Chapter 8

Overlap

Lehan could not help but be shocked when he heard a name that he had never revealed to anyone, not even to Edellis, a name that existed in a distant corner of his memories.

“How do you know that name…?”

And they were calling him young master. The people who could be called young master by the butler of the Grand Duke’s household were very limited.

‘If the Grand Duke’s butler is calling me young master… then I am that person… No way. That’s impossible.’

But there was no reason for Pog and Hillsbane to lie.

Why would the Grand Duke’s family bring up blood relations with a mere commoner who used to be a gladiator?

It was too high-ranking a family for this to be dismissed as some nasty prank.

While Lehan was confused, Hillsbane continued asking him questions.

“Do you remember being kidnapped by Herald around 2 a.m. on July 24, nine years ago?”

When Lehan shook his head, Hillsbane continued as if he had expected that answer.

“One month later, you were entrusted to Xenon and confined in his warehouse, where you lived. Is that correct?”

For some reason, Lehan had no memory at all of anything before he entered the arena.

If he had really lived the life Hillsbane described, then it made sense that he had no memories.

“Three months later, after Xenon learned of Herald’s death, he sold you to the arena, where you lived. And in the arena, you were called ‘Lehan’… That is what we discovered. Is that correct?”

Since Hillsbane was asking him to confirm things he himself did not know, Lehan could not answer.

“…It is true that I was called Lehan in the arena.”

“I see.”

Hillsbane smiled gently. Then, as if to give the still-confused Lehan some proof, he took out a piece of paper from inside his clothes.

It had the seal of the Raksid Grand Duke’s family.

Written on it was the name Keirhan Raksid.

“How can you believe that I am… Keirhan Raksid?”

Especially when these records included things even he did not know.

“I trust the people who brought us this information. The Raksid intelligence department is not something that can be taken lightly.”

Lehan wanted to believe what Hillsbane was saying.

If I have a high status, then perhaps I can reach Lady Edellis.

“Will you come with us to the Grand Duke’s residence?”

Hillsbane’s question was not really an invitation. There was an underlying belief that Lehan would naturally come with them.

However, Lehan could not simply disappear without saying anything to Edellis.

So when he said that he needed time to think, Hillsbane’s face was filled with surprise.

After parting with Hillsbane, Lehan returned to the estate with Edellis. Then, after hearing that she had been chosen as a candidate for the Empress, he decided to go to the Grand Duke’s residence.

‘If I had not gone to the Grand Duke’s family that night, I would have had to be satisfied with being nothing more than her guard, or at best, the fake husband Edellis had mentioned.’

But he could not be satisfied with that.

He wanted to reach her more closely, sincerely.

That was why he had to leave Edellis’s side.

—Come back. You must come back. Otherwise, I won’t let you go.

How could I ever forget someone who gave me a chance by telling me not to forget and to come back?

I know how to miss you and cherish you, but I do not know how to forget you.

‘I will definitely come back, Edellis. To protect you.’

The person who first taught me kindness.

The person who taught me the warmth of body heat.

The person who taught me the fluttering of affection.

All of those things were you.

‘Edellis.’

When Lehan went to the Grand Duke’s residence, he learned something new.

In order to inherit the title, he had to fulfill the Grand Duke’s wish.

And that was revenge against the Emperor.

In other words, rebellion.

‘I never thought I could easily obtain the status of being the Grand Duke’s son.’

Now that the Grand Duke had gained proof of his legitimate bloodline, he had no intention of letting Lehan go.

In the end, Lehan had no choice but to undergo intense training.

Even when it was difficult enough to feel like he was going to die, he endured it by gritting his teeth.

Waiting for the day he could return to her.

The hope that he would be able to see her again kept him alive.

The harder things became, the more his longing for Edellis grew.

‘Edellis…’

Because everything in his small world was Edellis.

Then one day, Lehan was attacked by an assassin sent by the Emperor’s faction after they discovered his existence, and he came close to death.

Only then did Lehan deeply regret that he had not conveyed even a single piece of his heart to Edellis.

‘I might never get to see her again.’

He promised himself that if he ever met Edellis again, he would definitely tell her how he felt.

He wanted to confess his feelings right away, but he was afraid that if he stood in front of her, he would lose the will to return to the Grand Duke’s residence.

So he forced himself to endure.

Then, almost as if he had been waiting for Lehan to come of age, the Grand Duke, who had been ill, passed away.

After holding the funeral, Lehan unofficially inherited the Grand Duke’s title.

And after risking his life countless times, Keirhan Raksid finally ascended the imperial throne and took possession of the name of this country, Cronad.

Afterward, he wanted to meet Edellis immediately, but there were too many people aiming for the throne.

He could not bring Edellis into the palace while things were still so dangerous.

So Lehan eliminated everyone who threatened the imperial throne as an example to others.

“Kill every member of the Marquis Fassis family. From this moment on, strip Luton Fassis of his marquis title and imprison him in the underground prison of the Imperial Palace. As soon as we find the runaway Marchioness, gather the nobles and hang her. Anyone involved with them will suffer the same fate.”

If it was for Edellis to be safe when she came to him, he did not care if he had to see the blood of thousands, or even tens of thousands.

But he could not tell Edellis all of that.

She only needed to know how much he cherished her and how much he had missed her.

“There have been many things going on. What about you, Lady?”

“I lived an ordinary life.”

So much that she wanted to go back to those days.

She missed the old days when she had lived without any worries.

She never imagined that she would marry only now, long after the usual marriageable age for noblewomen had passed.

“But an Emperor shouldn’t call a marquis’s daughter ‘Lady.’”

“A marquis’s daughter? I should call you Empress.”

“……”

“Empress…”

Even when Edellis did not answer, Lehan repeated the word Empress several times, looking quite pleased.

“Edellis.”

Edellis still could not get used to the fact that this man, who had such an unfamiliar appearance and status, was Lehan—the same person calling her by her name.

“Edellis, there are many things I want to do with you.”

Edellis had only wanted to live quietly in the Imperial Palace, simply breathing and existing, until the female protagonist appeared. Then she wanted to disappear.

But there were many things he wanted to do…?

The only things that came to her mind were being stabbed to death or being treated coldly by Lehan.

‘If he is going to treat me coldly anyway, why is he taking me with him?’

If she had been allowed, she wanted to grab both of Lehan’s cheeks and pull them from side to side.

But she had to endure.

For now, simply surviving was already difficult enough, so she smiled brightly and answered.

“What kind of things?”

Lehan intertwined his fingers with Edellis’s hand and held it, wearing a languid smile.

Where had the shy boy who used to blush gone?

“First of all, we have to have a wedding.”

Lehan’s thumb, which was holding Edellis’s hand, slowly brushed across the back of her hand.

Edellis instinctively tried to move her hand away, but Lehan’s hand did not stop.

Instead, he deliberately whispered beside her ear.

“And what do you think we should do after that?”

At Lehan’s suggestive words, Edellis unconsciously raised her head and met his eyes.

“……”

Lehan continued to smile softly without saying anything.

In the suffocating atmosphere, Edellis wanted to shout,

‘Divorce!!! I mean divorce!!!!’

Unable to figure out what to do or how to answer, the silence grew longer, and the awkward moment continued as if she had to say something.

“What do you mean, what should we do?! What, what?!”

“You will know when you try it. Marriage.”

The Lehan she knew only seemed to remain in his appearance.

Inside, he seemed like a completely different person.

“…Are you really Lehan?”

“Of course. The one you rescued from that hellish arena.”

That was because you were an important character in the book…

“When I had never once been treated like a human, you treated me warmly.”

That was because my life was precious to me, and I thought you might protect me from the Emperor.

Since those things had not been done without a reason, she could not continue speaking.

As she listened to his calm words, Lehan suddenly smiled mischievously.

“And the one who spent his first night with you.”

“That’s not true! Not at all! I told you not to say things that could be misunderstood! We haven’t spent our first night yet!”

“Yet, you say.”

“No, I mean! ‘Yet’ means it could happen someday, but not right now!”

“Someday.”

“I said not right now!”

The more Edellis denied it with her face turning red, the more she felt as though she was sinking deeper into a swamp.

“Shh, wait a moment.”

They obviously had not even left the Marquis’s territory yet, but the carriage suddenly stopped without any report.

Edellis wanted to scream loudly and protest her innocence, but Lehan suddenly covered her mouth and became alert.

Then he suddenly pulled the hand he was holding and pushed her head down, making her crouch.

“Ahh!”

A sword stabbed through the side of the carriage.

It happened to be on the side where Edellis was sitting. If Lehan had not pulled her away, her head would have been cut off in one strike.

“Wait a moment. Can you wait for me?”

Edellis was so frightened by the sudden attack that she could not properly answer. She simply nodded while trembling.

Lehan drew his sword and opened the carriage door.

A group of masked men surrounded them.

The attackers who had already rushed the carriage had been killed by the Imperial Knights.

“Do not let anyone approach!”

“Yes!”

At the Emperor Lehan’s command, the Imperial Knights became even more aggressive.

Since Lehan was blocking the entrance of the carriage, the unknown assassins changed direction and ran to the opposite side, attacking the carriage again.

‘They are attacking the carriage instead of me?’

Lehan had received countless attacks since ascending the throne.

However, after wiping out all the families that had committed rebellion, the attacks gradually decreased, and things became stable.

That was why he had brought Edellis with him.

But there was one difference this time.

Until now, all the attacks had been focused on killing Lehan.

But these people had ignored Lehan and attacked the carriage.

It was proof that their target was not the Emperor, but Edellis.

His teeth ground together.

‘How dare they.’

He had deliberately stayed away from Edellis because he naturally thought that he would be the target.

Lehan opened the carriage door, which was shaking from the attack, and hurriedly pulled out the frightened Edellis, who was curled up inside, and held her in his arms.

He made her bury her face in his chest so that she could not see anything.

Then he whispered quietly beside her ear.

“It is all right, so please cover your ears and do not listen to anything.”

Edellis raised her trembling hands and covered her ears.

Holding the trembling Edellis in his arms, Lehan blocked the attackers while moving as little as possible.

“I need to find out who is behind this, so keep them alive.”

However, anyone who came close to them was mercilessly killed by Lehan.

“One person should be enough to find out.”

Following Lehan’s order, the attackers fell one by one at the hands of the Imperial Knights.

In the end, only a very small number of attackers remained, and the knights divided into groups and successfully captured them.

The attackers tried to commit suicide by swallowing deadly poison hidden inside their mouths.

Some succeeded, but two of them were immediately gagged and failed to swallow the poison, forcing them to spit it out.

Finally, after all visible attackers had either been captured or killed, some of the knights went to search the surrounding area in case any remaining members were hiding nearby.

“Edellis.”

Lehan whispered softly beside Edellis’s ear as she trembled in his arms.

“It is all right now. Everything is over, so you do not need to worry.”

Then he gently removed her hands from her ears.

Edellis looked at him with tear-filled green eyes, and Lehan patted her back.

It is all right.

When Edellis unconsciously tried to look around, Lehan covered her eyes.

“It is not something you should see.”

“Ah…”

To prevent her from seeing the knights cleaning up and dealing with the bodies, he covered her eyes and guided her toward the carriage.

With Lehan’s help, Edellis climbed into the carriage.

But before getting inside, she saw Lehan.

His cloak was covered in blood.

Blood dripped from his sword.

And there was Lehan.

Behind him were the bodies that had not yet been removed.

The sight overlapped with the castle of the Count’s family after the rebellion had been suppressed.

The scenes Edellis had seen in the book.

They were far too shocking for her, especially after she had just been attacked and was already in a sensitive state.

Edellis could not suppress the nausea rising inside her and vomited.

Lehan quickly caught it with his cloak, but his cloak was already soaked in blood.

When Edellis realized this, she stepped backward and moved away from him.

But since she was inside the carriage, there was only so much space for her to escape.

“Edellis, it is all right.”

Lehan reached out to comfort her, but that hand was also covered in blood.

Lehan quickly withdrew his hand.

Then his eyes became slightly sad.

“I will clean myself up and come back. Please wait for a moment.”

He closed the carriage door and called one of his attendants who had been waiting outside.

Edellis trembled in the corner.

Only after the door closed did she finally feel relieved.

The Emperor, the man who had ordered her family to be killed right in front of her eyes, had disappeared.

After being overwhelmed by extreme stress and finally finding some stability, Edellis’s tension released, and the strength drained from her body.

At last, her vision turned completely black.

“Edellis!”

Worried about Edellis’s pale complexion, Lehan quickly cleaned himself up and returned.

When he opened the carriage door, he found her.

Edellis heard someone urgently calling her name, but she could not answer.

Just before her vision was completely covered in darkness, the only thing she could see was the Emperor’s shoes.

Just like the ones she had seen in the book someday.

It felt as though they were telling Edellis:

Do not forget that this is how your fate will be.

When Edellis opened her eyes, it was already late at night.

She was lying on a soft bed.

She tried to recall her memories to understand what had happened.

“Edellis! Are you awake?”

Before Edellis’s mind had fully awakened, she heard a voice calling her.

Perhaps Lehan had been waiting for her to wake up, because he was sitting on a chair beside the bed where Edellis was lying.

When Lehan noticed that Edellis had awakened, he let out a sigh of relief.

However, the moment Edellis saw his face, her complexion turned deathly pale.

Then she remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness.

The Emperor holding a blood-covered sword.

The bodies lying at his feet.

And herself collapsing in front of him.

Lehan was looking at Edellis with a worried expression, but what Edellis saw was completely different.

The face of the Emperor she had seen in the book.

The Emperor who had looked down at her without emotion even after killing her.

The same cold expression he had worn while brutally slaughtering not only her, but also her father and every member of her household.

“Ahh!”

Edellis shot up and ran toward the opposite side of where the Emperor was sitting.

Unfortunately, he was sitting with his back against the door, so she could not escape through it.

She ran to the corner of the room.

With nowhere else to go, she curled herself up and trembled.

‘What do I do? The Emperor is going to kill me. Again. Just like I saw in the book.’

Her teeth chattered from fear.

Afraid that she might accidentally meet his eyes, she lowered her gaze and covered her ears.

She hoped he would not hear her.

She even wished that he would not notice her existence.

But contrary to her wishes, the Emperor slowly walked toward Edellis.

With every step he took toward her, it felt as though the Grim Reaper himself was approaching.

“Edellis, calm down. It is all right.”

He was approaching slowly so that he would not frighten her.

But to Edellis, it felt as though her throat was being squeezed.

‘What do I do? What should I do? What if the Emperor tries to kill me?’

Tears streamed down her face from fear.

His footsteps should have been barely audible against the soft carpet, but to Edellis, they sounded as loud as if they were shaking the earth.

“Do not worry, Edellis. I suppose you were very frightened earlier. I should have been more careful so that you would not see it.”

Thinking that the Emperor might kill her, Edellis desperately wondered what she should do to survive.

But before she could even think of a way to act, the Emperor had already come right in front of her.

Her mind went completely blank.

It reached its peak when the Emperor reached out his hand toward her.

She could only stare at his slowly extending hand, unable to even move away.

But contrary to Edellis’s expectations, Lehan pulled Edellis into his arms