Your Majesty, I’m desperate. So I have to win. Patricia couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud. She was the one who had turned the southern part of this empire into a battlefield.

Harchen swirled the pewter cup with his wrist. Patricia, who had been biting her lower lip, took a sip from the cup and bit her lower lip again.

The princess’s bad habit…

Harchen stretched out his crossed legs, then leaned back on the sofa with his legs spread. He placed his bandaged left hand on the armrest and touched his lips with his fingertips.

Ah… I’ll have to fix that dangerous habit.

“By the way, Princess, why did you bring that bed from Tane?”

“What? Oh, it’s not a bed, it’s like a bedding that’s spread on top of a bed made of palm trees. They believe that palm trees bring longevity and good dreams. When people from Tane, who value sleep and dreams, leave their homes, they bring it back blessed by Amir. I don’t believe in such things, but my nanny insisted.”

Harchen smiled, raising his lips as he looked at the princess’s face as she answered at length.

Surprised, then calm, serious, then embarrassed. The way her expression changes is quite, cute.

“It’s not a bed, but a bed sheet made of wooden planks.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It must be hard.”

“Yes. It’s hard.”

“A bed should have… some bounce to it. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, that’s, that’s right.”

Patricia answered and bit her lower lip again, her face red. Something felt strange and awkward.

“Now, tell me, what favor made you want to take on this reckless match.”

Patricia set the pewter cup on the table, placed her clasped hands on her knees, straightened her upper body, and gazed at the emperor.

“Please. Bring Patrick from Tane.”

“Patrick? Isn’t he too ill to travel?”

“Patrick can never regain his health in Tane. The imperial physicians have all fallen into Pamila’s scheme and become her pawns.”

“You mean the empress?”

“Yes, Patrick has naturally weak lungs, and I think the poison has spread, turning his face, belly, and back a shade of green.”

“Poison, you say?”

“Yes, my mother, the former empress, had the same symptoms before she passed away.”

“So that’s why you cried. You were worried and heartbroken.”

“…Oh.”

Patricia was surprised that the emperor responded in an understanding manner.

“I’ll look into Patrick’s situation and come up with a plan.”

“What? Yes, thank you.”

Patricia looked at the emperor with a straight gaze.

The first impression is arrogant and intimidating. A small, pointed face compared to his tall stature, broad shoulders, and muscular body.

His straight, handsome nose and well-defined lips exude a cold, sharp sensitivity.

Mysterious light permeates his green eyes. Attractive.

It was the first time. The first time she had looked at him so closely.

She had looked at him with prejudice, thinking he was an arrogant and dogmatic man who had grasped the world from birth. So she had always looked at him with a fleeting glance or through colored lenses.

Without prejudice, she saw that he was a beauty.

“The princess is staring too much. Have you fallen for me now?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Get up, I’ll take you to the White Palace.”

Harchen picked up her sword, which was placed next to Patricia. He went out to the terrace and held out his hand.

Patricia took his hand, then let go in surprise. It was hot, as if heated by fire.

“What’s wrong with the princess?”

Harchen, thinking she had defiantly released his hand, grasped her hand even tighter and descended the outdoor stairs.

Entering the garden, Harchen stopped under a lilac tree.

He grabbed a branch of lilac flowers, clusters of small blossoms, and brought it to his nose to smell the fragrance. He pulled the branch, which exuded a subtle scent, and extended it in front of her face.

“Smell the fragrance.”

As she slightly raised her toes and brought the tip of her nose to the petals, he felt the urge to embrace her waist.

“The lilac scent is sensual, like someone.”

Patricia, pretending not to have heard his words, walked quickly.

Harchen grabbed her arm, making her stop. It was under a rather tall lilac tree.

“Princess, I tried to hold back because I’m a jerk.”

“Yes?”

Patricia.

As she stopped and turned around, the purple fragrance bathed in moonlight dripped, falling on her face. Harchen tucked the sword under his arm and crossed his arms with both hands.

“Are you just… leaving?”

“I can go by myself.”

“Isn’t that too much, Princess?”

“What? What is it?”

“You lost the bet, didn’t you?”

“Does Your Majesty have a favor to ask of me? I don’t have anything to give.”

“Even if you don’t have anything, there must be something you can give.”

Patricia tilted her head, then turned her body towards Harchen.

Huh, this is exciting. Harchen lowered his upper body slightly and closed his eyes. As he waited, pursing his well-defined lips, his chest tingled.

Patricia stood right next to him, raised her heels, and reached out her hand. She plucked a cluster of flowers hanging from the lilac branch.

The strong scent of lilac flowers spread. Feeling something strange, Harchen opened his eyes. He saw her white hand holding a lilac in front of him.

“What is this?”

“It suits you well, Your Majesty.”

Ah, how absurd.

For the first time in his life, Harchen was caught off guard receiving flowers, moreover from a woman. He unfolded his arms and accepted it without thinking. Of course, it was also the first time Patricia had given flowers to a man.

The moment she saw Harchen under the moonlight, with his dark eyelashes lowered and eyes closed, her breath stopped.

Ah, so beautiful.

It wasn’t something to say to a man, but under the moonlight, beneath the lilac tree, he was beautiful.

His black hair, as if cut from a piece of the night, fluttered lightly in the wind. She gazed at it as if enchanted, and before she knew it, she had impulsively offered the flowers.

When he was surprised and accepted the flowers, her cheeks flushed, and she turned her body.

Harchen grabbed her arm as she ran away.

“Is this national marriage forced and unwanted?”

“…No.”

“Why are you running away? We’ll be doing even more than this in the future.”

“…Good night, Your Majesty.”

Patricia pushed his hand away, turned around, and ran. She could hear her heart pounding. It felt like her chest would burst. Thick eyebrows, sharp nose, and sensual lips.

If she hadn’t been holding flowers in her hand, she would have almost reached out and touched him. She wanted to quickly dive under the covers and hide her face. She couldn’t even remember what he had said.

Harchen glared at the lilac flowers.

What are you saying? Good night… Will you be able to sleep?

Harchen picked up Patricia’s sword that had fallen under the lilac tree. He placed the sword on his office desk and rang the call bell. Soon, the head attendant entered.

The head attendant had been hanging on the dark terrace railing until just now.

Under the lilac tree in the White Palace garden, he had secretly watched the quarrel between the emperor and the foreign princess. In his view, the princess was not easily swayed. Your Majesty, you need to be more assertive, ahem.

At that moment, the princess plucked a flower and held it out to the emperor.

A man receiving flowers from a lady, tsk!

Without time to settle his wistful feelings as he watched the princess run away, the office bell rang. Pressing his pounding chest, he hurried over.

“Did you call for me? Your Majesty.”

“Has Lean returned home?”

“No. He went to the knights’ quarters.”

“Then call him here.”

“Should I bring Calip as well?”

“No, just Lean. And Claudine too.”

“Do you mean Claudine from the imperial palace?”

“Yes. Does Claudine know a lot about poisonous herbs or antidotes?”

“He must have studied poisonous herbs deeply, but as for antidotes, he can’t keep up with the Heuns. Ah, Your Majesty. The blind lutist staying in Pana Castle was a Heun Amir.”

“The blind old woman?”

“According to Your Majesty’s order, the butler found her and reported that she is staying at the castle. Amirs can basically handle poisonous herbs and antidotes.”

“Is that so? For now, call Lean and Claudine.”

After the head attendant left, Harchen rested his chin and stared at the purple lilac on the desk.

With me, ah. She said it suits me well.

He picked up the flower and took a deep breath of its scent.

You should offer your bedroom to the maiden who resembles the sun.

He recalled what the blind lutist had said.

“The maiden who resembles the sun. Patricia, precisely.”

Treat her preciously.

A prophecy. The blind old woman has eyes that see the future. I should meet her when I visit Tane.

The lute playing was nice too.

That night, Harchen slept in the same bed as Patricia. He held her in his sleep, but nothing happened. He just put her to bed.

How could he do that? He was quite innocent, Harchen.

He chuckled and took a long drag on his cigar.

I can’t do that now.

Knock, knock, knock.

Lean, Claudine from the imperial palace, and the head attendant entered.

“Come in, everyone. Did I wake you up?”

“Your Majesty. I usually don’t sleep at night. I take short naps in the early morning and during the day.”

After Claudine answered, Lean approached the emperor’s desk and spoke.

“My lord, I woke up not long ago after sleeping in the early evening.”

Lean picked up Patricia’s sword that was placed on one side of the emperor’s desk and examined the bronze ornament on the handle.

“I haven’t seen this sword before. Rikisha?”

Harchen snatched the sword from Lean’s hand, sharply examined the inscribed letters ‘Rikisha’ on the handle ornament, and put it down.

“You two are now unofficially going to Tane, more precisely to the detached palace, the West Tower.”

“Huh? My lord. I just returned from Tane yesterday.”

“Meet Crown Prince Patrick and examine him.”

Harchen instructed them to stop by Pana Castle on the way and bring the Heun old woman with them.

“As soon as you arrive, assess the situation and if travel is possible, I will send a formal invitation and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Take Ryu with you.”

“Ryu?”

Ryu was a black condor. It was a huge eagle with a wingspan of about 3 meters. With a single flap of its wings, it could reach high speeds and glide.

With Ryu, it was possible to fly from Tane to Liswan, the capital of Karsik, and land on Harchen’s forearm in a single day.

“Yes, sir.”

“Everything is according to the will of His Imperial Majesty.”

While they were preparing to depart, Harchen wrote a brief letter.

“Dear Patrick Calian Evas.

The summer breeze in Karsik is still cool.

I vividly remember the day you entered the academy as my junior and introduced yourself. Three years. We spent that time together.

Your figure reciting the Hermetica in Hellenistic at the Phoeni tavern was a manifestation of Dionysus intoxicated by moonlight.

There are suspicions to be resolved during your time at the academy. Recover and come to Karsik to celebrate the national marriage. By the way, I think I’ve fallen for your sister.

Harchen Eint Carl Berk.”