I Killed My Husband - Chapter 45

This man was not the firstborn son. Nevertheless, he accumulated a great deal of merit in the war and was selected by the previous emperor to become the new emperor.

War merits were not easy to obtain, and the number of times he wielded his sword would be countless.

For the first time, Mercedes looked at him a little differently.

She had only thought that the life he had lived was remarkable, but when she imagined him being thrown onto the battlefield in his boyhood, she somehow felt he must have been lonely.

Was this also a kind of sympathy she felt because the walls of her heart had crumbled? Once it collapsed, her thoughts uncontrollably scattered in various directions.

She faced his seemingly indifferent face and tried hard to erase her thoughts.

There was no need to add unnecessary imagination, feel pity for him, and further complicate her own unorganized emotions.

“Anyway, enough about my childhood. I asked if you were upset with me. Yes. I’m jealous because it seems you like Mrs. Fisher more. So I was upset. So now, how do you plan to appease me?”

Carlos smiled languidly.

The word ‘upset’ was very amusing to him, hearing it for the first time since becoming emperor. And the unexpected side this woman kept showing him was increasingly enjoyable.

He knew he shouldn’t feel such amusement with someone he would have to kill someday, but Carlos carefully pushed that thought aside for now.

When the time comes, he will eventually take care of it. He was always someone who prioritized his goals. After his mother died, no emotions got in the way of his goals and reason.

So, well, enjoying himself a little won’t be a big problem.

After all, he was already someone who had embraced too much death and was dying himself. Death had long become a numbing habit for him.

“Hmm. That… I don’t know how to appease someone, um… this kind of thing…”

Mercedes hesitated and clenched her fist once to check the temperature of her hand before moving it.

Carlos’ hot hand had always been the first to move and cover the back of Mercedes’ hand.

This time, Mercedes’ cold, small hand covered the back of his hand.

“Ah…! I thought it was quite lukewarm, but compared to Your Majesty, it’s cold. You must have been surprised.”

Then she tried to withdraw her hand in surprise.

Carlos pulled her hand and placed it on the back of his hand.

“I am always feverish and very hot. Since you cool me down coldly, it is just right.”

“…Then.”

Mercedes began to pat the back of his hand while tense. As if to calm him down.

Even though her cold hand was patting him, it somehow felt warm. Carlos blankly received her pats, then slightly turned his eyes and deliberately made a mischievous joke.

“Hm. Isn’t this what you do to calm down beasts? I used to soothe warhorses like this.”

“What? Oh, no! That’s not my intention.”

“Haha. I know. It was a joke. Let’s finish eating. My heart is fully appeased.”

At those words, Mercedes let out a sigh of relief and removed her hand. When the cold hand disappeared, it felt strangely empty.

However, in his life, trivial feelings like emptiness were nothing, so he quickly regained his smile.

And then, as usual, he took care of Mercedes, pretending to be kind, and finished the rest of the dinner.

* * *

Nadia quickly sent for the actors. Three days after her visit, she sent a letter saying she would send the actors.

And that was this afternoon.

As he had done with Nadia, he could not open the bedroom, so he took this opportunity to clean and decorate the reception room, bringing chairs and scripts for the number of people.

The script was about a righteous or poor commoner participating in the war and leading to victory, and it also included a tingling love story with a princess.

And today, he invited one more special person.

“This is also my first time in a situation like this, Mercedes. I had an interesting thought.”

It was Mrs. Fisher.

Mrs. Fisher, with her brown hair tied up and wearing a jacket that went up to her neck with a skirt suit, smiled with eyes that shone with unusual vigor for her age.

“No. I’m glad you came, Mrs. Fisher.”

“Because it’s a pleasure to find talented artists.”

She didn’t reveal her true intentions, but she felt it would be difficult to choose people with her eyes alone, so she asked for ‘help in developing an eye for it’.

And soon, news was delivered that the actors had just arrived in front of the Imperial Palace and were getting out of the carriage.

“…Your Majesty?”

But just before they entered, Carlos suddenly burst into the reception room.

“May I also enjoy this with you?”

Carlos was smiling very relaxedly.

“Your Majesty. Aren’t you busy? It must be the middle of your work hours right now…”

Mercedes asked in a trailing voice, surprised by Carlos who had come to her reception room during his busy hours.

Carlos quietly looked at Mrs. Fisher and Mercedes sitting side by side on the long sofa, then moved and sat next to Mercedes.

“Can’t I make time for you like this? You said you wanted to try sponsoring artists. If you pick someone good and they become famous, your social standing will improve even more. So let’s choose together. Trust me. I also have quite a good eye.”

He had never even said the word sponsorship. She had only asked Mrs. Fisher for her guidance.

She understood as soon as she heard his words. He was speaking indirectly now. Because Mrs. Fisher was there and he couldn’t say the direct reason.

‘It seems you don’t trust your own judgment and are anxiously asking Mrs. Fisher for advice, so I also want to help you.’

She read that meaning between the lines. It matched the content Carlos intended, and Mercedes was grateful and also sorry for that.

“But… I can’t make you care about such a trivial matter. You’re busy.”

“Hmm. It seems Mercedes is treating me like an uninvited guest. I’m a bit hurt.”

“What? No!”

“Then it should be fine for me to stay, right?”

He chuckled. Only after seeing his laughter did Mercedes realize it was a mischievous joke.

She kept falling for his mischief, and she didn’t know why she didn’t dislike it.

“Mrs. Fisher. Should I really miss this time? I also have quite an appreciation for culture and the arts, don’t I?”

Before Mercedes could even ponder whether it was really okay to waste the emperor’s administrative time with this humble gathering, Carlos made the first move.

“Of course, Your Majesty’s eye is unmatched.”

Mrs. Fisher’s answer was predetermined. How could she refuse when the emperor wanted to join them?

“Hmm… Alright. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“I’m more grateful to you for providing me with amusement, Mercedes.”

When they talked about today’s appointment before, he could have said in advance that he wanted to watch together. But he showed up so abruptly like this.

“I’m sorry for surprising you. I came like this because I thought you would refuse.”

Carlos whispered low in her ear. For some reason, her ear felt ticklish.

Mrs. Fisher was only looking forward. It was impolite to witness the emperor and his woman’s displays of affection.

Mercedes admitted while cooling her reddened cheeks with her cold hands.

‘…Right. Even if he had said it in advance, it’s obvious I would have refused.’

Carlos seemed to have completely figured out Mercedes.

Anyhow.

‘Strange person.’

Thinking the thought she had many times again, Mercedes smiled faintly. That smile was so beautiful that it briefly captured Carlos’ gaze.

However, he soon turned his gaze away.

Carlos had come just to show he was paying attention to her. Because that’s how he could win her heart.

Of course, he was curious to see how her face would change when watching a play for the first time, but that was an additional factor.

Soon, the actors entered the reception room.

“Welcome. I’m Mercedes who invited you all today.”

Mercedes welcomed them and pointed to the ten chairs arranged side by side in front of the sofa.

“You sit here and hold a recital for us. The scripts are on the chairs.”

“Yes, yes…!”

A few people walked in trembling noticeably.

Well.

The emperor’s woman had called them for her amusement.

She would pay them quite handsomely, and if they did well, they could catch her eye.

This was a good opportunity. But at the same time, it was a dangerous job where their heads could fly off if they made the slightest mistake.

‘But they’re the ones who took that chance. Then.’

They must have at least some level of guts or desperation.

‘But do they have the guts to… go to a foreign country and lie?’

“Let me also introduce the two people here. This is the Marchioness Fischer. She is my mentor. And this is– His Majesty the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Empire.”

“Gasp!”

She deliberately introduced the emperor.

As soon as she did, the actors who had just sat in the chairs all prostrated themselves on the floor and bowed their heads. Carlos ordered with a sigh.

“I do not wish to receive such greetings from my subjects. Everyone, please get up and sit. I ask you.”

At Carlos’ words, the actors slowly got up.

In that moment, Mercedes very closely observed the actors’ reactions.

Someone was calm as if they had predicted this situation, while someone began to tremble like a leaf.

‘That person won’t do.’

Mercedes decided to exclude those who didn’t know what to do in front of the emperor. If they were already shaking like that, there was no way they could do well going to a foreign country.

“Now, now. Don’t be too nervous. Shall we start with the recital first? When it’s over, you can have a meal and receive your payment.”

“Yes, Miss Mercedes.”

Various emotions flowed – people who were frightened, people who seemed strangely excited, people who were calm, and so on.

Mercedes noted three calm people among them. One woman and two men.

For now, she decided to observe the two men as closely as possible.

Meanwhile, the actors quickly divided the roles among themselves and began the recital.