Chapter 19

“What? Am I sleeping here today?”

“Of course, Lina. Right now, Lina can’t even walk.”

Kaiden approached and looked her in the eye before she knew it. Evelina avoided eye contact with him and stared blankly at the red eyes looking at her again.

“I see. I see.”

When Evelina replied like that, he smiled lightly. Evelina looked so innocent in his smile that she wondered if he was really the one who did the things she was worried about.

On the surface, he was a perfect handsome man. Black hair that was dark to the point where it seemed it would be black no matter what light shone on it. On top of that, the darker the blood of the imperial family, the redder the eyes were, and his was so strong that they looked like blood. A high nose, closed lips, and he was a dangerous beauty that could only be seen in famous paintings.

But he was a man who took away human life as if nothing had happened. He was like a dangerous snake with deadly poison, even if it is colorful and beautiful on the outside.

“Then take your medicine first.”

“I have a sore throat, so I think pills will be hard.”

He let go of Evelina’s hand and broke them with his hand. Then, the pill, which was broken with a “crushing, rattling” sound in his hand, soon became completely fine powder and was placed on paper.

He poured it into the teacup and got the tea, then stirred it well and took it to Evelina.

“I want to feed you.”

“… Yes.”

Evelina thought it was strange why he was so persistent with drugs. The heart attack couldn’t have been caused by medicine. Of course, she had been suffering from heart disease since she was young, so her heart had been weak, but she wouldn’t die all of a sudden.

If it’s poison, shouldn’t she have had other symptoms? So what the hell was this medicine? It is said that the Emperor himself added several ingredients. Then, both the servants and the doctors know the contents of this drug, so how can they poison her so clearly?

He was a casual killer, whether it was a servant or knight. If it was to get revenge on her adoptive parents, it would be the worst to force the first night to swear and hang it in front of the gate after being filial.

“Why do you want to?”

When Kaiden tried to make eye contact again, he avoided her. Then, when he was looking at her shoulder, she asked that.

“I thought the medicine would be bitter.

“So I put it in the tea. Should I change to another type of tea?”

“No.”

Evelina ​​thinking that she could not avoid the Emperor’s own medicine, tucked her hair behind her ear and drank the medicine from the teaspoon he was handing over.

He patiently handed her the medicine with a teaspoon until he emptied all the medicine in the teacup. Evelina took what he gave her as if she had given up.

When she drank all the black tea mixed with the medicine, Evelina felt drowsy. Perhaps because she had little energy, she was in a daze.

“I’m so sleepy.”

“Shall we go to bed now.”

“I haven’t washed yet…”

Evelina had to put up with a yawn.

The medicine seemed strange. Otherwise, the tension that she had just now could not have been relieved so easily. Besides, she was so tired and even her eyelids were heavy.

“I’ll wash you.”

“What? No. I can wash myself, your- ah… Kaiden.”

Evelina said, correcting what she called him in a hurry. Then Kaiden smiled and said.

“Why don’t we take a bath together?”

“Not yet… I’m ashamed.”

“Okay. Then Lina will wash up first.”

“Yes.”

Evelina got up from her seat with a languid body. Walking in fluffy slippers, she felt quite comfortable walking. The soles of her feet were still sore, but she felt better. To the point where she wondered if the amount of painkillers she took increased.

Clearly dazed, she led her improved body to her bathroom, which hung alongside the emperor’s bedroom. There were also two bathrooms here. One large room and one ensuite bathroom.

There were always two bathrooms in the master bedroom. As Evelina tried to head to the portable bathroom, he said.

“Lina, go over there.”

“What? But Kaiden…”

“I prefer small places.”

He said so, smiled, and brushed Evelina’s cheek with his finger. Evelina closed and opened her eyes without realizing it, and when she opened her eyes, his red eyes she met were smiling fakely, so she answered with a smile.

“Then I’ll use the big bathroom. Thank you.”

Then she headed there quickly. It was a large enough place to pass through the inner corridor as it was in Evelina’s room. When she entered, the waiting servants welcomed her.

Evelina soothed her tired body, being treated like in the Empress’ Palace.

“Your Majesty.”

Evelina looked at something being handed to her from the inner corridor leading to the bedroom. It was the same red liquid in a crystal bottle that I had received on the first night of marriage before marriage.

“This is…”

“Your Majesty, if you eat this, you will be able to have the first night with ease.”

“What if I drink it?”

“It’s the same effect.”

Evelina stared at the maid who handed her the medicine. She was sure she was from Elsius. Normal brown hair and brown eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Ella, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Ella.”

She answered so and went into the bedroom alone. Then, lying on the bed, she checked the string tied to her waist again. Even though it was the same situation as the day we got married, she wasn’t that nervous this time.

Kaiden was also an Emperor. Even a psychopath will keep his promise. At the same time, when she thought about it, tension began to rise again. The last time she refused to go in the beginning, he tried to send her father to Delmas. What if he was testing her like last time?

But then why the hell did he save her from the Dowager Empress? If he hated her, wouldn’t it be right to let her suffer?

Evelina’s thoughts that couldn’t be mixed collided in her head. No matter how much she thought about it, there were many parts of his behavior that made no sense.

Starting with doing what’s favorable to her.

– Knock knock.

“Come on in.”

At the voice of Evelina, the servant came in with a nod. What she brought with her.

“Oh, that’s…”

“His Majesty has ordered it.”

What the servant brought was a silver music box she had had since childhood. Nothing was brought from the Marquis of Logias. Except for that music box. When she came here, she wore a wedding dress provided by the Imperial family. Perhaps that’s why Evelina was very pleased with the music box where she could remember the Marquis of Logias.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, Your Majesty.”

The servant smiled skillfully, said her greetings again, and left.

It was strange that Evelina felt alone in a large room. Come to think of it, Kaiden was washing in a small bathroom, and no matter how much she looked, he seemed to be alone without a servant.

Then she remembered why he washes by himself and why he prefers to wash in a really small space.

He was a man who felt a lot of death threats. He was almost poisoned while drinking water, and when he went to war, he had to be more wary of his allies than his enemies. It was her father who always put him on the verge of death.

When she thought about it, she wondered if she could stay in this room as it is.

But what if she ran away this time? Even if he forced her to embrace him, there was no way to refuse. If she refused, he’d send her father to a place worse than Delmas this time. Then her mother would come see her.

When she went crazy at the thought, Evelina became depressed. She took  the music box she stole from the poor house in her hand. The music box was also broken once. It was Marquis Logias who took it apart and gave it a new appearance as a gift, because Evelina was sad when the music box broke.

When the warm feelings came up, Evelina managed to calm down. She wanted to keep feeling the warmth, so she wound the spring of the music box and opened it.

Then her favorite song came out of the silver box. Listening to the music, Evelina stared blankly at the music box.

It was dark outside the window because the sun had completely set, but the chandelier in the bedroom was so brilliant that every time the light touched the music box, her eyes were blinded.

When Evelina realized that the music had stopped, she wrapped the spring again and placed it on a table next to the bed.

Later, after she realized that the sound of water had stopped, the stability she found seemed to disappear. Once again she confirmed that her gown was well bound, she sat on the bed and curled up. Then she covered herself with a sheet.

– Swipe.

“Have you dried your hair, Lina?”

“Yes.”

Evelina wouldn’t look at Kaiden, who asked her that, roughly wiping the water off his hair and drying it. She covered the music box and lay down on the bed.

“Lina.”

“No, it’s not dry, Kaiden.”

“Is it unpleasant?”

“… No.”

His hair was a little wet, but his body was fluffy. However, he roughly tied his gown to the point where his chest muscles looked stark every time he moved.

“I want to give you an arm pillow.”

“Yes…”

Evelina raised her head, feeling him stretching his arm below her neck. Then she laid down again, and she could feel the touch of his hard arms under her neck and a fluffy pillow above her head.

“It must be the same detergent, but it smells really good on Lina.”

Evelina closed her eyes with a bitter smile because she thought he liked the scent of thyme better.

“I like the sound of the music box.”

As he said so, he stretched out his other arm, wrapped the spring of the orgel, and opened the box. Then the sound of the music box that Evelina was listening to began to fill the silence in the room affectionately.

“Lina.”

Evelina’s face became so hot when she opened her eyes to him calling her. Of all things, what was seen between his open gown was his solid abs.