“Still, you should have told me. I wouldn’t have been so surprised if you had.”

She had thought of Calcus when she heard the three words ‘blond hair, golden eyes, and Voergen’ associated with the Emperor. She had dismissed the thought right away, thinking it was absurd, but to think that Calcus was not a mutant with blond hair and golden eyes, but was actually the missing First Prince. Moreover, the fact that he became the Emperor meant that he was also a lion shapeshifter.

Not only her mother and herself, but now even Calcus… It seemed like everyone around her was a shapeshifter.

She had read in books that shapeshifters were on the verge of extinction, so why were there so many shapeshifters in her world? Was it because she was a shapeshifter herself?

Was there a need to hide the existence of shapeshifters to the extent that they had to live keeping secrets from each other, even from her mother? What was so precious about the bloodline of shapeshifters that they had to kill the very people they were supposed to love?

Wasn’t it more important to maintain relationships through love and trust for each other rather than inheriting the physical abilities of shapeshifters?

While trying to manifest her own abilities, there were times when she had doubts about the existence of shapeshifters, and seeing her friend who had appeared as the Emperor made her feel that way even more strongly.

Even the only friend she thought she knew so well was someone who had been hiding secrets from her.

“Chloe, there’s something you need to know.”

The Duke leaned in and whispered in her ear. Chloe looked up at the Duke without answering, finding his voice strangely heavy.

“The Emperor wants to marry you.”

“……”

Did she hear that wrong?

When she sent her first letter to her mother after coming to the Duke’s place, she had also sent a letter to Calcus expressing her feelings. She had written everything, including that she loved the Duke and wanted to marry him. She had already verbally rejected him last time, but she hadn’t been able to tell him that the man she loved was the Duke. She had even written that she hoped he would find a good person soon, and yet he wanted to marry her. She couldn’t understand how this made any sense.

With a sense of absurdity, her eyes were already scanning the Duke’s expression. Now she understood why the Duke’s eyes turned sharp whenever the Emperor was mentioned. If Calcus had said such nonsense, it made sense for the Duke to be concerned. She herself had felt so uncomfortable because of Reina Tilbeth.

“Of course it’s a crazy idea. So I’d like you to clearly show the Emperor today how much you love me.”

The Duke said with a smile. She almost nodded in agreement with the Duke’s words that it was a crazy idea.

“Okay.”

Chloe answered without any hesitation. Suddenly, the Duke blinked and stared at her.

“Ah, yes!”

Chloe realized that she had inadvertently answered the Duke informally and quickly replied again.

“No, I like it when you speak informally, Chloe.”

The Duke said with a laugh.

Looking at the Duke who seemed to be in a really good mood, Chloe tilted her head, wondering why she had spoken informally to him. She thought that perhaps she no longer saw the Duke as someone she served.

The coronation ceremony was long and tedious. Raising and lowering something, spinning around, kneeling down, reading and memorizing… It was amazing that Calcus could go through all those processes.

Finally, when all those processes were over, the celebration banquet began. It was only after the banquet had been going on for a while that the Duke approached Calcus, who had become the Emperor, with Chloe. Calcus, who was sitting on the throne, was intently watching Chloe and the Duke approach.

Even Chloe quickly noticed that his eyes were particularly on Chloe’s arm linked with the Duke’s. The Duke’s words were not a lie, as evidenced by Calcus’s eyes that had turned fierce.

“Congratulations on your coronation.”

Finally standing in front of the Emperor, the Duke congratulated him with a politeness that seemed respectful. Chloe, standing next to the Duke, watched in amazement as the Duke bowed his head to Calcus to congratulate him on his coronation, then came to her senses and followed suit, bowing her head.

Even seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn’t believe that Calcus was the Emperor, but surprisingly, Calcus, dressed in the imperial attire, looked as if he had been born to be the Emperor.

“Thank you for coming, Duke Ulpaz. Although it’s not the kind of congratulatory greeting I wanted.”

Chloe slightly frowned at Calcus’s words, as he spoke to the Duke while keeping his eyes locked with hers. It was because she could tell that the congratulatory greeting he wanted was related to her. She couldn’t understand why Calcus was acting like this.

If he weren’t the Emperor, she would have pulled him aside and asked, “What nonsense are you talking about?” But now she couldn’t even do that. She could only glare at him for a moment, almost as short as a split second.

“You don’t seem to have grasped the extent of the Emperor’s power yet.”

As if his earlier courtesy was just a temporary mask, the Duke immediately expressed his displeasure. Chloe also pressed herself closer to the Duke, tightening her arm linked with his. Strangely, even though she had known Calcus for a longer time, the Duke felt much closer to her.

“Chloe.”

Calcus called out to Chloe.

“Congratulations on your coronation, Your Majesty.”

Chloe greeted him stiffly. Although she still had some feelings of apology towards him, she felt even more strongly that she shouldn’t give him any leeway. She thought she hadn’t left any room for misunderstanding, but seeing him act like this, she realized she should have drawn a clearer line.

“Thank you. I never thought I would meet you again after becoming the Emperor like this.”

“I didn’t know that Cal… you were the Prince, or that you would become the Emperor, Your Majesty. I was really surprised.”

“Just because I became the Emperor doesn’t mean I’ve changed. At least not when it comes to you.”

Calcus acted as if he hadn’t noticed her cold tone or the Duke’s sharp warning at all.

“Duke Ulpaz, it’s been a while.”

An elderly-looking lady intervened between them.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty the Empress.”

From the Duke’s greeting, Chloe realized that this lady was Calcus’s mother. The fact that Calcus, whom she thought was an orphan, was actually a hidden prince became more real when she saw the Empress’s face. It was because Calcus’s beautiful face closely resembled the Empress’s.

“Chloe Liden?”

Surprisingly, the Empress looked at Chloe and immediately pretended to know her.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Chloe also greeted the Empress. She was both puzzled and uncomfortable as to why even the Empress knew her.

“I heard a lot about you from Calcus. He said he owed you a great deal, Miss Liden. I really wanted to meet you, so thank you for coming.”

The Empress had a look of genuine gratitude towards Chloe.

“Then my companion and I will take our leave now.”

The Duke spoke as soon as the Empress finished speaking, slightly pulling Chloe. As if he really disliked this atmosphere. Chloe also stepped closer to him without much resistance as the Duke pulled her.

Calcus, please come to your senses now. I love the Duke!

“A delegation has also come from the Tigrium Kingdom.”

However, as if he didn’t understand the silent message she sent, Calcus made another irrelevant remark. At the mention of the Tigrium Kingdom, both Chloe and the Duke’s bodies stiffened.

Since delegations were sent from all over the continent to celebrate, the Tigrium Kingdom must have also sent a delegation. But why did he bring that up?

“Duke, let’s think carefully. Who is more suitable and necessary for Chloe Liden?”

With Calcus’s added words, Chloe finally understood his intention.

In other words, he was now claiming that he, as a lion shapeshifter and the Emperor, could protect her more safely from the King of Tigrium than a wolf shapeshifter. How absurd.

It seemed that Calcus also knew that she was the Princess of Tigrium and that her life was being threatened by the King of Tigrium. Chloe could feel the Duke’s arm muscles, which she had linked arms with, harden. It wasn’t just the muscles. It felt like heat was emanating from where their bodies touched.

“……”

Chloe realized that the Duke was struggling to resist the urge to transform into a wolf right now. It seemed to be an instinctive reaction to someone he wanted to attack. And the one he wanted to attack was Calcus, who had become the Emperor.

This is not right!

She wasn’t worried that the Duke would transform into a wolf here. He wasn’t someone who lacked that much discretion. But it meant that he felt enough anger towards Calcus to have to suppress that desire.

‘Calm down, Hugrey.’

Hoping that the Duke would understand her hand signals, Chloe unlinked her arm from the Duke’s and firmly grasped his arm. Fortunately, she could feel the tension in his forearm slightly loosen.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, could you give me some time to speak with you separately?”

She asked, looking at Calcus.

“Shall we? Chloe?”

Calcus took a step towards her without any hesitation, but,

“No, please talk to me, Your Majesty.”

The Duke intervened. After finishing his words, the Duke looked at Chloe and narrowed one eye.

‘Talking alone with Calcus, absolutely not.’

She felt like she heard everything the Duke wanted to say without hearing it. But this time, Chloe had no intention of doing as the Duke wished. This was a matter between Calcus and her. She fully understood the Duke’s discomfort, but she had to properly put an end to this now. That way, Calcus wouldn’t make these nonsensical provocations again because of his lingering feelings.