Chapter 40

Chapter 40

As they talked, they arrived at a tea table in the middle of the garden. At the emperor’s beckoning, Adele sat down. The maids were already preparing teacups and refreshments.

The emperor ordered them to leave so he could have a more private conversation.

As Adele took a sip of rose tea, while savoring the scent, he asked an unexpected question.

“Pardon the intrusion, but may I ask, how is your married life? It hasn’t been long after Enon left, I’m a little concerned.”

“Ah…”

Adele was a bit baffled and hesitated in answering. To be honest, it was difficult to adjust to a marriage that happened so suddenly. But how can she easily tell outsiders the inside story of her family?

When a discomfited Adele tried to answer that she was doing fine, the emperor just smiled softly. “Forgive me, I’ve asked a rude question. It is just that, Noah Maktus getting married at all is quite the surprise.”

“Right, the both of you are alumni from the academy?”

He laughed, “Yes. Noah has quite a very reticent personality, but there were always people around him while he was in the academy. All the young ladies admired him, but he didn’t even care about. Therefore, imagine my surprise when I heard of his sudden impending marriage.”

“Ah…”

It would’ve been more peculiar if Noah wasn’t popular, he was the kind of man that ladies wanted as their husband. Furthermore, he had excellent swordsmanship and a handsome face.

Adele remembered the knights who looked at him with reverent eyes when she visited the training ground the other day. There were also all those women.

Adele thought of Irie and the princess, she gritted her teeth took a sip of the tea.

The emperor looked at her with a doleful expression on his face, he suddenly blurted out.

“I have also lost my first love to him.”

“Yes? Oh my!” She was a bit astonished at the fact that he told her this. But she didn’t know why he even said it in the first place, she was an unrelated person after all.

The emperor’s gaze became a little unfocused. “My heart still hurts from it.”

He let out a deep sigh. He looked like a freshly bloomed lily that wilted out of nowhere.

Adele stared at him blankly. “Weren’t you popular too?” She was bad at consoling, but she was trying. At least, that is.

“Pain cannot be erased by something so trifling.”

“But you aren’t denying your popularity.”

“…” The emperor was a little speechless. But then he just laughed, “In any case, my heart has been tattered into pieces because of Noah. I am a man that has only loved one woman, and—”

The emperor squinted his eyes, put his hand on his chest and made face tinged with pain.

Adele didn’t attend the academy, but she was definitely aware that the ladies’ affections were split between Noah and this somewhat insufferable man in front of her. She couldn’t believe the emperor’s words, how can someone this good looking be rejected?

Adele bowed her head to hide her grin.

The emperor spoke with a cunning tone, “So, you won’t believe me?”

“No, I be—”

Whoosh.

A breeze wafted through the open glass door. All the flowers in the garden swayed, and the emperor’s hair fluttered. He frowned and ran his fingers through his hair to fix his slightly ruffled appearance.

Those facial features that seemed to have been delicately crafted by an artisan were strikingly revealed. His magnetic eyes beneath enraptured its onlookers with its ravishing emerald hue.

In an instant, her eyes met his.

At his intense gaze, Adele’s face somehow became red. She cooled her slightly red cheeks with the back of her hand and spoke.

Those emerald orbs of his flashed playfully for a second.

Adele spoke in an attempt to dispel the flush, “Come to think of it, there are only tropical flowers in the garden, is there any specific reason?”

“Hmm, nothing in particular. In actuality, the garden was only created a little more than a year ago but was not properly cared for. This is supposed to be part of an empress’s duties, but as you can see, the position is vacant.” He closed his eyes, then he looked at her with a soft smile. “I’d appreciate it if you could recommend some flowers to decorate the garden with.”

The empress was the one who usually manages the inner palace, which includes the garden. He was told that after his ascension, he could not select an empress yet due to frequent wars. This garden was a result of that; it was well-maintained, but it looked somewhat empty, lacking that personal touch of a female.

“In my opinion, it would be nice to give a point around this table with white lilies or lily of the valley.” Adele pointed out.

The emperor took a sip of tea and smiled. “I’m glad the first guest in this garden is you.”

Actually, he made this garden for himself to relax. The emperor would sometimes cool his head in here, immerse himself in his thoughts or resolve official affairs.

Showing this space to others meant a lot to him, who highly valued privacy. But of course, Adele didn’t know about this.

She bowed her head. “It is an honor, Your Majesty. Thank you for inviting me to this lovely place. Oh, and also…” She hesitated, then she drank her tea and spoke slowly. “Thank you for today.”

He waved his hand, “It’s nothing, truly. It was a pleasure to be able to enjoy tea with you. When the flowers you mentioned are planted in the garden, I would like to invite you once more.”

The emperor calmly stated, with nary a worry about Adele’s reply, which had its implications.