CH 7

7. How to safely refuse to sleep (2)

“I want to eat first.”

She looked calm on the outside, but Lasilia’s head was in a state of earthquake.

She thought, ‘Contact is what they were supposed to do in a blue moon. So maybe today isn’t like that yet. Even during the day, he just kissed my lips. Would it have been so if contact was absolutely necessary? … Yeah, so not today.’

Of course, she pushed him away, telling him not to do it.

‘It won’t be… He obviously said to see me in the evening. So the bed… If he needed contact, he would have asked to see me for the night. Right?’

Lescal meant to see her at dinner, though. What turned it into the current mood was the nightgown Lasilia picked out without knowing anything about their first night. It was just a pity that Lasilia was completely unaware of that.

‘Yes. Let’s stay calm. Not today …Yeah, not really.’

“Then.”

Lescal, who must have no idea what was going on in Lasilia’s head, nodded his head obediently. It had never happened before. Ever since the Empress suffered her amnesia, Lescal has strangely been listening to what the Empress had to say about her. It was a change that Lescal himself was not aware of yet.

“Sit here.”

Rascal pulled out a chair in front of the table. At the movement of his arm, his exquisitely tailored gown was disheveled, revealing a glimpse of his chest. Lasilia was flustered and involuntarily turned her head to her side.

“Why?”

Lasilia asked while trying to fix her gaze on the empty space.

“Do you normally eat meals dressed like that?”

“…”

Rascal stiffened for a moment.

“Don’t you like it?”

“I lost my memory, so everything is unfamiliar. I asked because I thought it wouldn’t be a very nice outfit for a meal.”

“…”

Rascal stiffened for a second.

“Maybe not very comfortable to eat.”

“I knew.”

“But it would be comfortable to sleep with. I have nothing else to take off other than this.”

“What… !”

She was about to scream.

‘It’s not today, what is it? It was just like that.’

This time Lasilia hardened. Lescal, who looked at Lasilia who hadn’t said anything, thankfully said this.

“May I change?”

“Now, you mean?”

“If you don’t like it.”

It was a chance. She had nothing more to think about.

“Yeah. I don’t like it.”

“… Right.”

She won!

Lescal pulled out his chair.

“Sit down and wait. It won’t take long.”

“Yeah.”

However, Lescal, who seemed ready to leave at any moment and do something to the chamberlain, stayed still with his hand on the back of his chair.

“…?”

“Come and sit down.”

“Ah… ”

Lasilia moved her tense steps slowly.

‘Seruk.’

Seeing Lasilia finally sit down in her chair, Lescal slowly pushed his chair in front of her. Things didn’t end there. As he pushed her chair, he tilted his head and inhaled her hair. Lasilia, remembering what he had done during the day, flinched and ducked her body to her side.

Lescal murmured softly.

“… How did you know? It didn’t even touch your body.”

“…”

So, that meant, he was about to put his lips somewhere on her body while he was sniffing it like before, but Lasilia noticed it before that.

‘What is it? They must be on bad terms.’

Seeing what the emperor was doing now, it didn’t feel like that at all. Lasilia was as ignorant of what goes on between men and women as of what happened with that pair, but at least she knew that the habit of wanting to touch her body whenever possible was the exact opposite of what was said about a bad relationship.

‘Why do you seem so impatient? Like a dog raised in the temple yard.’

Eliarden’s emperor was too big and dazzling to be called a puppy, but there was a bit of a resemblance to what he was doing anyway.

The dog, who had left her on a leash and left in her yard, grunted every time Lasilia passed and was anxious to run over. When she hugged him once, he licked her all over and shook his tail so much that she couldn’t see it.

“… No, I still want to do it.”

The emperor spat out these words in a small voice, bowed his head to her side, and quickly kissed Lasilia on the cheek.

“Huh”

Lasilia threw her head back with a swish, but it was too late. The touch of his warm lips lingered on her cheeks.

“Then I will go.”

The emperor looked at her with a gaze that would be as hot as his lips when he touched her body, then he turned away aesthetically.

“… I can’t!”

As soon as the emperor left, Lasilia jumped to her feet. Her hand was involuntarily rubbing her cheek where his lips had touched. Regardless of whether she liked it or not, his strange touch was too hot. Lasilia had never experienced anything like that, so she was confused.

She was afraid of confusing herself with a man who might kill her if he knew her true identity.

“I can’t stay here any longer.”

Her thoughts were later.

For now, avoiding this place was the priority. Looking back, she could see why that room was so dim. The cozy room, lit only by candles instead of kerosene, suggested something more sticky and dense than a simple kiss on the cheek.

Lasilia, who was heading to the door where the emperor had just disappeared, stopped her steps. When she thought about it, she couldn’t be without someone to protect her. It was the emperor who had sent so many guards to the empress’ palace just before.

Click, thump!

Turning to her side, Racilia opened the window. As in the empress’ bedroom, there should be a spy in the emperor’s bedroom. Last time the shadow knight came and went through the window, so she should be able to find him there too.

“… he is not here.”

But to her dismay, the emperor’s bedroom window was smooth, with no protruding window frames or decorations. Although the walls were densely carved, there was nowhere for her to set foot.

“What should I do?”

It was at this moment that Lasilia let out her bewilderment through her pale face.

“Coo! Coo!”

“Kakaook!”

Birds that seemed familiar now flew by.

“No way… Did you guys come on purpose?”

– Coming, coming. We come come when you call.

She didn’t know how, but those birds were helping themselves as well as talking.

“You have to get out of this place. But the door seems to be guarded by people. Is there any other way?”

Thinking she was crazy, Lasilia asked the birds.

-No, no. Humans don’t have wings.

-It’s high, high. Humans are apart.

“Then… Let me ask, is there any way to prevent the emperor from coming?”

-No, no.

-We can’t, we can’t. will die

-Yes Yes. Emperor have a bad bad personality.

Lasilia hurriedly continued.

“It’s because I don’t think I should be able to be alone with the emperor right now. Hiding for a while… As long as we don’t just be the two of us alone…”

-… ?

The birds tilted their heads at her and exchanged glances with each other.

– Then there is, there is.

Yay!

A bird with glossy black feathers flew away. The bird that disappeared into the air for a moment brought a strangely red fruit.

Tok.

The bird placed it carefully next to Racilia’s hand.

– Eat and sleep. Fall asleep.

-Then, even if the two of you are alone, you are alone.

Racilia smiled broadly.

“That’s right. You guys are really smart. Yes, this will do, thank you.”

The birds waggled their tail feathers proudly as if they were happy to be praised.

– I’m glad, I’m glad.

-You’re welcome welcome.

-If you call, we will come, we will come.

The birds left, leaving a wonderful message.

When Lasilia closed the window and went back to the table, she casually mixed the berries the Black Bird had brought with her fruit platter, no long after the emperor returned.

“It didn’t take long, right? As you said.”

At the same time, the emperor who entered was growing at an angle to the extent that his eyes were burdened. His bangs, which had naturally covered his forehead a while ago, fell back neatly. Jeweled cuffs were worn on the sleeves, and pendants were hung to match the color of the indoor cloak that was worn over the growth.

‘I don’t know where to put my eyes.’

Lasilia blinked at the completely changed emperor.

‘It’s kind of burdensome.’

Even when she saw him during the day, he didn’t dress that fancy. The emperor, who had been like a dog until just then, was now like a peacock with its tail fully raised.

“Or did it take a long time?”

The emperor grabbed the chair across from her and pulled it out, and as he was about to sit down, he pulled the chair and sat next to Lasilia.

“… No. It didn’t take long.”

“Of course. Because I was in a hurry as you said.”

“…”

So she didn’t know what to do. Lasilia turned her gaze to the side, away from the burdened face staring at her.

“Then why are you sitting next to me?”

“… Across from you it’s too far.”

“It must be difficult to eat if you sit next to me.”

At those words, the emperor tilted his head for a moment.

“… Well, maybe.”

“Then it’s better if you go to the other side.”

“That’s all right.”

What happened?

“Are you saying you want to sit like this?”

“I thought it would be okay to be uncomfortable. I will handle it.”

“…”

Now the Emperor felt more like a gorgeous dog than a peacock.

“Then let’s eat.”

“…”

He was a very strange human being.

‘Was it a rumor that they said he had a bad relationship with the empress? …No, it’s not. Judging from the reaction of the Marquise Fascard, it’s clear that they didn’t get along.’

In the end, it meant that the emperor began to take a different attitude regardless of his feelings.

‘It must be because of the jet lag. Because they said the blue moon was coming. The emperor is desperate to make contact.’

For the first time, the emperor felt emotions other than fear. The name of that emotion should be compassion. But apart from his pity, when he realizes that she is not really the mate of fate, the problem will be very serious.

“I will serve the food for you.”

So she had to feed him that fruit.

Lasilia picked up the empty plate in front of him and put the food in it. While she pretended to be picking them up, she didn’t forget the fruit the bird had brought her.

“Take that off.”

However, feeding the fruit was not so smooth. While Lasilia held the fruit in her hand he asked her reason with his eyes.

“It is the first time I have ever seen that fruit. One is not supposed to eat that.”

“Ah… Is it the imperial law?”

“I don’t know what might be in it.”

Since they were members of the royal family, they would have no choice but to be picky about food.

‘It must be difficult to make him eat it.’

After thinking about it for a while, Lasilia remembered that she was also a member of the imperial family.

“Then I will eat it.”

“You’d better not eat it.”

“Just a little. If I can eat it and it’s okay, wouldn’t His Majesty eat it too?”

Then Lescal snatched the fruit from Lasilia’s hand.

“Let’s do the opposite.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll taste it first, and if it’s okay, you’ll eat it.”

The emperor, who had just said he wouldn’t eat anything he didn’t know, popped a bright red fruit the size of his fingernail into his mouth.

‘Indeed… ’

Lasilia swallowed her dry saliva, staring at the emperor as he chewed and swallowed the red berries.