Empress—a position she dared not aspire to. Aiming for an impossibility could cause her to lose a helping hand.

A proper place for the Emperor to take me in. Where Chloe could find a safe haven without giving up on life.

A position with close proximity to the Emperor, and fewer restrictions than that of the Empress.

“I wish to become… your concubine.”

Concubine. A palace consort.

Chloe offered herself for the position.

The current Emperor had no spouse yet, so if the title was to be changed, it would be lover.

“You’d become my lover?”

“Not a real lover, though.”

Chloe corrected, just in case.

Whether her clarification pleased him or annoyed him, his eyebrows briefly furrowed.

“So, you’re saying you’d flee whenever you want.”

“I believe you would want that too, Your Majesty.”

Again, emphasizing out of consideration, yet the Emperor still looked dissatisfied.

He looked down at Chloe in silence. His eyelids opened and closed behind the mask.

Finally, Kun broke into a smile.

“Family, friends, honor… You’ve lost everything with just one marriage, haven’t you, Princess?”

“…”

“And if not me, who would take you in?”

The voice that was once feigning friendship now sounded entirely insincere.

Caught off guard by the stern voice, Chloe inadvertently looked up.

Eyes filled with a predatory fixity one would expect in a beast.

The deep emotions brought forth by those red eyes were something Chloe had never felt before.

A deep emotion she’d never felt; Chloe was scared without even understanding what she was facing.

Her hearing naturally heightened, capturing the man’s proud footsteps.

Steps that had grown almost overwhelmingly loud. Chloe sensed that Kun had reached right in front of her.

His gaze was no longer perceptible. Instead, his presence filled the air like a surrounding atmosphere.

The faint sound of his breath. The cold air that always hovered around him.

When I start pondering what belongs to the other person, my curiosity gets the better of me and my vision broadens.

“Cinderella of the Kingdom.”

Kun sat in front of Chloe.

To meet her at eye level. For just that, he had bent one knee.

“If she is the Cinderella of the Kingdom, I’ll turn you into the Cinderella of the century.”
Her head was lifted and dropped repeatedly, her hair in a tangled state. Kun gently smoothed the somewhat frayed golden strands.

Whether it was due to the hair tucked behind her ears or the fleeting touch, her ears were flushed.

“So come to me.”

I will give this empire to the princess.

Perhaps due to heightened sensitivity, Chloe felt as if she had heard a cry from the other’s heart, even if it was only in thought.

Chloe returned home in a carriage specially prepared by the royal family.

‘It can’t be. His Majesty, really accepts me…’

The Emperor of the Empire had really accepted her, a divorced woman. He had decided to take her in, who had nowhere else to go.

Thanks to this, her residence was determined, and any remaining revenge could be cleanly concluded.

If the royal family accepts me, my tarnished honor will quickly recover.

‘…Why?’

Whether she deserved such a blessing, she couldn’t gauge herself.

To be the Emperor’s lover.

A princess of an allied country with no particularly remarkable lineage, moreover, a divorced woman.

‘What could His Majesty be thinking?’

Chloe gained much from this deal, but the Emperor gained nothing. If anything, he would be caught up in dubious rumors by associating with her.

Could it be because he’s the Emperor, such trivial matters wouldn’t affect him?

‘The reason he keeps coming to me kindly…’

She wanted to ask right there, where he had accepted Chloe’s request out of genuine feelings.

Why he was being so kind to her. Wasn’t this beyond mere consideration, something else?

Making such a shameless proposal and asking such a question was laughable; she lamented alone inside.

‘It’s not that he really wants to relieve his conscience.’

At first, Kun had accepted Chloe’s divorce request on the pretext of relieving a debt of the heart.

It was a marriage that had come to fruition due to his mistake, so up to that point, she could somewhat understand.

‘No matter how much I think… I can’t know. Yes.’

Thinking while lacking the most important piece of information would yield no answers.

Chloe gave up thinking once again.

And as if sensing her heart, the carriage also came to a halt.

“The horse seems tired, I’ll feed it for a bit!”

At the coachman’s urgent words, Chloe gave a confirming response.

Taking advantage of the carriage’s stop, Chloe opened the door. The scent of autumn wafted in through the small gap. It was a fragrance that signaled the end of the lingering season.

‘Autumn…’

Summer had passed, and autumn was approaching.

The scent of nature eased Chloe’s complicated feelings. With a slightly peaceful mind, Chloe slowly closed her eyes.

Chloe had always disliked the arrival of autumn.

As a child, she hated the withering of beautiful flowers. The season was boring, neither cold nor hot.

She was particularly weak against the cold, and she hated the beginning of getting chilly.

‘Autumn…’

But now, it was fine.

‘I look forward to it.’

Accepting the new season had become so easy.

As if looking forward to the upcoming changes.