As time passed, I thought perhaps my prayer had been answered.

The night deepened and there was no sign of the emperor.

At first, I was so nervous I was wide awake. However, when he didn’t show up, I dozed off. I began to relax and finally fell asleep.

Oh my god!

I wanted to scream in delight. I was so happy.

In front of me was a pot full of kimchi stew. I hadn’t had it in over a year!

Oh! The smell! The stew boasted of beautiful kimchi and fatty pork belly!

I picked up a spoonful of it and opened my mouth wide.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the spoon disappeared from my hand. When I looked up, the emperor was holding it. He stole it from me.

He ate it! He then looked down at the pot on the table. He slowly took the whole pot and smiled at me.

That bastard!

I couldn’t stand him!

He opened his mouth with a grin.

“…up.”

What? What did this thief say?

How could he steal my kimchi stew? I would never forgive him!

His mouth opened again. He was frowning.

“Wake up.”

“Hmm?”

His face was too close.

I finally woke up. I must have been dreaming, and, at some point, it blurred with reality.

Now that I was fully awake, I realized where I was.

I was on top of the emperor.

***

I apologized quietly. My head was bowed, and my hands were on my knees respectfully.

“I’m sorry…”

The emperor and my husband, Lucretius, was sitting across from me on the bed.

He grinned at me and asked, “So in your dream, I stole your [kimchi stew], and that is why you got angry?”

It was so embarrassing, but it was true. I nodded uncomfortably.

His pronunciation of my language was funny, but if I laughed at him now, the situation would get much worse.

He asked me curiously, “So the [kimchi stew] must be a very rare and precious delicacy in your world? You got so angry just because I ate it in your dream. You were about to hurt me over it.”

If I told him that I became furious over a common dish, and it was a VERY average dish in Korea, then I would never hear the end of it.

So I faked a big smile and lied like a pro.

“Of course! It was a very valuable dish. Most people got to eat it every few years if they were lucky!”

“Ohh…”

He seemed interested. I continued to sell my lie.

“[Kimchi] is made from very rare ingredients. When it is prepared, it is placed in a [traditional pot], which is a very expensive jar. This [traditional pot] is then buried for a few years underground for ideal fermentation. [Kimchi] is then cooked with pork and the most luxurious ingredients for three days straight. They say the smell of it can make a [monk] want to steal it!”

My story didn’t make sense, but who would ever know?

After listening quietly, he asked me, “[Monk]? What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s equivalent of a priest in your kingdom. They are not allowed to eat meat.”

“Hmm. I suppose if it is that rare of a dish, I can understand your reaction.”

Thankfully, he nodded. He then suddenly seemed to realize something.

He asked, “If you are saying you had this dish before, then you must be from a good family?”

Why did he have to have so many questions?

I contemplated. I didn’t think he would understand the concepts of democracy and presidency. I thought it would be beneficial for me if he thought I came from a prominent family.

I thought quickly and answered him, “Yes. It was a small family, but our family was one of the oldest families in the country. We served two kings over two generations.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie. In the time of Goryeo kingdom, one member of the Sa family had a high-ranking job.

“My mother was a descendant of a royal family.”

My mother’s maiden name was Lee from Junju. A long long time ago, there was a king whose last name was Lee, so technically, I wasn’t lying.

“Oh, I knew it. You seemed to learn fast and know about a lot of things.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about. When I looked confused, he explained it kindly. He could be kind like this sometimes.

“Even if the Aeal family taught you for a year, there should have been a limitation as to how much they can teach you. Your manners aren’t perfect, but it’s still excellent. You sound like you are very well educated. You seem to have a lot of general information.”

He was very observant.

I nodded. “In my own country, men and women were all educated equally. It wasn’t uncommon for women to get eminent jobs.”

“That’s strange.”

He seemed very interested in the education and political systems of my country. I tried not to lie too much. I explained as vaguely as possible.

Thank god. This was better than I expected. We could just talk all night. I could be like Scheherazade.

However, things escalated quickly.

After two hours of my homeland stories, he stopped me. “That’s enough.”

“Pardon? But there is still so much to tell…”

“We have plenty of time. You can tell me later. I’m tired.”

He did look very tired.

It had only been two days since he became the emperor. There must have been a lot he had to accomplish during this time. Not to mention, it was the middle of the night.

I nodded nervously. He slowly got underneath the blanket.

I moved to the edge far away from him. Thankfully, it was a gigantic bed, so I managed to put quite a distance between the two of us.

“…”

“…”

When he saw me run away, he silently stared at me as if I was being ridiculous.

I was so embarrassed. I thought about remaining quiet, but I thought I should say something to make the mood lighter.

“Good night!”

Lucretius laid down on his side facing me. He tapped the place on the bed right next too him. It was a clear order for me to get closer to him. I started to sweat nervously. I shook my head emphatically.

“Oh, I’m so tired! I’m going to sleep now!”

Even before I could finish my sentence, Lucretius rolled towards me quickly and grabbed my waist.

“WAAAA!”

He put his lips against my neck and whispered, “I told you not to goad me. When I see someone run away, it makes me want to chase.”

When I struggled, he hugged me tightly and trapped my arms.

I yelled, “W, wait! Let’s make a rule!”

“Hmm?”

I made myself turn toward him.

Oh, even his dark circles looked gorgeous. He was such a beautiful man. It wasn’t fair. My heart was going to burst.

Especially when his face was so close to mine. This was too dangerous.

I was so close to him I could hear his own heartbeat and feel his body temperature.

I tried to calm down and blurted out.

“Th… That is… Let’s make…! Let’s make a bedroom rule!”

“Why?”

He knew exactly why! This arrogant man!

He grinned at me. I wanted to punch him in the face.

I tried to calm down again and continued, “So… Do you… Do you want to do it with me?”

“Do what?”

Really! I was dying from embarrassment!

I must have looked silly. He laughed and asked me again. He had a habit of answering a question with another question.

“Is there a reason why we shouldn’t do it?”