My one-week vacation ended in a blink of an eye.

I felt sad to leave such a peaceful, cozy place. I now had to return to the harsh life of the castle. I felt devastated.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what I heard last night. The tragic story of Empress Beatrice. I also thought about her son, Lucretius, constantly.

The murder of the former emperor on my wedding night was his revenge for his dead mother. At the time, I couldn’t understand how he could do such a horrific thing. How could a man kill his own father? In person no less.

I used to wonder why he didn’t hire someone to do his dirty work. I thought there could be two possibilities. Either he was truly a bloodthirsty, mad man, or he couldn’t trust anyone to do it right.

I knew vaguely of what had happened to Empress Beatrice even before I heard the details last night, but it never crossed my mind that there would be such a tragic story behind this whole thing.

I still thought what he did was wrong, but I could absolutely understand why he did it.

I remembered the historical figures in my own world. There was a king in Korea who lost his own mother in a similar tragic event and became a tyrant. However, there also was a king who lost his parents in a sad death who became a good, wise king. In England, Queen Elizabeth lost her mother in an execution commanded by her father, and later herself became the queen of England.

Some people became heroes despite their unfair pasts, while others gave in to their anger.

What kind of ruler would Lucretius become?

I was slowly getting used to Lucretius, just as he wanted. His odd behaviors and words didn’t shock me as much anymore.

It was my last night in Lonez. I was in the bed when Lucretius came in through the terrace window like a common thief. I waved at him nonchalantly.

“Well, do come in!~”

“It sounds like you were expecting me. You don’t scare easily anymore… I’m disappointed.”

He closed the window behind him and walked towards me.

I smiled and asked, “Are you disappointed that I didn’t scream? Don’t you get embarrassed when I do something like that? Like screaming at you?”

Last time he sneaked in, I screamed and caused everyone to storm into my room. I was mortified.

He smiled confidently and replied, “Why should I be embarrassed? YOU should be since you were the one who screamed, but not me. In fact, I was a victim myself.”

“Oh, sure…”

Why did I even bother asking him?

Suddenly, I remembered our kiss. His lips were so soft and his tongue…

“…”

I must be losing my mind.

I shook my head vigorously to remove such an improper thought. I felt like my face was burning.

I waved at the emperor and asked, “Just get me a glass of water over there.”

He frowned at my rudeness. I watched him with interest to see what he would do. Would he reprimand me?

Again, he surprised me by doing what I asked. He poured a glass of water and brought it to me.

“T… thank you.”

I accepted it nervously. I didn’t expect him to actually do it.

He smirked at me. There was no doubt his confidence was bottomless.

I took a deep breath and slowly drank the water. The room was so quiet the gulping noise sounded thunderous. I drank the whole thing in one shot, but I felt even thirstier.

Annoying man. If he would get me water, why didn’t he get me a full glass? He only got me half a cup.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and handed him the cup.

“One more please.”

He smiled and took it.

Will he go back to the table and pour me another one? Would I get the honor of ordering the emperor twice?

Disappointedly, he put the cup down on the nightstand.

“I think you’ve had enough.”

“Wow, how annoying. You did it once, so why can’t you do it for me again, or why not get me a cupful the first time?”

When I complained, he laughed quietly. It was a genuine laugh.

“You must have had a good rest here. You sound energetic.”

Just then, a large bell rang loudly.

It rang twelve times. It was loud enough everyone in Rombrook must have heard it. It was meant as an announcement of the end of my vacation.

Tomorrow morning, I would go back to the castle where my enemies lived.

As he listened to the bell, the emperor smiled coldly. It was so beautiful and perfect like that of a Greek statue. I thought it looked a little sad and lonely too.

I asked him, “Umm… I don’t know how to say this, but… You sent me here with purpose, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Of all the places here, you sent me to a wing where your grandmother lives. Didn’t you send me here so I would learn about your mother?” He didn’t reply. I felt a little embarrassed, but I added, “Umm… Well, anyway, I learned a lot about your past.”

“What?”

He looked at me as if I said something silly. I became confused.

“Didn’t you send me here so I could understand what happened to your mother?”

“… I sent you here as a warning. Do you not get it? You are living in a dangerous place. If you make even the smallest mistake, it will be the death of you.”

“… Thank you for the warning.”

Couldn’t he use kinder words? He was pretty much repeating what I just said!

“Anyway, thank you for letting me know, Mr. Accomplice. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you to do so.”

He frowned deeper.

Was it because it was getting late? I felt like my eyesight was becoming blurry. I started to feel numb on my fingertips.

I looked at him in confusion. He was looking down at me with an odd expression.

Suddenly, I felt weak. It was a terrifying sensation that was worse than pain.

When I finally realized what was happening, it was too late.

“Y… you…!”

What did he do to me?

I couldn’t talk. My arms felt weightless and eventually, I fell forward. Before my head hit the bed, the emperor reached out for me to hold me.

I lost consciousness in his arms. Before everything went completely black, I could hear him whispering to me.

“… Sorry, but don’t worry. The dose isn’t high enough to kill you…”