“It’s a lie that I stopped by by chance.”

Parnes, who said this, showed none of his usual heavy, imposing aura.

If he didn’t just drop by while passing through, did that mean he crossed that vast forest in the busy afternoon hours solely to see her face?

“To His Majesty the Emperor, you seem, how should I put it, like a special and unique existence.”

Well, special or not, it was a political marriage from the start.

Parnes had said he wanted a capable empress, and judging her to be a suitable candidate, he proposed without even a single sweet confession.

In doing so, he hinted at a mutually beneficial arrangement, suggesting they coexist well while exchanging things of value.

There was nothing particularly special or unique about it.

Yet why did her heart swell so much with every word he spoke?

As if she were unconsciously hoping for something beyond mere loyalty and affection…

“By the way, the Empress’s Palace is farther than I thought.”

Parnes mumbled as he casually sat on the sofa, not seeming to expect a response.

For some reason, a faint trace of dissatisfaction and concern seemed to cross his face.

‘Right. Since we’re to be husband and wife, perhaps this is his own effort to get along affectionately.’

Just because it’s a political marriage doesn’t mean they have to live like strangers, does it?

It wouldn’t hurt to make time for meals together occasionally or to take walks and talk on weekends.

With that thought, his characteristic nonchalant kindness and the occasional warm glance that caught her off guard didn’t seem to hold much significance after all.

Kasallin asked Logia to bring some tea and sat across from him.

“People say it’s to respect the private lives of the Emperor and Empress.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Unexpectedly, he furrowed his brow, showing he couldn’t comprehend it.

She had thought he’d prefer a strictly divided, independent space.

Given his preference for an empress who actively participates in state affairs, perhaps he found it bothersome to coordinate opinions with her.

“E-Excuse me.”

Logia, who had just returned, placed black tea and coffee on the table with a visibly tense expression.

The sunlight pouring dazzlingly through the narrow window brightly illuminated the gold-rimmed edge of the teacup.

Parnes, sitting across from her, drank the bitter coffee as if it were sweet syrup.

“You seem to prefer coffee over black tea.”

“Only during the day. At night, I drink herbal tea.”

“Do you dislike sweet things?”

“I don’t love them, but I don’t hate them either.”

Kasallin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Oddly enough, learning things she didn’t know about him was quite entertaining.

“Is there any food you particularly like?”

“You’re full of questions today.”

He said this while precisely pouring two swirls of warm milk into Kasallin’s teacup.

Kasallin was slightly surprised but soon looked at him with playful eyes.

“Your Majesty has perfectly grasped my taste in black tea, yet I know nothing about you.”

“What’s the rush?”

Parnes continued with his characteristic sly smile that strangely tickled people’s hearts.

“After all, we have a lifetime to get to know each other.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Kasallin mumbled in response, sipping her milk tea without even registering its taste.

She thought it was fortunate that the faint steam rising from the teacup hid her face.

Parnes, who had been quietly watching her, propped his chin slightly and said,

“I often eat white fish like sea bass.”

“Pardon?”

“I like pumpkin and truffle terrine, seafood with salads, and while I rarely eat dessert, if I had to choose, quince tea suits my taste.”

It was fascinating.

A man who seemed incapable of finding joy or satisfaction in food turned out to enjoy fine dining.

When Kasallin waited with wide eyes, as if urging him to say more, Parnes let out a small chuckle through his teeth.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, it’s just…”

She seemed kind of cute.

Kasallin tilted her head, not catching Parnes’s low murmur.

“Just?”

“It’s nothing.”

“How dull. So? What’s your daily routine like?”

Parnes looked as if he wanted to ask if she was really curious about such trivial things.

To that, Kasallin eagerly nodded, feeling the need to learn more about him.

After all, wasn’t it said that the relationship between emperor and empress greatly affects state affairs?

“I go to bed around 1 a.m. and wake up at 5. I train in swordsmanship at the north gate training grounds until dawn. I receive reports from the provinces, and after three or four hours of meetings, it’s already evening. I don’t exactly lead a special life.”

“You live such an exemplary routine every day?”

“I don’t think it’s particularly exemplary, but yes, every day.”

Kasallin let out a small gasp of admiration.

Once her curiosity took hold, the things she wanted to ask him grew like branches spreading out.

Did he inherit that characteristic calm and dry personality from his father?

If so, was there something about him that resembled the Dowager Empress?

As her thoughts reached that point, Kasallin recalled something Duchess Rudo had once let slip.

“Only three people know what happened in the palace that day: His Majesty the Emperor, Ludwig, and the Dowager Empress, who is currently confined to the annex for recuperation.”

She had said the Dowager Empress wasn’t just recuperating but was confined.

Why was that?

Parnes also seemed to have no intention whatsoever of introducing her to the Dowager Empress.

It was as if he wished she’d ignore the very existence of the Dowager Empress.

“I heard the Dowager Empress resides in a nearby annex. Is it alright if I don’t visit to pay my respects?”

Not fond of beating around the bush, Kasallin asked directly.

At that moment, Parnes’s hand, which was bringing the coffee cup to his lips, froze in midair before slowly lowering.

The untouched coffee cup clinked as it settled back onto its saucer.

His usual steady gaze met hers, but Kasallin realized his lips had no intention of revealing the truth.

“Regrettably, my mother is too ill to converse with anyone.”

“That must weigh heavily on you.”

He didn’t respond further.

She had no intention of probing his wounds further, but she couldn’t help the lingering questions.

“Don’t trust His Majesty too much.”

She wished she hadn’t heard those words back then, as a faint regret, mixed with the bitter aroma of the black tea, passed through her throat.

After finishing their tea, the two walked along the pathway within the Empress’s Palace.

As they strolled side by side under the shade of trees with swaying dark green leaves, he spoke.

“The noble ministers suggested holding the engagement ceremony toward the end of early spring. I’d like to follow your opinion on this.”

“That’s not a bad idea. The timing is appropriate.”

“Shallen Riche might attend as a state guest. Is that alright?”

“I’d actually like him to come and see Your Majesty and me together.”

Kasallin looked up at him and said,

“I want him to see with his own eyes the two of us walking side by side toward a new tomorrow, blessed by everyone.”

“…”

“Once the wedding is over, I’ll become this country’s empress and greet him with a smile, as if there’s no lingering attachment or conflict. I intend to make it clear that nothing remains between us.”

He gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile and nodded.

“It seems I was worrying over nothing.”

“And don’t Your Majesty and I still have one crucial issue left?”

Kasallin said, looking off into the distance beyond the pathway.

Parnes turned his head, a slight question on his face, following Kasallin’s gaze.

“Daddy!”

“Oh, my darling daughter!”

A small girl ran excitedly across the grass with short legs and threw herself into the arms of a palace official.

They seemed like a family visiting the palace briefly to greet a father finishing work.

That perfectly balanced scene, without any imbalance, was like an unreachable dream for Kasallin.

“Your Majesty, I came here accepting your proposal, but I still can’t fathom your true intentions.”

Kasallin said, placing her cold hand lightly on her stomach.

“As you know, I’m someone with almost no chance of bearing a child. A doctor diagnosed it long ago. Even though alchemists are developing treatments recently, there’s likely no hope.”

“And?”

“And, you say?”

“I didn’t want a child; I wanted you. I proposed because I wanted you, and that’s why we’re here together. So, what’s the problem?”

The beautiful eyes visible through his neatly aligned eyelashes shone with unprecedented sincerity.

“But, Your Majesty, succession is of utmost importance in the imperial family. The primary duty of an empress is to produce an heir, isn’t it? You must think so too.”

“I don’t think that.”

“What?”

“An empress is simply a monarch equal to the emperor, nothing more, nothing less. An empress can preside over imperial meetings, and I, the emperor, can manage the nation’s domestic affairs. Outdated duties like producing an heir are nothing but obstacles blocking your abilities and potential.”

Kasallin was so stunned by these words, which she’d never heard before, that she couldn’t respond.

He continued,

“Even without bearing a child, I have siblings and nephews who can inherit the throne. In the distant future, the next generation can naturally be led by them.”

“But…”

Kasallin hesitated for a moment before finally voicing the words stuck in her throat.

“Does Your Majesty not want to see a child from me?”

To that question, he answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Indeed. Even if you could have a child, I wouldn’t have wanted it.”