Thinking about calling someone to ask about her whereabouts, he gave up.

Feeling stifled, Carson opened the window wide. The chilly wind cooled his face and the heat rising from his chest.

When he looked around, he saw Ines walking across the garden, muttering something.

Although it was dark after sunset, there were lights shining in various parts of the garden.
Ines hesitated and sat down on the chair. However, she couldn’t think of putting down the documents held close to her chest due to his piercing gaze and just stared at him.

“Where were you?”

“Oh, I had to stop by the security office because there’s something to confirm about the embezzlement case of the last secretary maid.”

“Who and what did you confirm?”

Ines felt the same scrutiny she didn’t receive at the security office just now.

“It was nothing special. Just confirming a few facts, signing some documents, but Your Majesty?”

“Why?”

“Are you angry?”

“If I were?”

“Uh?”

“If I were, is there a way you could relieve my anger?”

Ines rolled her eyes for a moment.

Calming down and improving the Emperor’s mood was also one of the maid’s duties. Ines shook her head busily.

There was no way to relieve the Emperor’s anger. So, Ines thought of something else.

“Should I give you a shoulder massage?”

“What?”

When Carson was more surprised than he thought, Ines realized that she had made a wrong choice.

“Well, you see, my mother, when my father was angry, she used to massage his shoulders and neck. Then, my father’s anger would quickly subside…”

As Ines explained, Carson’s face was more bewildered than she expected.

“Your mother… did that to your father?”

“Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“No, I don’t like it.”

A surprisingly refreshing smile appeared on his face, which had been angry until a moment ago. Ines felt relieved and desperate at the same time. Her heart was pounding so hard that it didn’t seem to stop.

“Then… Should I give you a massage?”

“No, do the opposite.”

At the incomprehensible words, Ines blinked, and when she did, he grabbed the documents from her arms. As his index finger brushed against her thumb, Ines involuntarily hunched her shoulders. He moved back and stood behind her when she was about to put the documents on the floor. Then, without hesitation, he placed his warm hands on Ines’s shoulders.

“Maybe the Swedish artist, after going into the bedroom, did this to his wife.”

“But I wasn’t angry.”

Due to his teasing laughter, Ines’s neck behind her was ticklish. Small goosebumps appeared from the back of her hand to her forearm. He slowly circled the area from her neck to her shoulders.

“Oh.”

His touch paused briefly at the unintentional sound. But soon, he pressed the area firmly. Ines had to bite her lips to avoid making any more sounds.

“You’re quite tense. Are you tired?”

“Not so much.”

“Oh? Are you sure?” As if checking, he replied while stroking the tightly knotted area with his fingertips and then sweeping it away with the same force.

“But were you really angry?”

“I was.”

“Was the meeting very difficult for you?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t just one or two annoying things.”
Ines simply nodded. Even though she knew he was angry, there was nothing she could do about it.

“But it’s not just because of that that I’m angry.”

As Carson continued speaking, he used his large hand to firmly press the hollow part of her neck with his thumb and forefinger, moving upward. Along with his touch, a considerable amount of tension entered Ines’s body. It was challenging to recover from the increasingly distant state of mind.

“So, what else made you angry?”

“Ines.”

Instead of answering, Carson softly called her name.

“It’s my father. He’s a coward. That’s why I’ve always resented him.”

Ines couldn’t respond and froze in her place. Despite being close to him, it was uncomfortable to hear him call Emperor Sunhwang a coward. Carson, who sensed Ines’s thoughts, chuckled softly and massaged the back of her neck with a large, firm motion.

“But now it seems like you’re going to get worse.”

The hand that was massaging her neck had descended to Ines’s shoulders.

“You keep making me see a lonely figure. It makes me want to understand.”

With a nonchalant statement, Ines’s chest sank with a sense of emptiness. Was it too much of an exaggerated thought if his voice also sounded lonely?

Ines covered his hand with trembling hands. Without going through her thoughts, he hesitated, stopping what he was doing.

“Stop, please.”

“Why?”

“That’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“What’s obvious?”

As laughter mixed into his voice, Ines felt a little relieved.

“Where is there an emperor who massages a maid’s shoulders?”

“An emperor who massages a maid’s shoulders…?”

At that moment, a long shadow fell over Ines’s desk. He stretched his body long and leaned towards her. When she reflexively turned away, their eyes met. Then his face came closer.

“What do you think when you look at me?”

“What?”