Patricia, who had been tossing and turning in bed, became clear-headed.

Her greatest worry, Patrick, had removed the toxins and after treatment, was supposed to come here. Yet sleep wouldn’t come.

Could it be that worry about the poison soup was keeping her from sleeping? That wasn’t it. Rather, because of that incident, she could now use the argentum rod Patrick gave her to check the food during meals.

Patricia kicked off the blanket and sat up abruptly in bed. At the same time, she unknowingly touched her lips.

Recalling the emperor’s gaze as he approached, her body felt hot as if on fire just from the imagination stirring in her mind.

Harchen! Harchen Eint Carl Berk. It was because of the emperor.

More precisely, Patricia had unknowingly imagined herself wrapping her legs around the emperor’s firm waist and kissing him.

Ah, really, why am I like this.

She had expected him to kiss her when the emperor reached out his large hand to touch her cheek. So she closed her eyes with an excited heart.

But when she opened her eyes because there was no movement, she thought she would faint at the decadent gaze of those green eyes narrowly open under thick eyebrows.

The emperor seduced Patricia and then got up nonchalantly. Then he made an excuse about his past, saying it didn’t need to be first love, and left.

He’s such a playboy.

The Lady Leak, was it? Since they had been lovers for over twenty years, could their relationship have been deep? Is that why Lady Leak confidently said she would enter as empress? Planning to make her a puppet empress?

It was outrageous.

“No. I can’t marry like this.”

Then what to do? If she broke off the imperial marriage, on what grounds would Patrick be brought here? Moreover, Empress Pamila was not someone to be easily defeated.

She would surely devise another, more powerful scheme. Realistically, the imperial marriage could not be canceled right away.

Instead, divorce at an appropriate time and hand over the Hite Palace to the beautiful lady who had loved only the emperor for over twenty years, and go to Tane. Live in the west tower of the annex and help Patrick become emperor.

Watch as Emperor Patrick, true to his usual assertions, creates politics that encompasses not just the empire for nobles with power and authority, but also small countries, commoners, and minorities, making not a powerful empire but a peaceful Tane Empire where more people are happy overall.

And finally, go live in the seaside kingdom with Eva.

She resolved to keep her one-sided love for the emperor to herself and stay away from him as much as possible until the divorce, attending only formal events.

Patricia yawned and lay down in bed, thinking she had resolved her concerns.

However, as soon as she lay down, the emperor’s face automatically came to mind. A heated, nervous sensation arose, and she punched the inside of the blanket.

She tried to think of other things, but somehow it led back to recalling the emperor’s face and gaze.

Patricia barely shook off thoughts of the emperor by thinking of a healthier Patrick. She fell asleep, certain she had done so.

Until she started dreaming.

With a thick, well-defined jawline and shoulders revealing a firm build, the man sitting perfectly straight without movement was like a statue carved by Aphrodite’s beautiful hands.

A straight nose bridge, deep green eyes like a swamp you could be sucked into under thick eyebrows. Long fingers seductively rubbing the corners of distinct lips. The lips touched by fingertips, combined with the decadent gaze, were sensual.

As Patricia looked at him with hazy eyes, he smiled slowly. The upturned corners of his mouth looked suggestive.

There was a faint scent of mint.

You can even smell scents in dreams.

It seemed so vivid, not like a dream, that Patricia blinked her eyes and then opened them wide.

“Ah, Har- I mean, Your Majesty?”

“Did you sleep well?”

The emperor was sitting in a single armchair pushed right up to the bed, resting his elbow on the armrest as he looked at her.

“Your Majesty. How did you, at this hour?”

Patricia sat up abruptly. As the blanket slid down, she sensed his gaze sweeping over her and felt a shiver run through her whole body.

“I wanted to see you.”

She pulled her lace robe closed, though it seemed ineffective at covering.

He ran his hand over his face and crossed his legs.

“Were you about to call my name just now?”

“No, no. Your Majesty, please leave.”

Ignoring Patricia’s request to leave, the emperor smiled slyly.

“You must have dreamed. Was it about me?”

Blue eyes widened in shock. Seeing her press the backs of her hands to her reddening cheeks and shake her head, the emperor gripped the armrest tightly.

This is really maddening.

He applied force to his hand to prevent blood from rushing to one place. He was experiencing heaven and hell since morning.

He abruptly stood up and pulled the bell cord beside the bed. A maid who had come from Tane entered.

“Hurry and help the sleepyhead empress with her morning preparations.”

The emperor, frowning as if angry, went out to the terrace. Calip, who had been waiting on the terrace, held out a file of documents.

“Your Majesty. Please sign at least the urgent documents while you wait.”

The emperor silently took the documents, skimmed them with his eyes, then signed and stamped his seal. As he was turning to the thirteenth document Calip had prepared, the terrace glass door opened and the empress came out.

Having washed and prepared hurriedly, she had only applied toner instead of perfect makeup.

The dress, not puffed out without a pannier, flowed calmly along her slender side line.

The hem of her dress fluttered in the breeze created by the closing terrace door. Her soft ankles in lace stockings were revealed.

As the empress walked across the terrace, approaching the table, the fragrance of newly bloomed delicate flowers wafted.

Calip saw it.

The emperor’s face flushed as he stared at the empress as if bewitched, the document in his hand with protruding veins trembling.

The quick-witted Calip gathered the documents, bowed to the empress, and walked to the corridor connected to the terrace.

The chef personally set down the dishes and added explanations about the food. The emperor nodded as he listened to the explanation.

“Eat comfortably.”

“Yes. You too, Your Majesty.”

While getting ready in the morning, she had received advice from Eva and Annie.

Patricia said she was very surprised and displeased to see the emperor right in front of her when she woke up.

“It’s rude. Why did he enter the bedroom without permission? Eva, you too, why didn’t you stop him and just let him be?”

Eva, who was braiding Patricia’s hair into two parts on either side, said:

“I think he’s sincere about Empress Risha. He said with a serious expression that he wanted to see you even if you were sleeping, how could I stop that? I was moved to tears by His Majesty’s actions…”

Annie also seemed to understand the emperor’s behavior.

“Why is everyone like this? Don’t you see the rude behavior?”

“Empress. According to the chamberlain, he was in round table meetings all night. He washed up briefly and came to your bedroom right after the delegation to Tane departed at 6 AM.”

I see, he sent people for Patrick’s official invitation and escort. That’s appreciated, but.

“6 AM? So he was in my bedroom for three hours?”

“Yes. My heart is still pounding. But Empress, how could you sleep without waking up? I wanted to shake you awake.”

“Lord Calip came back and forth between the reception room and terrace with documents. It’s amazing that Lord Calip also just kept waiting without knocking.”

“When His Majesty asked for a glass of water in between, I went in and he was just staring at you intently like a statue sitting in the chair.”

These people.

As if the two had agreed, they praised the emperor so much that Patricia was about to mention Lady Leak, but stopped, thinking Eva would worry.

“It’s rude to act on one’s own feelings without consideration for the other person.”

“My! Empress. Isn’t it good when the person you’re marrying in just two weeks treats you so affectionately? And he’s a handsome man and the emperor of the empire at that.”

“It’s not like I’m going to eat his face, and too handsome a face is burdensome.”

“Empress Risha. Please speak gently to His Majesty and smile prettily.”

Eva touched on a deep and tender part of Patricia.

“He’s the benefactor who saved Prince Patrick. Please treat him kindly.”

“I’ll judge when Patrick appears healthy before me.”

*

The emperor watched her cutting fruit with a knife and asked:

“Does it not suit your taste?”

“It’s not that, Your Majesty. I’m uncomfortable with this.”

“With what?”

The smile visibly faded from the emperor’s face that had been smiling.

“You entering my bedroom, and it feels like I’m stealing Your Majesty’s time to have breakfast together. And I don’t eat such a heavy breakfast like this.”

Above all, Your Majesty has Lady Leak who was your lover for a long time. So please don’t be affectionate towards me, your formal imperial marriage partner, she swallowed the words that were about to come up along with water.

The emperor pushed his steak plate aside. He took Patricia’s plate and cut the steak. After eating one cut piece, he placed it in front of her.

“There’s no poison and it’s tender. I’ll try the salad too.”

He took some salad from Patricia’s salad bowl, ate it slowly, and nodded.

Patricia ate one small piece of the finely cut steak out of courtesy. The olive and herb flavors melted in her mouth along with the tender meat.

After eating the salad, Patricia’s appetite returned and she ate more steak. She couldn’t hide her satisfied smile from eating delicious food.

The emperor, who had been staring at her, smiled as he brushed his bangs back.

“You eat so prettily.”

At his words, the smile faded from Patricia’s face and she stiffened. He tilted his head as he saw her expression turn aloof.

Ha! To make me, this Harchen, watch my step.

“I received a report about the Diarum poison soup incident. If it’s that uncomfortable, let’s eat separately from now on.”

“Please do that, I’d be more comfortable.”

What is this empress planning to do later.

He went to his office, abandoning his plan to have a sword match with her after breakfast.

“Calip. Bring all the backed up documents too.”

The emperor, who had glared at Patricia with a chillingly cold expression before turning sharply away, did not set foot near the White Palace for three days.

Patricia had confessed her conversation with the emperor and received scolding from Eva and complaints from Annie, but her mind was at peace.

In the office, on the recommendation of the head maid, she wrote replies to imperial wedding gifts and had tea with noble ladies from the Karsik Empire who came to the audience hall. Occasionally Isabella joined them.

Yesterday, after seeing off a count’s daughter, she was walking towards the fountain of the main palace where a carriage was waiting, intending to go for a walk, when she encountered the emperor’s party head-on.

Lord Calip greeted her pleasantly, but the emperor, with an expressionless face, just slightly tilted his head in acknowledgment as he touched his brow bone with his white-gloved index finger and passed by.