Chapter 152 - I Seem to be in Love with You

“…It almost seems like you are intentionally trying to hurt me.”

“You will be making things more difficult if you continue to act like this, Your Majesty.” She laughed with a flabbergasted face. “The one who hurt me first is Your Majesty, and the one who admitted that is also Your Majesty. In addition… I am the one who went into your arms yesterday, despite my loathing Your Majesty.”

“… ”

“So just forget about it. Yesterday night. Everything about it.”

“…For myself, as I hugged you yesterday, a very inferior thought came to my mind.”

“…”

“I wondered if you might perhaps look at me, at all. Because our bodies had become tangled together, I wondered if you might show your heart to me, even if it was a little bit.”

“It is often said that a woman can never spend the night with a man that she has not given her heart to… I was not sure. Yesterday I was able to do so.” Patrizia closed off his heart without allowing any gaps. “The women of the red-light district give their bodies without any feelings. If you are really uncomfortable, then…”

“Why are you trying to cut yourself down that way? Do you think you can hurt me more in doing that?”

“…”

“If that was the idea, it was a success. Thanks to you, I am hurt.”

“Why.” Patrizia asked, her eyes clear. “Why did you get hurt from that?”

Lucio hesitated at Patrizia’s question, but eventually opened his mouth. “I seem…”

“…”

No, don’t say that…

“I seem to be…”

Close your mouth. Don’t say any more than that.

“I seem to be in love with you.”

Finally, Pandora’s Box was opened.

<hr />

Love.

When he placed that one word in his mouth, Patrizia could not help but ridicule him in her thoughts.

“Love.”

“…”

“Your Majesty had also loved the Marchioness in the past.”

“…”

“I also fall under that kind of love for Your Majesty. Your Majesty is currently mistaken.” Patrizia said to him with sad eyes.

“You are looking at me like you did the Marchioness, because I showed pity for Your Majesty’s wounds.” She had been deceived by those wounds and had then given him some genuine sincerity, and had made a fool of herself. “If someone other than I had heard such a story and wept for Your Majesty, would Your Majesty love that woman as well?”

“I…” The Emperor failed to open his mouth, because the mistakes of the past were obvious. Because her words were all correct, word by word.

“You are unable to deny it. Since there already is a record of it.”

“…”

“And the heart. Heart was it.” She laughed scornfully. “I showed Your Majesty my heart. When I heard the story of the past, the story from Your Majesty…”

Rather, she should not have listened then.

“So, do not desire any more than this, Your Majesty. Do not even say that is love.”

She should have known that the feelings of compassion she had for him were simply her being arrogant, as well as wasteful.

“Yesterday, nothing happened between us.”

With that, she placed the knife into his heart.

<hr />

The Emperor’s birthday had come around.

Patrizia wore a pure white dress. The maids told her to wear a fancier dress, but well. Patrizia did not really have the desire to celebrate his birthday.

“I greet Your Majesty, the Empress. Glory to the Empire.”

“It has been a while, Count Grancia.”

Patrizia stood there like a doll, exchanging greetings with many nobles. As she repeated the task of bringing forth the names of the nobles who were familiar enough to pop out of her head from having memorized them all already, her thoughts disappeared, and her anxiety was forgotten. Of course, apart from him, her mind was becoming hazy. She was like a puppet with no emotion.

“You look a bit tired today, Your Majesty.” Mirya could not stand seeing her like that anymore, and spoke out of concern.

Patrizia responded calmly, “But I am fine, Mirya.”

“You always say that.”

“… Perhaps that time of the month is starting for me,” Patrizia quietly whispered, and Mirya nodded as if she understood.

“It would be nice if you could leave to rest up early, but the timing is quite bad.”

“There is no helping it.” Patrizia asked Mirya, a slightly strained expression on her face, “Could you bring me a glass of sweet cocktail?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please wait a moment. I will bring it over soon.”

“Alright. Take your time.”

With a light smile and nod, Mirya quickly disappeared for the cocktail. Meanwhile, Patrizia stumbled as she felt a slight dizziness, and someone caught hold of her.

“You should be careful.”

“…”

It was a voice that was so familiar to the point of getting goosebumps, Patrizia froze in the spot. She calmly forced herself back up and faced him.

“I greet Your Majesty, the Emperor. Congratulations on your birthday.”

“Everyone I encounter says the same thing.” He laughed bitterly. There was disgust all over his face.

“…”

Patrizia said nothing. Suddenly, she remembered the conversation they had the day after spending the night together. At that time, she had been a bit worked up over the night’s incident, but now she was unaffected by it. Rather, she felt like she had nearly backed him into a corner, and it bothered her a bit…

“Where are you sick? You look quite haggard today.”

“I think the makeup did not take well to my face.”

“Those are ridiculous words,” he denied with a serious expression on his face, and Patrizia said nothing, but gradually felt herself getting dizzy. The bleeding had been severe this time around.

She couldn’t hold it in anymore, and confessed frankly, “…It is that time of the month.”

“Ah,” he nodded, a slightly awkward expression on his face. “It should be difficult for you. Would it not be alright if you went and took a rest?”

“I must endure it. This celebration is quite the event.”

“If the birthday flowers are presented quickly, then you can go and rest.”

“… I can hold on. I cannot let there be a crack in the honor of Your Majesty and the Imperial Family…”

“The Empress’ health comes first before all of that.”

“…”

When Patrizia was not able to say anything, Lucio whispered to her in a low-pitched voice, “I will change the order of the celebration slightly. It is an Imperial order, so just leave and get some rest after the presentation of the birthday flowers.”

“… Yes.”

When she barely managed to answer, his face brightened a bit. Patrizia looked at him being like that, not knowing how to feel.

“However, you are alone once again today.”

“Mirya went to get a cocktail for me again, and my guard briefly went to the bathroom. My sister said she will be a little late because she has some matters to attend to.”

“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”

When the unpleasant voice interrupted, Patrizia barely managed to guard her facial expression.

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