Chapter 47
“If that’s the case, then I have no favor to ask.”
“…You’re saying you’ll stand trial?”
A crack appeared in Rescal’s expression.
It wasn’t even an incorrect statement. Rescal was genuinely shocked.
“You’d rather face a trial than share a kiss with me…?”
“No. That’s not why.”
Lacilia untwined her fingers. Since he wouldn’t let go, she had to struggle for quite a while.
“If I pressured the accuser from the Imperial Court to cover up the trial, it wouldn’t be honorable.”
“…You say you’ve lost your memories, yet you’re willing to endure a dishonorable trial for the sake of the Imperial honor?”
Even if he were the emperor himself, Rescal wouldn’t believe such a clumsy excuse.
“And if we avoid the trial like that, suspicions about the Mark will never end.”
“That doesn’t matter. Most people deny the existence of sorcery anyway. It happened ages ago, and it’s not like an emperor mutates every time the Blue Moon rises. It’s not something you need to worry about.”
“Wasn’t I made empress because I was born with the Mark?”
“As I said, the Mark is just a Mark.”
“Others can only distinguish their mate by sight. If someone who supposedly killed seventeen people is to remain empress, clear evidence will be needed.”
“Once again, there’s no evidence that you killed seventeen people.”
“Then it will come to light in the trial.”
“…”
“The trial is not only for the honor of the Imperial Family but also for my own. So I’ll accept both the trial and whatever verdict it brings.”
Saying that made her feel like a terribly noble person.
‘When in truth, I’m just trying to escape.’
Rescal brushed his forehead, his brows faintly creased.
“It’s meaningless. What the temple wants is a spectacle. They’re not chasing justice for some noble cause like you think.”
“Still, they’re following the legal procedure. The Imperial Family can’t fall behind that, Your Majesty.”
“I can’t understand it. Why invite such complications?”
Because that’s the only way to escape.
Before I fall in love with you. Before you kill me.
“Then just think it’s because I don’t want to kiss you. I don’t want to kiss Your Majesty.”
For a moment, it looked like Rescal had frozen solid.
“…Why?”
Rescal stared at her in silence for a while before forcing his lips to part.
“Because I’ve lost my memories. And it seems that includes any affection I had for Your Majesty. I just can’t seem to bridge the distance I feel from you.”
“…”
Now, Rescal became something that didn’t even breathe.
Strangely, her heart ached seeing him like that.
No. I shouldn’t feel this way.
Emotions were dangerous. Best to cut them off before they start.
Lacilia forced herself to speak coldly.
“Your Majesty said you could recognize your mate without needing the eyes. But it seems I’m not the same. I don’t understand why I could be your mate at all.”
“….”
She saw his eyes distort.
She wished it were the day of the Blue Moon. Then, she could’ve touched those eyes under the excuse that he was in pain.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my vow to return to you as your mate. I’m sorry.”
“….”
With Rescal still silent, Lacilia stood up.
“Now that we’ve finished talking, I’ll take my leave.”
“…Wait—”
Rescal reached out, but it was already too late.
Lacilia was walking out of the parlor.
* * *
“What? That doesn’t even make sense!”
“Yeah, it doesn’t.”
“…It’s really strange.”
After Lacilia dropped the bombshell that she’d rather go to trial than kiss Rescal, the Imperial Palace turned into a giant tomb.
It was eerily quiet.
Rescal hadn’t spoken since, and neither had Lacilia.
Everyone was too busy watching the two of them to even breathe properly.
In the midst of this burning tension, three shadow knights met at a midpoint between the Emperor’s and Empress’s palaces. They all had duties to attend to, but none of that mattered right now.
Rescal didn’t even ask why Liyan blatantly said he needed to step out for a bit.
“His Majesty… it’s like… Yeah, like he’s become that wall clock in the west wing. You know, the one that broke down and stopped because of some internal mechanism failure.”
“Her Majesty’s like a painting. She just sits by the window and doesn’t say a word.”
In other words, both of them were not functioning normally.
Liyan burst out in frustration.
“Okay, His Majesty is one thing, but why Her Majesty? Things went her way, didn’t they? Shouldn’t she be celebrating with a toast or something?”
“How should I know?”
Even putting their heads together, they couldn’t come up with any sharp insight into what Lacilia was thinking.
“Maybe she has another idea.”
It was Dekan who quietly spoke up.
“Hmm? Who?”
“Her Majesty.”
“What kind of idea?”
“Once the trial starts, evidence will surface. From the beginning, what the temple was really after wasn’t the lives of palace staff but the Mark.”
Liyan rolled his eyes.
“Yeah… Though we couldn’t connect it with the attack on the Imperial tailor, we all know the Serpent Heads were behind it.”
“So maybe Her Majesty is trying to drag them out through the trial?”
“Huh?”
Liyan’s eyes sparkled briefly, and then Serven let out a sigh.
“So you’re saying… because the guard is doing such a crap job, Her Majesty decided to become bait herself to catch the Serpent Heads? Wrong.”
“It’s possible. Her Majesty is clever and quick to assess situations. She’d also know the trial itself won’t be fatal.”
Liyan chimed in.
“Right. And Her Majesty is the real deal. Even if the Mark isn’t clearly visible, it’s not a problem. It’s just annoying that the priests keep stirring things up. The trial itself isn’t a big deal.”
Serven clicked his tongue.
“Fine, sure. But if they were doing this on purpose, would His Majesty really be acting like a broken wall clock?”
“…Oh.”
“…That’s… true.”
The shadow knights deflated with defeated expressions.
“Then… as much as I hate to even think it—could it be that even though Her Majesty is the real mate, she truly dislikes His Majesty?”
Saying that, Liyan yanked at his bangs in frustration.
“Damn it. I really thought Her Majesty’s heart was moving too… No, it was. You saw it too, Serven. The first night of the Blue Moon.”
“Yeah… I saw.”
The Empress had held the mutated Emperor all night. She had even gently wiped the blood from his face.
“No one would do that unless they were his mate. Don’t you think?”
“Then maybe she just needs more time…?”
Serven shook his head. Thinking too much was giving him a headache.
“Four years… maybe it’s still too early to forget a previous lover.”
“You mean Viscount Pielion? …Damn. Comparing someone like him to His Majesty… He may look okay at a glance, but if you break him down, he doesn’t hold a candle to His Majesty.”
“Her refined Highness might be the type to look for inner beauty over appearances.”
“Have you seen the viscount’s inner beauty? Are you sure it’s actually beautiful?”
“Well… no. But can you confidently say His Majesty’s inner self is more beautiful than the viscount’s?”
“Uh, well… let’s pretend I didn’t say that.”
“Agreed.”
Dekan, after sighing at the ridiculous conversation, brought up a more practical concern.
“So are we just going to let the trial happen? We still haven’t figured out what the Saint Malric Knights were up to. We don’t even know the temple’s exact goals.”
“Ugh, right.”
“At this point, we’re practically blind. Even if the trial won’t harm Her Majesty, if we don’t fully understand their motive, there could be unexpected variables.”
“You’re right.”
The shadow knights turned serious.
“The Shield division is still on the move, right? They’re not ignoring you just because you got demoted?”
“They wouldn’t do that.”
“Yeah, guess not. We can only count on them now. It all depends on how much they uncover.”
“Quite the burden. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Then let’s all head back. We can’t be gone for too long.”
Liyan clutched Serven’s sleeve with a tearful face.
“Serven, please switch shifts with me today. I really can’t bear to watch His Majesty right now.”
“You think it’s better with the Empress?”
“No, but at least that side’s a little warmer. There’s a kind maid and that fiery Phoenix lady.”
“I’m demoted, remember? I can’t get close. I’m just loitering in the hallway.”
“Ugh.”
Liyan clicked his tongue and forced himself to stand up.
“Haa… I don’t want to go. I don’t want to see His Majesty like this. I really don’t.”
“No whining. Get going.”
“Sigh. I hate this.”
Liyan dragged his feet toward the Emperor’s palace.
The others also reluctantly returned to their posts.
While gazing at the sunset outside, she had dozed off.
That shallow nap brought a dream.
—It won’t be that simple.
There were no scales on his palm. It was the only place on his body she could touch freely without fearing injury.
She placed her hand against his and smiled.
—To bind my blood to yours may bring unpredictable consequences to a human body.
The golden eyes of the unknown demon looked just the same as before.
Like someone gazing at the only thing that existed in the world—tender, desperate.
—You might get hurt. You may even become something like me.
Still, that’s fine.
She moved her hand against his. Their skin rubbed, tickling and warming at the same time.
I want to touch all of you like this.
—…You make me feel things I didn’t even know I could feel.
Isn’t that a good thing?
—No. It’s troublesome. Especially like this.
His black scales hid all expression. So she imagined what kind of face he’d make once fully human.
She pictured his earlobes slightly reddening as he mumbled that it was “troublesome.”
—I want to be human, but I don’t want you to suffer because of it.
She wished he’d been more specific. How, and to what extent, would she suffer? Would it be bearable?
—I don’t know for sure. But there’s one thing I don’t want you to resemble.
What is it?
—That would hurt you very deeply.
She knew he was being sincere, because his eyes were pained as he looked at her.
Then tell me. What is it?
—It’s…
At that moment, Fifi’s voice stirred her awake.
“Pii!”
“Oh, shh, shh.”
Yvette hushed Fifi softly with a finger to her lips, and the creature quieted.
She felt the blanket being gently wrapped around her. She wanted to say she was awake, but her body was too heavy. She figured it’d be okay to sleep a bit more.
But then, she heard something that wouldn’t let her keep her eyes shut.
—Haa, I really don’t get it. Did Her Majesty truly hate the idea of kissing His Majesty that much? To the point of choosing trial instead? …Could it really be like the rumors say—that she still hasn’t gotten over Viscount Pielion?
She couldn’t let that kind of talk go on while pretending to sleep.
“Lady Yvette.”
Lacilia opened her eyes and called out.
“Oh my, Your Majesty! You’re awake?”
“Who’s been spreading that kind of rumor? Did you hear that in the palace?”
