Chapter 8
With a Screen in Front of Us
I blinked a couple of times and asked Alec again.
“So… you’re saying today’s treatment will happen while His Majesty is awake?”
“No, that’s not it. I didn’t call Lady Lena here for treatment today. His Majesty has requested a private conversation with you, so you were ordered to come to the palace.”
“I… I’m not mentally prepared for this at all.”
Of course, I had thought I would eventually meet him while he was awake.
But I never imagined it would happen so suddenly, right now. And not for treatment—but for a “private conversation.”
“Ah! Please don’t worry too much. We’ve already taken precautions so you won’t have to face him directly.”
“Wait a second… don’t tell me we’re going to—”
“That’s correct. We’re on our way to see His Majesty.”
Alec said that with a bright, almost cheerful smile, completely unlike me. Honestly, it was a little annoying.
While I was mentally flustered, the distance to the audience chamber kept shrinking.
“We’re here.”
At Alec’s words, I stopped walking. Only then did the massive doors come into view.
I took a short breath and steadied myself.
If a tiger tries to eat you, you survive as long as you stay calm. Fine. I’ll stay sharp and act confidently.
Then I suddenly remembered something I had almost forgotten—the object Chloe had placed in my inner pocket.
Right. The glasses.
I pulled them out and hesitated for a moment.
……Everyone said people fainted just from meeting the emperor’s eyes.
It was one of those temple horror stories, but apparently it was based on real events.
The confidence I had built just moments ago vanished, and I quickly put the glasses on.
“Ugh… this really doesn’t work at all…”
The moment I wore them, dizziness hit me as if I had spun in circles twenty times. The thick lenses made everything around me hazy and distorted.
“L-Lady Lena? What on earth are those…?”
Alec looked at me, half shocked and half trying not to laugh.
He tried his best to hold it in—but soon, a snorting sound escaped him.
“I-I’m sorry… but those glasses are really….”
His eyes kept darting toward me as if he found it impossible to look away.
While he wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, I said in my most solemn voice,
“Let’s go.”
But my determination to walk gracefully collapsed almost immediately.
My vision was so blurred that I lost my balance and staggered like someone who had drunk far too much the night before. Alec quickly caught me as I swayed like reeds in the wind.
Finally, I was led to a sofa and collapsed onto it.
“L-Lady Lena… if meeting His Majesty is making you uncomfortable, you don’t have to force yourself…”
At those careful words, I removed the glasses and looked around.
The room was smaller than expected. But what stood out most was a thin curtain-like screen hanging across the center of the audience chamber.
It’s not even that thick…
It wasn’t the heavy kind of curtain that completely blocked vision. It looked thin and fragile.
Still… it’s better than nothing.
Alec smiled more gently at my slightly calmer expression.
“Then I wish you a pleasant conversation with His Majesty.”
“Pardon?”
A ridiculous sound escaped my mouth.
“Wait—alone? Aren’t you staying too, Sir Alec?”
“I will be leaving. You’ll be meeting His Majesty frequently from now on anyway. It might be good to get acquainted in advance.”
“S-so you mean I have to speak to His Majesty alone…?”
What kind of betrayal was this? Just moments ago he had acted like he would stay with me!
Alec was already half turned as if ready to flee.
“Don’t worry. His Majesty isn’t such a bad person.”
“W-wait a second!”
I reached out to grab him, but he had already slipped out of the audience chamber.
The sound of a ticking clock echoed in the empty space.
Left alone, I kept muttering to myself, trying to convince myself nothing would go wrong.
But before my self-hypnosis could even settle—
Click.
Another door beyond the curtain opened.
And through the thin fabric, a tall dark silhouette appeared.
……The Emperor.
The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. It felt like the air itself had been swallowed. A strange pressure brushed against my skin.
I swallowed hard and gripped the sofa armrest tightly.
“I heard you treated me a few days ago.”
A low voice, chillingly calm, came from beyond the screen.
Instinctively, I grabbed the glasses on my lap and put them back on as if they were a shield.
“Y-yes, that’s correct!”
Did I sound too tense?
The Emperor was silent for a moment, then gave a short, amused laugh.
“That was a loud answer. I could believe you were a knight.”
……I suddenly wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
People say fear makes you either silent or overly talkative. It seemed I was the latter. My tongue started running on its own.
“H-how has your condition been? Any improvements? Any discomfort? Did symptoms worsen at dawn? Any side effects—”
“I felt quite comfortable this morning.”
His interruption was short, but heavy.
“First time in three… no, four years.”
I froze.
Alec’s words came back to me.
“Ever since adulthood, His Majesty has suffered unbearable pain for four years.”
Back then, I had only thought it was tragic.
But hearing it directly from him made it feel far more real. The weight of those lost mornings pressed on my chest.
He must have suffered a lot.
No matter what rumors said about him being a ruthless emperor, he was still just another patient in pain.
The distance I felt toward him shrank ever so slightly.
“Lena.”
“!”
For the first time, he called my name.
“Introduce yourself.”
“P-pardon?”
“Yes. I’m curious about you.”
His lazy voice felt like it was whispering right beside me even though it came from behind the screen. I straightened my back like I was in an interview.
“Well… I’m twenty-two years old.”
What else should I say?
“I grew up in an ordinary village, and I awakened divine power recently. After that, I joined the temple to serve others.”
Lies were still uncomfortable. But I couldn’t exactly tell the emperor that I had illegally crossed into Rün.
He stayed silent for a moment.
“I see.”
“Y-yes…”
I answered awkwardly, feeling guilty.
“How is temple life?”
“I’m very satisfied. The people are kind, and it’s a comfortable place to live.”
I smiled faintly.
“Is that so? It’s good that you like the place where you’ve newly settled.”
“…?”
The words sounded ordinary, but something about them felt strange.
Had he figured something out already?
“Well, that aside, you’ve heard about my condition.”
I nodded.
“…Yes. A rare illness causing unexplained pain.”
Alec had listed dozens of symptoms earlier.
Severe headaches, crushing chest pain, full-body paralysis-like sensations, even hallucinations at night.
How is he even functioning as emperor like this?
I couldn’t help but finally ask,
“Your Majesty… may I ask why you insist on only receiving treatment once a week?”
If you received treatment more often, your condition would improve significantly.
He gave a quiet laugh.
“So you were talking with Alec after all.”
“I just… didn’t understand.”
After the first treatment, his body would already be accumulating malignant energy again. The pain suppressed by divine power should already be returning.
But the Emperor only replied calmly.
“No matter how often I receive treatment, the outcome is the same anyway.”
What kind of answer was that?
Instead of elaborating, he changed the topic smoothly.
“Do you know why I called you today?”
“Because… you became curious about me…”
“That’s not entirely wrong.”
He gave an unexpected answer.
“I intended to reward you for treating me. Do you have anything you want? Say it.”
