Chapter 17
Marriage Congratulation Delegation (1)
Kyrus lowered his eyes and clasped his hands neatly.
Unaware that Emperor Kallio was watching his every move.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Thank you for considering. I will attend to the remaining state affairs, so you may withdraw.”
When Kallio smiled faintly, the Secretary-General and the young secretary bowed their heads and stepped back.
However, there was one more hidden guest in the office.
“Dihal.”
Kallio called his shadow in a deep voice. The picturesque smile was completely gone.
As soon as the imperial order was given, a man emerged from the dark corner of the office into the light.
The man called ‘Dihal’ could use magic to conceal his body with shadows.
As Kallio’s bodyguard, he immediately approached the emperor’s feet and bowed low.
“Awaiting your orders.”
“Follow Secretary Kyrus for the time being. If any suspicious circumstances arise, report to me immediately.”
“Suspicious circumstances, Your Majesty?”
Kallio rose from his seat and passed by Dihal, crushing a red cyclamen flower in one hand.
“Whether he and the Empress have met in the past, or are scheduled to meet. Or any further evidence.”
He crushed the fallen petals with firm force.
“Report everything.”
Kallio’s firmly set lips trembled slightly.
Even someone who had faced countless enemy generals without faltering was visibly shaken by a single suspicion.
***
Several dishes were laid out on the dining table.
I picked up a flat, slightly puffed bread. The freshly baked scent of wheat filled the air.
I wrapped a well-cooked piece of lamb and a thin slice of cucumber in the bread and popped it into my mouth. The savory meat juice and fresh vegetable flavors blended beautifully on my tongue.
With a spicy curry-flavored soup seasoned with turmeric, it was perfect.
“Ah, this is just too delicious…!”
If I could just enjoy this meal peacefully, it would be heaven.
“Do you like eating?”
Unfortunately, there was an unwelcome guest at this meal.
“Well, who wouldn’t enjoy delicious food?”
Emperor Kallio. Having to sit across from him while these delicious foods lay before me was the only flaw.
Still, I decided to focus on the food as if Kallio weren’t here.
But it wasn’t easy.
Kallio didn’t look at his own food and stared intently at me. His gaze was as if he could pierce through my face.
“I’ve often seen women refuse food to avoid gaining weight.”
Was I supposed to manage my weight to look good for him?
I wanted to retort, but the attendants and maids were watching my every move, so I held back.
“I like delicious food.”
“Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind. Feeding you well will keep you happy. Then perhaps you’ll lift the punishment you imposed on me?”
“Cough! Choke!”
I choked mid-bite from surprise at Kallio’s words.
While the attendants exchanged confused glances, I wiped my mouth with a cloth and tried to recover.
“Punishment? That’s too much. How could I ever dare to punish Your Majesty?”
“Feigning innocence? Were you so troubled last night that you’re saying this now? But you enjoyed it, didn’t you?”
Kallio countered with words on a knife-edge of innuendo.
My appetite vanished instantly.
Kallio smiled faintly.
“I want to have a meal with the Empress alone, everyone else leave.”
The attendants quickly exited, ears red and flustered.
“Speak clearly.”
At the same time, I muttered in a harsh tone.
“I wasn’t enjoying it; I was surprised.”
“Then try to truly enjoy it next time.”
A sharp reminder made last night’s memory vivid and embarrassing.
I placed my clenched fist on the table.
If I could, I wanted to immediately use magic to make the story read: ‘I divorce Kallio immediately. He gives me a huge settlement.’
But that was impossible for now.
Using story magic required plausibility.
Writing ‘Divorce in 3 seconds’ when Kallio doesn’t want a divorce would be rejected due to implausibility.
Moreover, any successful magic would require feeding another ‘interesting story’ to the cat.
I had already given the cat a spicy story.
While I was frustrated, Kallio smirked playfully.
He tapped the soup bowl with his spoon.
“Soon, the delegation to celebrate our marriage will arrive. You’ll need to manage your expression better than now. Some of them will be important to you.”
“Important to me?”
“I mean your family.”
Ah.
Considering the life-threatening events so far, my real family wasn’t here anyway.
Besides, Rivie’s older sister had pushed her into this marriage against her will…
‘I’m busy secretly planning business with Aisha every night, do I also need to care about family?’
“Do I really need to manage my expression?”
I waved my hand in the air.
“They don’t even send letters. They wouldn’t care what I do here.”
“So cold even to family.”
“You drew your sword against me, your wife. Who are you to talk?”
At that moment, Kallio dropped the spoon onto the table.
It made a loud noise, yet we ignored it and stared at each other quietly.
“…Keep that in mind.”
Kallio whispered after staring at me for a while, muttering something about ‘family,’ lost in thought.
But I didn’t need to know.
After that, we said no more at the meal.
No matter how sweet Kallio acted, the essence of our relationship was clear.
We held each other’s lives hostage.
This uneasy relationship would surely break.
***
The day the marriage congratulation delegation would arrive was fast approaching.
Originally, the delegation should have prepared to visit the tomb of the former emperor and empress, or at least begun appearing at the palace.
That the delegation arrived late was due to Kallio’s actions.
When the first congratulatory delegation came, Kallio had ‘disposed’ of his first wife, causing everyone to leave.
Thus, the delegation meant to celebrate the third wife’s marriage had to postpone their visit due to various excuses.
If they visited to congratulate the marriage and found the wife dead, it would be a funeral rather than a celebration.
‘Sending a delegation abroad isn’t cheap, and without the bride, everyone would be embarrassed and sweaty.’
Still, this time the delegation could deliver gifts without incident, which was a relief.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty, Your Empress!”
The entire delegation greeted loudly.
The Amir Empire originated in the ‘White Desert,’ a frozen polar region.
Over time, they expanded the territory and moved the capital to the highland climate region.
The imperial capital, a transportation hub, made it convenient for delegations from many countries. One could witness multiple cultures and customs here.
Evidence of this was in the diversity of gifts for the marriage—from tropical fruits to furs from cold regions, fascinating just to look at.
However, I pretended to admire the gifts while hiding my true intentions.
‘Damn. I need a secret warehouse for expensive items and an off-the-books account for my earnings.’
To escape Emperor Kallio, I needed funds.
My mind raced on how to sell the gifts and where to store the money.
Then Kallio lightly tapped the back of my hand with his index finger.
