Hearing her squawk and flare up, the emperor laughed out loud and opened the carriage door. He took Patricia’s hand.

Though she tried hard not to let her gaze linger on his body, her eyes naturally fell on his chest, neck, jaw, and lips.

As they exited the carriage, a sweet grape scent mixed with the breeze wafted over them. The Vale estate was surrounded by endless vineyards in all directions.

The Baron and Baroness of Vale, sitting on wicker chairs on the porch with their young children, greeted them formally along with the children.

“We are honored to receive the Golden Sun of the Empire, Their Imperial Majesties.”

As the emperor had ordered Calip to keep silent about the Red Forest attack incident, the Baron and Baroness of Vale could not even imagine Patricia’s memory loss.

The dinner prepared by Baron Vale was modest but excellent.

The scent of decorative flowers placed around the table was subtle enough not to affect the aroma and taste of the food.

The main topic of conversation was the deep flavor and aroma of the wine produced from the Vale estate’s vineyards.

Although the wine brewed in the Vale family’s traditional method was top-notch, the Baron lacked social skills and business acumen to expand its market.

In particular, the imperial family and nobles in the capital consumed expensive Tane wines in luxurious packaging.

The emperor listened to the Baron’s words with an expressionless face.

Realizing he had voiced complaints mixed with grievances in front of the emperor’s cold expression, the Baron closed his mouth.

After the Baron finished speaking, the emperor, lost in thought, called for Calip. Calip bent his body and leaned in to listen.

“Write this down.”

Form a wine-related roundtable, investigate Tane wine import channels, check domestic wine distribution, recommend Vale wine.

The emperor gave instructions in a low voice, and Calip calmly wrote in his notebook. Baron Vale tried to discern the emperor’s intentions from his accurately given orders in a low tone.

Forming a roundtable. This was famous since his crown prince days.

He thoroughly investigated and held meetings, like demolishing a huge castle and rebuilding it stone by stone. In the process, rooting out corruption was inevitable.

As it was innovative and radical, the nobles’ resistance was fierce. Building a fair and solid castle. Above all, the emperor did not reveal to the Baron what he had instructed Calip.

Baron Vale barely suppressed the urge to kneel before the emperor, who was ten years younger than him, and kiss his feet.

The previously expressionless emperor gazed lovingly at the blushing empress with narrowed eyes.

Patricia smiled involuntarily every time she drank the wine, and her expression deepened as if intoxicated by its aroma.

The white wine served with the appetizer was enough to make one’s mouth feel as refreshing as a dawn forest.

The red wine served with the smoked lamb and veal steak added flavor to the taste of the meat. Patricia drank two glasses of red wine.

“My empress is good at drinking wine too.”

The emperor lightly grasped Patricia’s wrist holding the wine glass, then let go. Where his hand had touched, her wrist burned as if on fire.

Patricia started feeling slightly tipsy after drinking the wine that came with the steak. As Patricia put her lips to the third glass of wine she received, the emperor looked down at her intently and said.

“Stop drinking.”

Patricia kept her lips on the glass and only raised her eyes to look up at him. The emperor leaned his head slightly towards her and said in a low voice.

“We have things to do.”

‘What, what… What…’

Patricia recalled the lewd act the emperor had done in the carriage, blushed, and hiccupped.

The emperor looked at Baron Vale and said.

“Baron, I want to rest.”

“Yes? But the time is still… Yes.”

“I’m tired.”

Not only the Baron and Baroness, but even the butler pulling a cart with fruits and desserts was surprised.

The Baron and Baroness had planned to move to the banquet hall after dinner for the young ladies’ piano accompaniment to the Baroness’s opera aria performance.

The summer sun was just beginning to set.

Calip, standing at the entrance of the banquet hall, was equally surprised. The emperor usually rode horses for three or four days without rest, and even begrudged resting time to soothe the military horses.

‘Tired, he says? From early evening.’

But then Calip recalled the emperor’s recent behavior and nodded in understanding. Especially remembering the morning after the wedding night, he smiled secretively and scratched his neck.

Moreover, the empress had been unconscious in Pana Castle. Calip felt like he was floating in the clouds at the emperor’s unfamiliar behavior.

“The vineyard villa we stayed at last time was nice.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We prepared it since you were satisfied last time.”

“Shall we go?”

The emperor took Patricia’s hand and waist and helped her up.

Though disappointed that the carefully prepared dinner and banquet ended so quickly, the Baron and Baroness fully understood the newlyweds’ passion and were happy to support it.

The emperor and Patricia entered the path through the vineyard.

Calip and two knights followed at a distance.

The setting sun spread a red glow across the sky. As the alcohol took effect, Patricia’s inherently cheerful nature that she couldn’t remember emerged.

“Your Majesty, it looks like wine has been spilled across the sky. Even the air is sweet.”

Walking alongside the emperor, she stepped ahead and fluttered away like a bird.

She reached out to a low grape vine. Lifting a bunch of grapes nestled among the broad leaves, she smelled it and turned to smile at the emperor.

“Your Majesty. Smell these grapes.”

“Ah.”

She was indescribably beautiful.

Harchen moved close to Patricia, bent his upper body, and tilted his head. Ignoring the grapes, he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close.

Gazing intently at her flushed cheeks from the wine and slightly parted lips, he grabbed her nape and kissed her.

“Patricia is sweeter.”

The emperor, who had been inhaling even her breath, separated his lips before their breathing became ragged and their touching lips became messy.

Patricia was surprised by the emperor’s self-control. It was a clean but unsatisfying kiss.

Harchen stopped, not wanting to show Patricia’s disheveled appearance in the twilight evening to Calip and the knights following behind.

He disliked even ordinary imagination about her, since he couldn’t monitor the thoughts inside the minds of men with dark hearts.

Ah, I want to do more. Slightly tipsy Patricia met the emperor’s gaze looking at her with a mysterious light and plucked a grape from the bunch, bringing it to her mouth.

“No, you don’t eat it like that with the skin.”

Harchen hurriedly enclosed her body in his arms to block the gaze of the following knights. He plucked a grape, bit off the end with his teeth, then placed it against her lips. She slowly parted her lips.

Harchen gently pushed the black grape skin, inserting the translucent light green flesh into her mouth. Harchen was ecstatic to the point of getting a headache watching her receive the soft grape with her plump lips.

Harchen fed her grapes like that two more times, and she readily accepted the flesh each time.

“Is it delicious?”

“It’s delicious, really sweet.”

“Give me some too.”

“…”

Patricia stared blankly at Harchen for a moment as if considering, then plucked a grape from the bunch and brought it to her eyes.

After peeling off the end of the skin with her fingertips, she held it out to Harchen. Harchen smiled and slowly bent his upper body.

Patricia was startled to meet his green eyes shining with a strange light under his thick eyelashes, and instead of pushing the grape skin as she had intended, she just put it in his mouth.

Harchen chuckled and grabbed her wrist, biting her fingers.

“Ah, let go. It hurts.”

He hugged her from the side and walked towards the villa. As her body tilted sideways and was embraced by the warm Harchen, the effects of alcohol spread rapidly.

“Annie Marlon said that Your Majesty fell for me when I was captured as a prisoner, is that true?”

Patricia asked in a nasal voice as she wrapped her arms around the emperor’s neck. She was surprised by her own excited-sounding voice.

“I don’t think so.”

Patricia felt the alcohol rising suddenly.

“Why did you accept the national marriage?”

“You had already seduced me at the academy.”

Harchen blocked Calip’s view behind with his broad shoulders and briefly kissed her lips and cheeks.

“Above all, even if you’ve forgotten your memories, it doesn’t change that I love you. Yes, I’ll try to seduce you again from the beginning.”

As soon as Harchen opened the arched wooden door between the grape vines and entered, he leaned Patricia against the door.

“I’m dizzy with wanting to touch you.”

He pulled down both shoulders of her dress.

“Your Majesty, wait a moment. This is outside.”

“If you call my name, I’ll try to hold back.”

Harchen put his lips on her exposed neck. He moved down along the white skin where blue veins were visible like grape vines.

“Ah, when I remember. When I remember my feelings for you, I’ll call you then with a pure heart.”

“Then I’ll help you find different memories now.”

A splendid carriage with a purple exterior decorated with gold trim and two knights on horseback escorting it from House Leak entered the Karsik Imperial Palace.

After passing the metasequoia-lined avenue soaring into the sky and an artificial lake, it stopped in front of Duse Palace.

A knight dismounted from a brown horse and opened the carriage door. A maid got out and opened a black lace parasol.

Julia, wearing a black chiffon dress printed with purple flowers, gracefully alighted. Julia frowned as the maid’s incorrect angle with the parasol allowed the hot sunlight to touch her face.

“Can’t you even hold a parasol properly?”

The maid, shorter than Julia, stretched her arm fully to hold the parasol high.

Julia had braided her thick hair and pinned it up, and the anxious maid, worried the parasol might touch it, stood on tiptoe with trembling legs.

Ignoring the maid’s fidgeting, Julia walked quickly, holding up her dress despite wearing high-heeled mules.

The courtyard of Duse Palace was doubly guarded by Tane guards and Karsik guards. Using the attack on Emperor Kazan as an excuse, Pamila had brought the Tane guards who had been staying outside the palace into Duse Palace.

When the Leak knight announced Julia’s identity as the Leak Duke’s daughter, the guards from both countries bowed respectfully and cleared the way.

Guided by a Duse Palace maid, Julia had the knight holding the gift box give it to the maid and wait in the corridor before entering the reception room.

In the reception room, Pamila, wearing a cream-colored dress with her red hair fully puffed up, was enjoying the breeze from a fan held by a maid.

“Julia, daughter of Duke Leak, greets the Empress of Tane.”