The emperor Lucretius knew exactly how good looking he was.

He was devastatingly gorgeous. Looking at him made me even forget the news about the Aeal family arriving. He was that hot.

Oh right. He took his challenge very seriously. For example, last night, he took a bath in my own bedroom and wore only a gown to cover his wet body. This morning, he wore a pair of glasses even though he had perfect eyesight. He said to me that the maids told him the glasses made a man look more attractive. He grinned at me as he explained.

I tried my hardest to resist his charms.

I had to remember that this man was the one who had been disturbing my sleep for the past month!

I said to him in annoyance, “Get your stupid face away from me.”

“I can’t help how my face looks. I was born like this.”

“Gosh, fine!”

I lowered my gaze so I was only looking at his nose. It helped. As long as I didn’t look at his lips, I was okay.

“I’m sure you knew for a while that the Duke of Aeal was coming, right? You probably knew when he left his home.” I asked in frustration. He needed to answer for this.

“Of course.”

“Then what is the meaning of this? You didn’t tell me in advance, but you should have still told me nonetheless rather than keeping me ignorant till after they arrive. Why?”

He smiled innocently and replied, “Because it’s more fun this way.”

….my blood pressure…

Relax. Relax. Relax.

I needed to calm down and let it go, but it was hard. I was at my limit with this guy. He had been annoying me every single day.

I said to him firmly, “I don’t want to see them!”

“You can do whatever you want.”

“Really?”

He smiled at me as he picked up his cup.

That smile. I knew that smile meant something bad. For me.

“But if you don’t see them, you better be ready to face a huge scandal.”

“You…!”

“If you refuse their request to see you, you will be seen as the woman who refused her own family. It will be quite a scandal.”

I breathed in deeply to calm down.

“If I see them, I will want to punch them in the face!”

He answered nonchalantly, “Then do it.”

“What?”

What was he saying?

When I looked at him in confusion, he continued to drink his water elegantly.

He replied, “As I’ve said, you can do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

I was angry. I could almost feel steam coming out of my ears.

I asked in frustration, “But you are also saying whatever I do, I will be responsible for it?”

He shook his head to my surprise.

“No. You can literally do whatever you want. You can slap the Duke and pour cold water over his wife’s head. It won’t affect Cransia politically at all.”

“Pardon?”

The emperor laughed at my shocked expression. He was an asshole.

“Geographically, Aeal colony is not of great importance, and that is why 5 generations ago, the Cransian emperor gave it away to his step-brother. It’s too far, too small, and not productive. Aeal family is one of the poorest and weakest noble families. A few generations ago, they could have claimed to be a distant relative of the Cransian royal family, but not anymore.”

I became speechless.

Lucretius continued, “As long as you don’t do anything in public, I don’t care what you do. However, if you refuse to meet them at all, there will be an unavoidable scandal. Why not see them then? Whatever you do to them in a private setting can’t be used against us. Aeal family won’t mention your behavior, whatever it will be, to anyone.”

“…”

“Because if they do, it will be too embarrassing for them. What could they say? That you were rude to them because they sold you to Cransia instead of their own daughter? They are a prideful bunch so they will never admit to it. They can’t.”

I couldn’t help but feel excited. I felt eager.

After thinking for a few seconds, I asked for a confirmation, “I can do anything I want as long as it is done at a private meeting?”

“Exactly.”

I swallowed and asked him, “Could I ask you for a favor?”

His green eyes brightened like those of a snake.

After lunchtime, the Aeal family requested to meet me. I approved it without hesitation.

***

I checked myself in front of the giant mirror placed inside my dressing room. I looked great in a luxurious dress.

This dress was the one I was to wear tonight at the pre-coronation party. Most dresses were recycled from the previous empress’s wardrobe, but three dresses were custom-made especially for me. They were for the pre-coronation party, the coronation itself, and the last party on the last day of the celebration.

I planned on wearing this dress only for the party tonight, but I changed my mind and wore it now. I asked the maids who were helping me get ready.

“How do I look?”

They all said at the same time

“You look beautiful!”

“So elegant!”

“The emperor will be proud!”

I didn’t care what the emperor thought of it.

This dress was made especially for tonight’s event where I was to be officially introduced for the first time as the emperor’s wife. However, right now, I would use it for a personal reason.

I wore the dress and makeup like a knight wearing armor for the battle. As soon as I received the request from Duke of Aeal, I asked Samantha to prepare the most luxurious reception room in the castle. I got her to ready the room with the most expensive pieces of furniture and decorations. I wanted it to look intimidating.

I had never ordered the maids like this, so when I did with a firm voice, all the maids seemed surprised. They moved fast like little mice to do my bidding.

Since I was not an empress, I wasn’t allowed to use the colors gold and purple. There was also a limit to what kind of jewelry I could wear as the only wife of the emperor. I dolled up as much as possible, but my outfit could never compare to that of the dowager empress.

However, because the current emperor didn’t have an empress, I was allowed to dress a little more lavishly than usual for a non-empress figure. After all, I was the only wife of the emperor, and therefore, the second most important female in the castle after the dowager empress. I now represented the emperor and this kingdom. How I looked mattered greatly.

In short, my outfit looked impressive.

Uncomfortably tight corset. Beautifully curled updo. Silk dress with a huge puffed-out skirt. Puffy sleeves, which was all the rage in Rombrook.

I carefully examined myself.

When I was sure everything looked perfect, I ordered Samantha, “Please get me the blue diamond tiara I was supposed to wear for the coronation.”

Samantha’s eyes widened in surprise, but she followed my order without question nonetheless.

The blue diamond tiara used to belong to Lucretius’s birthmother. It was one of the most valuable jewelry in the empire, part of the dowry the former empress brought when she got married. I was told this was the most important item to the empress.

I would have loved to wear the imperial crown, but again, I wasn’t an empress so I couldn’t. The blue diamond tiara was the next best thing.

As I looked at the mirror, it looked beautiful in my hair, like shining blue stars in the dark night sky.

Perfect. I was ready.