Chapter 80 – Anxious Men (1)

The person who came in was Sovieshu.

“I heard you were with Grand Duke Kapmen—”

He was holding a thick stack of files, but he frowned as soon as he saw Kapmen. I looked back and saw the duke was standing with his body facing away.

‘Oh, yes. He can’t look at my face.’

I thought our eyes had met. He must have turned around as soon as he drank the potion, and so hadn’t yet taken effect. Did it matter that he was looking at me right before he drank it? Regardless, from this point on, it seemed that he would fall victim to whomever he faced next.

“Grand Duke Kapmen.”

Sovieshu, unaware of what was happening, frowned and stepped between me and Grand Duke Kapmen. He didn’t look surprised the duke was there, but he seemed displeased that he kept showing his back.

“Hello.”

Grand Duke Kapmen still didn’t turn to greet him, and Sovieshu’s frown deepened.

“Where are you looking at? I’m here.”

“…There’s a situation.”

Grand Duke Kapmen seemed to believe in the effectiveness of elixir and was desperately trying not to look at Sovieshu. By now I wondered if the potion was real. If it was…ah. That might complicate the situation.

“Grand Duke Kapmen, I said look here.”

“Your Majesty, what brings you here?”

I quickly interrupted. Sovieshu turned to me, and I indicated the files he was holding.

“Are you here to deliver these?”

“…”

Sovieshu only narrowed his eyes and did not heed my words. On the contrary, he gave a sardonic laugh when he realized that I was deliberately covering for the duke.

“What were you doing? Why is one trying to hide his face and the other trying to protect him?”

Sovieshu’s lips twisted as he looked alternately between Grand Duke Kapmen and me.

“Was he kissing you, Empress? Are his lips swollen?”

He grabbed Grand Duke Kapmen by the shoulder and forced him to turn around.

Oh….

Sovieshu stumbled back unexpectedly, dazed at the sight in front of him.

“Nnng.”

As soon as Sovieshu touched him, Kapmen made a small noise with his eyes closed. That short groan…evoked the imagination in a strange way.

Sovieshu quickly withdrew his hand and stared at him in shock. My mouth also dropped in amazement, as Kapmen stared at Sovieshu with shining eyes.

The Grand Duke. The blunt and arrogant Grand Duke. The Grand Duke who openly ignored me as empress. His gaze was completely fixed on Sovieshu, as if I had disappeared from the earth. The potion seemed to work, and now Grand Duke Kapmen was in love with Sovieshu. The normally brusque-mannered man was now staring at the Emperor with a misty-eyed expression.

Alarmed, Sovieshu stepped back and swiftly turned towards me.

“Why is he doing that?”

Could I say anything about the potion?

Grand Duke Kapmen approached Sovieshu and smiled at him.

“It’s good to see you like this. You look handsome today, as always.”

Sovieshu’s face stiffened. He knew Grand Duke Kapmen did not normally act this way. After staring at the duke for another moment, Sovieshu handed him the file he was holding.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but control yourself.”

He spoke in a coldly formal voice and left the room.

Did he run away…? It looked like it. Sovieshu’s hurried footsteps finally faded away.

I was still dumbfounded when I turned back to look at Grand Duke Kapmen. Though the situation was funny, I didn’t know if I could laugh when this could turn out seriously bad for him.

‘Wouldn’t he want to go after Sovieshu?’

Grand Duke Kapmen remained stock-still, though he was still red in the face.

“Are you alright?”

I tried to approach him cautiously, but Grand Duke Kapmen held out his hand to stop me.

“Don’t come.”

Don’t come?

Ah, perhaps—!

“Are you jealous of me?”

Grand Duke Kapmen was now in love with the Emperor, and I was the Emperor’s wife. However, Grand Duke Kapmen’s brow furrowed.

‘What?’

The expression on his face wasn’t different from before. Instead of jealousy, but he had a red face and moist eyes. An expression that looked like curiously like…excitement.

Dilated pupils, red nose, trembling lips…

“Grand Duke?”

“Call me Kapmen.”

“?!”

“Damn it. Don’t listen to me. More effective than I thought… ah…”

“Grand Duke…”

“Call me Kapmen…no, please go. ”

I looked at him in confusion, and he waved his hands quickly in the air.

“The potion is more effective than I thought. Right now, I love you to the point where I’m willing to risk a strange misunderstanding from your husband to protect you. At least that’s how it feels. ”

“Ah!”

“When I look at you, all I see are your lips, neck, and beautiful eyes. And when I breathe…What perfume do you use? It’s wonderful.”

“…”

The potion truly had a powerful effect. Grand Duke Kapmen, in attempt to stem the babbling flowing from his mouth, closed his eyes and pressed his fingers on his temple before continuing.

“This is the situation now, so please leave. If I don’t smell you, I’ll be fine soon. Then I can go back to my room and take the antidote.”

He clenched his fists and sweat beaded on his tanned skin. I nodded and quickly let myself out of the room. I gave a fleeting glance backwards. The door remained closed.

When I returned to my room, I felt a strange sensation inside of me. If you are loved by someone, would they still listen to you from the other side of the door? How would it feel to have someone go crazy because of you?

I became restless because I had never experienced it before.