Lucretius said proudly. It was ridiculous.
I’m such an understanding guy. Look how I am treating you! I am willing to do anything you ask, even though you won’t even look at me!
Oh, sure…
I didn’t have any energy left to argue with him. When he saw my expression, he laughed.
I think if I go on any further, you will get really angry.
You’re right,
I answered calmly.
He chuckled and pulled the rope beside the bed to call for a maid.
He continued,
I know you still don’t believe me, but my feeling for you is genuine. I will prove it to you.
Prove it to me how?
When I looked at him curiously, he whispered to me,
It will be a ball season soon. I will be throwing a banquet in your honor.
A ball?
Yes. It will be the biggest one of this year. Every important figure from all over the world will be invited. Someone you know will also attend.
Who?
Someone you have met before.
I couldn’t figure out who it could be.
It’s someone I know?
Yes. It’s the priestess.
Oh! Oh! I remembered. That lady!
She was the one who was present in the room when Lucretius declared himself the new emperor for the first time. If Lucretius was the most handsome man I had ever met here, then the priestess was the most beautiful woman around.
He touched my cheek gently and whispered,
She is the symbol of our religion Aos. It is believed Aos began even before the beginning of our history.
And how would you prove your feeling by that?
I will explain. The biggest treasure in Aos is the record by every priest and priestess in history. It includes everything that has happened on this land.
I was surprised. He smiled vaguely and continued,
If there were ever a person who came from a different world like you, there could be a record of it. The priestess is the only one who has access to this record.
My mind became a turmoil. I couldn’t understand why he was voluntarily giving me this information.
If his feelings for me were genuine, then he wouldn’t want me to leave. That was my biggest fear. What if he won’t let me go? I was afraid.
I was wrong. He was really helping me to return home as he promised. He was doing it even before I kept my side of the bargain, which was to help him thwart the dowager empress.
I bit my lips, which were dry.
I asked sharply,
Why?
Like I just said, I want you to choose me voluntarily. This means I need to provide you with all possible options. To tell you the truth, I don’t think even the priestess will be able to find a way for you to return. Anyway, it will also be advantageous to have a good relationship with the priestess.
I didn’t know what to say. If I accepted this as proof of his sincerity, that meant I had to acknowledge his feelings for me.
After a few seconds of silence, I asked,
What is it that you want in return?
…
Give and take. This was what I learned from him. This was how I defined our relationship.
He flinched. I wanted to ignore it, but his disappointed expression was one I cannot ignore. He touched my chin and gave me an answer that surprised me.
I would like you to call me Luc.
What?
For a second, I thought I misheard him.
He knew I was stunned, so he said it again.
I would like you to call me Luc.
…
I started to sweat. Yesterday, he asked me to call him Lucretius, and now, he wanted me to call him by a pet name. I stared at him like a cautious cat.
…
…
Another silence fell. Unlike my worry, he didn’t insist on me completing my part of the deal right away even though he had all the right to ask of me in exchange for this favor.
Then why didn’t he?
There was only one reason I could think of.
To me, I could only accept a business relationship with him. I had hoped he would want the same thing, but I was beginning to think perhaps he really did want more.
Did he really feel something for me?
My heart started to beat fast. I felt strange. What was this feeling?
I had to ignore it before it became too big. I decided to take up on his offer. I said to him.
Lu… c…
A happy smile bloomed on his face. It was so bright I almost fell for him right then and there. I turned away quickly.
He said to me,
I like it.
He giggled like a child. I became red as I yelled,
Why are you smiling!
He continued to grin and replied,
Because I’m happy.
I became speechless.
He was acting like a prince from a fairy tale. It was so strange to see him being kind and loving. I didn’t know why, but I felt anxious while my heart fluttered.
He was acting like a completely different person. This was not the Lucretius le Cransia I knew. He was being so sweet.
He was a man who killed his own father and wife. He also handed me a cup with poisoned water. However, right now, it was hard to believe he was the same person.
I wondered if he asked me to call him Luc because he wanted me to see him as a man in love rather than Lucretius le Cransia, the emperor.
My head felt heavy. Was it because I was thinking too hard? It felt like a balloon filled with water. Like pricking the water balloon with a needle, I wanted to get all my thoughts out of my head.
I watched as the maids and servants worked busily around me.
Suddenly, someone walked towards me.
It was Lisbeth.
…
We were one of the few people who weren’t actively working. She sat in front of me with a sour face.
Everyone else was working to get ready for the banquet. The emperor announced his plan yesterday.
There wasn’t much time to prepare because it was such a short notice. The castle and the entire kingdom were bustling with excitement.
This would be the first ball ever the new emperor held. It would be the biggest event of the year. As Cransia was the biggest kingdom of this land, the royalties from other nations would be attending too.
This would be a celebration for the entire world.
Every available body was recruited to get prepared.
Samantha came to me in a hurry. She was holding several pieces of paper.
Your highness, I have brought you the list of names you asked for.
I took it with a smile.
Thank you.
My work began now, which meant Lisbeth was the only person in the entire castle who wasn’t working. Even if I wanted her to work, I couldn’t let her. She couldn’t accomplish even the easiest tasks.
After Lisbeth showed how incompetent she was, no one ever gave her any responsibilities. She was quickly becoming an outsider.
Despite it, she didn’t show any effort to change this situation. She didn’t even try, but I knew why. The only reason for her to accept this position was because she wanted to be noticed by Lucretius.
Her ultimate goal was probably to replace me.
I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. Just thinking about Lisbeth standing beside the emperor was so ridiculous.
I didn’t like the idea at all.
I was at a crossroad. I thought very hard, and I was sure I came up with the right decision. I had thought of it well last night.
I just couldn’t accept Lucretius’s feeling even though I now knew he was sincere.
The main reason was that I was not of this world.
My only priority was to survive and return home.
This meant Lucretius’s feeling was a hindrance to me. I thought very carefully last night. Thankfully, Lucretius had too much work and didn’t come to my room, so I had plenty of time alone to think.
Would it be better if I made an attempt to push Lisbeth towards the emperor? I did consider it briefly. If he became interested in another woman, he would lose his interest in me. Not to mention, this world was filled with women who wanted to be in his bed.
I really wanted to go back home. This meant I couldn’t accept his feeling.
I knew he felt this way because I was the only woman in his life right now. Even if this wasn’t the case, it didn’t matter. I didn’t care.
I just needed to make things work.
