Chapter 81 …
After finishing dinner, Elena took the rare opportunity to wash up early and lie down in bed.
She was completely drained, probably from the commotion earlier.
She hadn’t even wanted to eat dinner, but Decarus had insisted, forcing her to swallow down almost everything despite feeling like she might get sick.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to the imperial palace.”
“Ah, really?”
Elena, staring blankly out the dark window, spoke slowly.
It wasn’t really her concern.
“Together with you.”
Ah, scratch what I just said.
That matters very much.
What kind of nonsense is this?
To have to return to that horrifying palace… and by her own choice.
“…Why?”
“To pay respects to His Majesty, the Emperor.”
For a moment, Elena’s expression froze like stone.
Does “His Majesty” mean the man she saw in the portrait earlier?
Surely meeting family would normally be exciting.
But after encountering the Empress, it didn’t feel appealing at all.
“…I don’t want to go.”
She really didn’t.
Just thinking about it made her head spin.
She was barely holding herself together now—how could she even imagine walking back into that hellish place on her own?
“Elena, it’ll be fine.”
Decarus carefully bent down beside the bed.
His gaze met hers, warm and soft like spun sugar.
He slowly stroked her hair, handling her as gently as one would a child.
“I still don’t want to. You know what happened to me there.”
“I know. I know it was hard for you. But there are things you must do.”
Things to do?
Important enough to ignore my fear?
Elena wanted to ask, but all she did was roll her eyes with a sulky expression.
He exhaled deeply, then continued.
“His Majesty’s health is failing. It’s getting worse by the day.”
“His health…?”
“Yes. That’s why we’re hurrying. You also need to formally prove, at least ceremonially, that you’ve returned.”
“…Ah.”
She didn’t fully understand what “prove” meant, but she nodded.
It must mean she needed to see the Emperor—her father—before his condition worsened.
“Okay, I understand. Well… I guess there’s no choice then…”
Though worried, this was unavoidable.
The thought of the person who gave her life being gravely ill unsettled her heart.
“Alright, we’ll be busy tomorrow, so get some sleep early. And don’t whine that you’re sleepy again.”
“I’m not whining.”
As if she were a child. When had she ever whined?
Pouting with a sulky expression, Decarus chuckled and lightly kissed her lips.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Liar again.”
He laughed softly and kissed her again, audibly this time.
“What’s this?”
“For lying.”
“Fine. Go change your clothes.”
Decarus ruffled his curly hair, then walked toward the mirror.
His tall, statuesque figure moved with the confidence of a professional model.
Broad shoulders and taut muscles beneath his shirt made him incredibly alluring.
Even unbuttoning his shirt with one hand seemed impossibly sexy.
Underneath, firm muscles flexed, almost demanding attention, making her swallow hard.
“Karus.”
“Hmm?”
“Come here.”
Nothing important—just curiosity.
Surely any woman could feel that way.
Sending him a mischievous look, she watched as he paused, scanning her up and down while holding his pajamas.
“Why?”
“Just come.”
With a skeptical frown, Decarus hesitated.
He probably wondered what could possibly require being summoned to someone changing clothes.
Elena stomped her foot impatiently, so he reluctantly approached the bed.
“Why?”
Seeing his defined muscles so close made her want to touch them.
She wanted to poke them, but that would surely get her labeled a pervert.
After thinking for a while, she found the safest way.
“Hold me.”
Decarus furrowed his brow and brushed his hair back.
“What?”
“Hold me.”
With a deep sigh, he leaned against the headboard and extended his arm.
Seizing the moment, Elena collapsed into his arms. His large, firm hands stroked her hair.
Being held against his warm, bread-like muscles, drowsiness quickly washed over her.
Elena ran her hands over his broad back, feeling the ridges like playing with children’s building blocks.
His chest pressed softly against her face.
“Am I a pervert?”
“Seems like it.”
He agreed without a hint of hesitation, which annoyed her.
Pouting, she raised her head, and he chuckled, stroking her hair.
“Sleep now.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I just… want to stay like this a little longer.”
She wanted to feel more of his body, but more than that, she wanted to hold on to this cozy moment.
The sound of their hearts, warmth, and loving touch—she wished it could last forever.
“Good.”
“What’s good?”
“Just this moment. Right now.”
This calm, warm moment.
The soft, fluffy feeling.
The unknown flutter spreading through her body.
“Me too.”
Lifting her head, she saw him gazing at her lazily.
His lips lightly brushed her forehead, down her nose, and finally her lips.
“Because I’m with you.”
Elena stared into his eyes for a long while.
A warm candle seemed to light up the dark room inside her heart.
Like old ice melting and green sprouts emerging, spring had arrived in her heart.
By now, she was quite accustomed to riding in the carriage with him for the third time.
Still, it annoyed her a little that he insisted she sit beside him.
“What if we meet the Empress again at the palace?”
“I’ll be right beside you.”
“…Yeah.”
She was still worried.
No, she couldn’t not be worried.
She was about to walk into the lair of a terrifying devil.
Sighing softly, Decarus wrapped her in his arms.
“No one will ever harm you.”
He buried his lips in her hair and gently patted her back.
In his embrace, warmer than a spring breeze, she felt completely at peace.
“What’s the Emperor like…?”
His movement paused at the sudden question.
He seemed lost in thought, like a robot with its batteries removed.
“Curious?”
“Yes.”
Elena’s eyes widened as she looked up at him.
His face brushed against her hair.
“He treats everyone equally, without personal bias, and always acts first when something right needs to be done. He loves Estelle and his people more than anyone else.”
It didn’t sound like empty flattery.
She had never seen him praise someone to this extent.
“So he’s a good person. If you say so.”
“Yes. Unlike the Empress, he’s lived a truly pure life. When my parents passed away, he was also there by my side.”
Elena nodded and snuggled closer to him.
“Will he… remember me?”
“Of course. He loved you more than anything in this world.”
“I see…”
The carriage rode for some time before finally arriving at the imperial palace.
The moment they entered, her body trembled again.
The horrible memories came flooding back.
Seeing her shiver, Decarus gently kissed her forehead.
“Nothing will happen.”
Biting her lips, Elena tried to steady herself.
No matter how much he reassured her, she felt uneasy.
Unexpected events always lurk nearby.
The palace itself was far grander and more imposing up close than from a distance.
Like a Greek temple, long columns and intricately carved pediments seemed to radiate the Emperor’s authority.
“Wow…”
“Stop gawking and come on.”
Decarus took her tiny hand and led her inside.
The interior outshone any building she had ever seen.
Rare minerals, crystal-adorned walls, and ceilings painted like canvases—all beyond lavish.
Money had clearly no limit here.
“My jaw’s going to hurt.”
“I didn’t expect it to be this amazing.”
“It’s Estelle, after all.”
Estelle was one of the largest, most powerful nations—so powerful that its citizens enjoyed free travel between nations.
Many came to study here just to gain citizenship.
“There… that’s where the Emperor is.”
At his pointing finger was a massive door.
Adorned with gilded brick patterns, it glittered, and the handle was studded with diamonds.
“Presenting Grand Duke Sculus!”
The guards’ booming announcement echoed down the hallway.
The massive doors opened with a mysterious creak.
Inside, golden veils concealed everything.
Decarus entered first, and the maids lifted the veils to guide them.
“How much further?”
“Shh.”
After walking for a while, a man sitting on a high throne came into view.
White-haired with piercing blue eyes, adorned with jewels.
Wearing a flowing red cape and golden crown—surely the Emperor.
Elena held Decarus’s hand tightly, walking nervously.
“You are…”
The Emperor furrowed his brow, confused, and slowly spoke.
His trembling eyes betrayed his emotions.
He looked incredulous, rising from his throne slowly.
“Why…”
The Emperor, seeming frail, was helped down the steps by attendants.
Once he stood, Decarus and the surrounding servants all knelt.
Sensing the need, Elena quickly knelt and bowed toward him.
“Elena…”
