The emperor, who said he would return in two days, had not returned to the palace for the fourth day. Patricia had been busy for four days, managing a hectic schedule.

Eva had visited Oro Alley for three consecutive days. She searched for pharmacies, secretly looking for a father with Amir as a daughter, but returned empty-handed.

The morning after the poison soup incident, the imperial physician visited. Patricia greeted him on a terrace overlooking the garden.

The palace physician brewed a tea said to calm temporary shock or excitement directly in front of Patricia.

He put dried herbs and flower petals into a transparent glass teapot. The browned herbs sank to the bottom, while the flower petals opened up and floated to the top. He gauged the temperature by placing the back of his hand on the teapot’s surface before pouring it into a teacup.

The first aroma was fragrant, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

As white, clean clouds quickly drifted by, neat sunlight fell on the teacup. After finishing the tea, warmth spread through her body via her blood vessels. The palace physician examined her carefully.

He asked Eva questions that were difficult to ask Patricia directly. Patricia was surprised that Eva readily answered questions about her age at first menstruation, menstrual cycle, and duration, things Patricia herself didn’t know.

“Does the princess exercise?”

“I enjoy swordsmanship and horseback riding.”

“Good. Your muscle strength is good, and your internal organs are strong. I will prepare a tonic pill to boost your body’s energy.”

“You said I’m healthy. I don’t think I need to take medicine.”

“It’s a special order from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. The imperial family has always valued male heirs. Even the late Emperor was born after five princesses.”

Expecting children before even getting married. Patricia had no plans for childbirth and intended to divorce.

Shouldn’t you give it to Lady Leak?

When time passed and she regained her composure, she understood Lady Leak’s feelings, and her trust in the emperor hit rock bottom.

Usually maintaining an indifferent attitude towards others, Patricia felt sharp emotions rising towards the emperor whenever she thought of Lady Leak. He’s selfish, arrogant, and a womanizer.

“Yes, I understand.”

As soon as the palace physician left, Eva and the head maid Anna urged her to go to the study.

The study was piled with wedding gifts from neighboring kingdoms and Karsic nobles, like autumn leaves.

As the maids unwrapped the gifts to show their contents, Patricia wrote thank-you letters while listening to Anna’s explanations.

In between, she sent Annie to the main palace’s head of servants to check if there was any contact from Tane and to confirm the emperor’s return schedule.

The head of servants said there was no contact from Tane and that he couldn’t disclose the emperor’s schedule.

After finishing writing dozens of thank-you letters, the quota set by Anna, it was time for first night education with Countess Schmidt. The countess invariably opened an erotic picture book, pointing at the images with her index finger while explaining in detail.

When she first received the first night education, her face flushed hot, her heart raced, and she was enveloped in a strange sensation. Looking at the picture of a man and woman in close contact, the man in the picture appeared to have the emperor’s handsome face.

At that moment, when he appeared before her eyes, her heart had raced wildly.

After meeting Lady Leak, the woman in the book’s illustration looked like the lady.

With her glossy black hair and red lips, she seemed to be seducing the emperor with her alluring gaze.

That momentary imagination seemed real and clawed at Patricia’s heart.

Love talk in a national marriage?

She even heard auditory hallucinations in a low voice. Patricia wanted to meet the emperor right away and throw divorce papers at him.

Patricia roughly closed the picture book made of leather. Tap.

She traced the gold-plated arabesque pattern with her index finger. From Lady Leak’s perspective, Patricia must have been a troublemaker who shattered her peaceful fate.

Ah, I don’t want to interfere and disrupt someone else’s love.

Whenever she thought of Lady Julia, anger welled up. There was only one way to suppress the boiling inside: using her body. Patricia called for Bern.

“Sir Bern.”

She threw her glove at his face.

“Princess. Why are you doing this?”

“Please have a sword match with me.”

“How could I dare to with the princess? I refuse.”

“Don’t go easy on me. I’ll come at you fiercely too.”

She coaxed and persuaded the reluctant Bern to go out to the garden. As soon as she drew her sword from its scabbard, she charged fiercely.

“Oh, oh, oh.”

Bern barely blocked her sword, which she wielded flamboyantly. She scanned his body in a matter of seconds.

No matter how strong her muscles and basic physical strength were, she lacked the power to meet a grown man’s sword head-on.

She avoided the moment when the swords met as much as possible. Meanwhile, she swung her sword dazzlingly with instant attacks and fancy techniques.

Of course, she wanted to swing her sword neatly and powerfully like Eden Patterson, as if cutting through the air.

“Sir Bern. Have you ever sparred with His Majesty the Emperor?”

“With His Majesty? Not a chance.”

“Why not?”

“To spar with His Majesty, you need to beat Sir Calip at least once. Huh! Princess. You’re quite good.”

Patricia grazed the side of his waist with her sword and immediately spun her body around, striking his shoulder with the back of her sword. Thwack.

“I’m quite satisfied with my skills, Sir. Ha!”

As she parried Bern’s descending sword with clang, clang, clang, she moved sideways in a flash, lowering her waist and striking his thigh with the back of her sword.

If she had struck with the blade instead of the back, Bern’s body would have already been covered in blood.

“Ha, if you do this, I can’t go easy on you anymore.”

“That’s what I’m waiting for. …Ha! How skilled is Sir Calip?”

“I’ve beaten Sir Lean three times, but I’ve lost to Sir Calip all fifty or so times.”

“You lost all fifty times?”

“And that Sir Calip has never beaten His Majesty. His Majesty doesn’t even bother to spar with me.”

Clang, clang, clang.

Blue sparks flew as the blades clashed tightly. Patricia twisted her wrist to control her strength, striking in a figure-eight pattern, withdrawing, then swinging up and down.

Clang.

Bern’s sword fell.

“Then I should face Sir Calip.”

“I let my guard down. Princess. Let’s go once more.”

“Alright, shall we? Ha!”

Bern and Patricia sparred two more times. They each won once.

“I can’t believe it.”

Bern was more surprised by the princess’s sword skills than upset about losing the third match.

“Your skills are formidable.”

“I first read your body, then calculated the radius of the sword according to your body.”

“Princess, your sword is clever.”

“Thank you, Sir Bern. For the first time since coming to the empire, I feel refreshed.”

Bern wiped his palms on his thighs before extending his hand to Patricia for a handshake.

“Princess, welcome to Karsic.”

A thin, white hand neatly grasped his.

“Princess. Shall I add perfume?”

Patricia hesitated for a moment. She remembered that on the day she arrived at the palace, the emperor had said the rose scent was too strong and prohibited the use of perfume from then on.

“Hmm, use rose extract, heavily.”

Annie diluted an almost excessive amount of perfume. After bathing, in the dressing room, Annie gave her a lace slip and gown instead of the usual ramie cotton nightgown.

“What is this?”

“Madam Terra sent various materials.”

Patricia was surprised to see herself in the mirror. Unlike the loose nightgown, the body-hugging lace made her look like an alluring woman. Patricia frowned.

“I don’t like it, give me the original nightgown.”

“The hem of the nightgown was torn, so I threw it away.”

“I see.”

The emperor’s sword had cut it during their sparring. He pretended to be right-handed while being left-handed, putting his right hand in his pocket and using his left.

“May the smile of a moonlit goddess bless you. Have a peaceful night.”

Annie and the maids left the dressing room for the reception room. Patricia entered the bedroom and drank the lemon water placed on the side table.

She interlaced her fingers and stretched them above her head. Though tired after sword practice with Sir Bern and bathing, her body felt refreshed.

She stretched her interlaced arms further and tilted her body sideways as she walked towards the bed, then stopped.

A dark figure was visible on the single sofa beside the bed.

“Who’s there?”

“Who could it be?”

Only the side table near the reception room was lit, leaving the bed area dark. However, she recognized who the figure was from the low baritone voice.

“Your, Your Majesty.”

.

The emperor struck a match. He grabbed the three-tiered candlestick on the side table and lit the candles. He removed his gloves and placed them on the table.

Patricia closed the front of her gown. Not that it mattered, as it only added another layer of lace.

“How rude. Entering the bedroom without permission.”

The emperor crossed his long legs, leaned his right arm and upper body on the armrest, sitting askew, and smirked. He showed his composure by tapping the bedpost rhythmically with his toes.

“Princess. There’s nowhere in the empire I can’t go.”

“Does that mean Your Majesty enters other women’s bedrooms at will as well?”

Gnash.

The emperor audibly gritted his teeth. The veins in his neck below his sharp chin bulged as if about to burst.

“Why are you like this, Princess?”

I’m barely holding it together as it is.

“I came straight to the palace to give you news of Patrick, which you’ve been anxiously waiting for. Aren’t you glad?”

At the mention of Patrick’s news, Patricia clasped her hands and took a step closer. Come to think of it, the emperor was still in his white formal uniform.

“Patrick, what happened to Patrick?”

He frowned his dark eyebrows.

As expected, her expression changes just at the mention of Patrick’s name. I want to give her a piece of my mind.

You suit His Majesty well.

Lilacs symbolize first love, the beginning of love, they say.

“Come closer.”

Patricia approached until she could see the emperor’s mysterious green eyes.

“Closer.”

Love talk in a national marriage?

You said such things to Lady Leak, why are you doing this to me now?

“I can hear well from here. Please speak.”

At her sharp voice, the corners of the emperor’s mouth curled up strangely.

He leisurely extended his upper body forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her sharply. Patricia’s lace hem touched his knee.

He pushed with force on his knee. It touched near her thigh. The point of contact felt burning hot.

“Let go.”

He rubbed the inside of her wrist bone with his thumb. He straightened his body that had been leaning askew and uncrossed his legs.

“Sit.”

The emperor was seated in the single sofa.

Where are you telling me to sit? On the floor?

“Surely you’re not asking me to kneel… are you?”

Patricia’s voice trembled. Her wavering blue eyes grew increasingly dark blue.

Observing Patricia’s rapidly changing expression, he smiled slyly.

He spread his legs. He stroked his own thighs clad in white uniform pants. He gestured to that place where a firm texture could be felt.

Are, are you crazy? Telling me to sit there.

Patricia’s face flushed red and she turned away sharply. Her wrist still in his grip.

“Please speak.”

So terribly cute.

He grabbed her waist, which fit in one hand, and sat her on his thigh.