limited their direct meetings to under three hours.  

He had noticed Sabrina smiling more often than usual lately, and perhaps that was why. The thought gave him a strange feeling.  

“Wishing for anything more would be greedy. How could I dare to desire or ask for more?”  

As she said this, Sabrina smiled faintly. To Chase, it looked like a somewhat lonely smile.  

“All I wish for is… to become someone indispensable to you and to remain by your side for a long time, Your Majesty.” 

Reaching the end of his recollection, Chase let out a quiet sigh. His cheeks, which had been flushed like a peach from inexplicable excitement, gradually returned to their normal color.  

It was undoubtedly a touching and deeply grateful sentiment. Yet, strangely, a part of his heart felt a sharp sting. It didn’t make him happy.  

‘She doesn’t wish for more…’  

A closeness that could never grow closer. Together, yet never truly together.  

Chase’s mind became tangled like a knotted thread.  

The matter with Elena Evenheim would eventually be revealed as a passing incident. It was merely a temporary alliance born of necessity, with no room for any deeper connection.  

But one day, he would have to bring someone into his life. That was his duty as an Emperor.  

‘And yet, Sabrina is content with the current relationship? Does she truly have no expectations? Why?’  

As Chase replayed Sabrina’s words, expressions, and gestures over and over, he turned his body restlessly. 

Had I ever thought this long and deeply about someone before?  

Then, suddenly, Chase realized that his thoughts had taken a strange turn.  

‘Why am I wishing for Sabrina to desire more than this?’  

Logically speaking, personal feelings interfering in a professional relationship could only lead to trouble.  

If Sabrina had no intention of changing their current relationship, he should have been relieved. It meant he wouldn’t lose her, a highly competent individual.  

So why did he feel so downcast?  

Public and private matters were always clearly separated in Chase’s life, like a blade slicing through. This emotional turbulence baffled him.  

He felt exhilarated enough to lose sleep, then calm enough for his flushed cheeks to cool, and then so confused it made his head spin…  

His emotions were running wild, like an untamed horse. This was definitely not normal.  

‘Why on earth…’  

Chase frowned slightly, clenching his mouth shut.  

Sabrina.  

Sabrina Wintlet.  

That night, Chase quietly murmured the name that kept him awake. Her pale, clear face floated like a cloud, casting a shadow over his bedside.  

Thinking about it, there were quite a few things he knew about her.

A particularly quiet sound of footsteps, the faint fragrance wafting every time her hair swayed, the slight furrow of her brow when she was deep in thought, or the habit of clenching and unclenching her fist when she was in a good mood.  

It made sense, of course. After all, they had worked together for five years.  

But despite the same five years with Avery, or the much longer time he had spent with Clayton, Chase didn’t know even a fraction as much about them. Nor did he particularly want to.  

Yet when it came to Sabrina, his curiosity seemed endless. If he hadn’t held onto his rationality and self-restraint, he might have rained questions on her all day long.  

It was true that she was a rather intriguing person, but even considering that, Chase’s curiosity was excessive.  

What exactly was he curious about? The list was endless.  

Why had she left her hair down today when she always tied it up?  

What did she do at home?  

What food did she dislike?  

Did she have an ideal type?  

And…  

‘What part of me does she like?’  

When his thoughts reached that point, he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Chase’s gaze sharpened.  

‘…Do I like Sabrina as a woman?’  

His heart sank. Chase ran a hand over the back of his flushed neck, trying to organize his chaotic thoughts.  

Every time the urge to deny or avoid the truth rose, Chase took a deep breath. Gradually, his irregular heartbeat calmed, and his whirlwind of thoughts settled like stirred tea.  

A few minutes later, fully composed, Chase finally saw his feelings clearly.  

“Ah.”  

Chase let out a short exclamation, gripping the blanket tightly as he muttered.  

“I like her, don’t I?”  

It felt as if he had aged ten years in an instant.  

‘I like Sabrina.’  

Chase repeated the short, clear sentence in his mind and let his body go limp. Somehow, both his body and mind felt utterly worn out.  

Just lying there, imagining, he felt an overwhelming fatigue, as if he had spent the entire day walking through a storm. Considering the emotional storm raging within him, it wasn’t entirely untrue.  

Was this what it meant to like someone?  

He had believed he knew enough, that he had the wisdom to handle any situation. Yet here he was, turning a familiar corner only to discover an unfamiliar space.  

For someone like Chase, who was used to receiving affection, harboring feelings for someone was a profoundly unfamiliar experience.  

‘Still… I don’t dislike it.’  

Feeling a tickling sensation in his chest, Chase turned over abruptly.  

When had it started? Why?  

Chase began tracing back the moments when he had felt peculiar emotions toward Sabrina.  

He immediately recalled the day of the aide recruitment interview, when she had adjusted his attire. Her face had been so beautiful. The sunlight pooling on her pale cheeks had been so dazzling that he had strained his neck trying not to keep glancing at her.  

And what about the time after the coronation banquet, when the delayed wave of grief had shaken him, and her hand had steadied him? He had found himself wishing, more than anything, that she would always be on his side. That she would be his person. Her warmth had compelled him to pray for it.  

And during the uncomfortable meal with the late Emperor, when she had held her ground and lightened the tense atmosphere—how could he forget that? If he hadn’t listened to her words back then, he shuddered to think of the regrets and misunderstandings he would have carried now.  

But none of these seemed to be the reason he had come to like Sabrina. It felt more like he had already liked her back then, and that’s why he had followed her lead.  

‘It feels like it started even earlier than that.’