Picked Up a Beast, Turns Out He's an Emperor (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“The mountain, which climbs like a squirrel, might even know how to swim—I’m surprised.”
“Ever since I nearly drowned in a river as a child due to my own carelessness, I haven’t been able to enter water.”
Arabella hesitated before replying to the Emperor’s remark.
Despite her fear of water, she had tried to cross the river for the sake of the fawn. As the Emperor carried her in his arms, cutting through the river’s current, he looked down at her slender neck, tinged red.
Clearly, just like when she’d saved that wild beast, she must have risked herself again—either rescuing some mountain creature or… because of those family members who scarcely seemed like family at all.
Though Arabella fell silent, offering no further explanation, the sharp-eyed Emperor had already grasped a fair understanding of the girl in his arms—and his intuition was astonishingly close to the truth.
Arabella’s wide, frightened eyes squeezed shut, unable to bear watching the river’s powerful current, which surged up to the Emperor’s waist as if eager to swallow her whole.
Earlier, while crossing the river, the current had been far gentler—and more importantly, the fawn’s safety had left her no time to think. Besides, she hadn’t been in her right mind then, not after what had happened inside the carriage.
When she was nine, shortly after her mother passed away, her father had stolen newborn livestock to test the healing abilities of her and her two sisters, deliberately breaking their necks or legs. The injured animals never recovered and eventually died.
That day, too, she’d fled into the mountains with Camille and a stolen lamb meant for their experiments. They’d struggled near the riverbank, trying to keep the lamb from being snatched away by Camille and Roxy.
Pushed back by their combined strength, she’d fallen into the deep river—and the suddenly fierce current had dragged her helplessly downstream, nearly drowning her.
“As I was losing consciousness in the water… Master saved me.”
The Emperor’s arms tightened around her at Arabella’s words.
“So that was your first meeting with your ‘most handsome and perfect man in the world,’ your Master.”
“Yes. If Master hadn’t saved me, I’d be dead already. When I opened my eyes and saw him for the first time, I truly thought an angel had descended from heaven just for me.”
Unaware of the Emperor’s faintly mocking tone, Arabella nodded, replying in the brightest voice she’d used since reaching the riverbank.
The Emperor’s mood, which had been pleasantly lifted earlier by Arabella wrapping her arms around his neck while crossing the river, now plummeted sharply.
“If you ever find yourself needing to cross a river again…”
He spoke in a deliberately flat, emotionless voice.
“Never let another man carry you across.”
When Arabella looked up at him, the Emperor’s neck flushed slightly before quickly returning to its usual color.
“All men are wolves. You must never lower your guard.”
At the word “wolf,” Arabella’s large eyes widened even further, and her shoulders tensed. Did that mean the Emperor himself, who’d just carried her across the river, was also a wolf?
The Emperor hastily added, “No—men are all wolves, but I’m different. I’m the Emperor, so I’m not like other men. Do you understand?”
Ashamed of forcing such a childish, illogical reason—and even shamelessly invoking his imperial title—the Emperor cleared his throat awkwardly.
When he caught sight of her clear, innocent eyes silently conveying the obvious truth—that the most dangerous wolf was none other than the Emperor himself—he carefully adjusted his tone.
“What happened in the carriage earlier… was because I’d only returned from my beast form a day ago. I simply lost control for a moment out of hunger at lunchtime. You of all people should understand—don’t you know how ravenously a carnivore can turn when starving?”
Though it was a flimsy excuse, the naive girl finally nodded in understanding.
“It won’t happen again. Do you believe me?”
When the Emperor repeated his promise earnestly, Arabella nodded once more.
“Yes, I believe you.”
The corners of the Emperor’s lips lifted slightly as he hoisted Arabella higher in his arms to keep her feet dry.
His strength was unmatched across the continent, and the girl in his arms was remarkably light. When she bounced slightly in his hold, her lips accidentally brushed against his neck.
Both of them froze instantly, and the Emperor’s steps came to an abrupt halt. His famously unshakable, firm neck—impenetrable even to blades—trembled as if brushed by a falling petal, sending waves of dizziness through him.
Resuming his walk, the Emperor spoke in a lowered voice, biting his lip as Arabella kept her head bowed.
“There’s a very famous lake inside the imperial palace. When we return, I’ll teach you to swim next summer. It’s too cold now in late autumn, but you must learn to cross rivers on your own during emergencies—without relying on wolves… ahem, other men.”
“But I won’t be in the palace next summer, will I? Aren’t we leaving two months after the selection ends? I even wrote that to my master in my letter…”
Reminded of his own promise, the Emperor’s mood soured again, and he replied somewhat curtly.
“Then prepare to learn swimming as soon as we return to the palace. It used to be a hot spring lake, so the water won’t be too cold.”
In truth, the hot springs had dried up 300 years ago, and the lake was now fed by glacial melt from deep beneath the continent—precisely why it was the premier summer retreat.
Unaware of the Emperor’s fluctuating emotions—swinging between hot and cold like the lake itself—a gentle smile spread across Arabella’s lips. His Majesty truly was a kind man, she thought, caring even for her safety enough to teach her to swim despite the cold weather.
She reassured herself that his behavior in the carriage had simply been the hungry instinct of a beast who’d only regained his humanity a day prior.
[This is the timeline separator]–Imperial Palace of the Helterd Empire–
Inside the Peony Pavilion, Empress Dowager Natalia’s private receiving hall, a silver serpent and a golden fox faced off, radiating immense presence.
Empress Dowager Natalia and Grand Duchess Caroline Lecain.
Inwardly snarling, ready to pounce; outwardly the picture of perfect mother-daughter harmony—despite sharing no blood and being merely four years apart in age.
Grand Duchess Caroline had come bearing regional delicacies from her eastern estates, while the Empress Dowager offered rare tea imported from her homeland. Both women were too busy gauging each other to notice the tension in the air.
All because of the Emperor’s announcement yesterday: he was personally escorting the final candidate for the Empress selection back to the capital.
The pool of candidates would now be eleven, not ten—and most alarmingly, a formidable contender had entered the race, turning the anticipated duel between Princess Lilibet and Lady Grace into a three-way contest.
Rumors spread like wildfire: the Emperor himself was bringing the candidate to court. The upper echelons of the capital’s nobility—and even foreign courts—began to stir. After all, the Emperor had long been known for never sparing a glance at women.
So notorious was his indifference that once, a vassal king, suspecting the Emperor might prefer men, had secretly sent a beautiful youth into his bedchamber during an official visit. That king, of course, had soon been forced to abdicate in favor of his younger brother.
“Your Majesty wasn’t aware of this at all? Don’t you oversee everything that happens within the palace?”
“How could a retired elder possibly know every move His Imperial Majesty makes? I assumed you, as the sole blood relative of His Majesty, would be informed—but I’m surprised you weren’t.”
A brief silence fell between the two women, seated with tea and sweets before them.
“What could possibly be so extraordinary about this noblewoman that His Majesty would choose her himself?”
“All we know is that she’s a direct descendant of House Del Sacre—the very family that earned the deep trust of Emperors from the 19th to the 23rd generations.”
“I heard House Del Sacre no longer resides in the Empire but has settled in foreign lands.”
“How did His Majesty even meet the daughter of such an obscure family…?”
Though the tea in their mouths was famed for its sweetness, both women found its taste bitter.
Once valued for their healing abilities and useful to the Imperial family, House Del Sacre had since faded into obscurity—so thoroughly forgotten that even their existence was unknown to most of the capital’s elite. Its members had scattered across foreign nations, vanishing from the Empire entirely.
Without any contact with her family, it was impossible to uncover flaws, apply pressure, or win her over to their side. Her lineage left no discernible trail.
“Still, it’s unacceptable for a woman who hasn’t even competed in the first two rounds to join the final selection. It violates fairness.”
“What can we do? The rules of the Empress Selection explicitly permit His Majesty to appoint one candidate of his choosing.”
“His Majesty, who until now showed not the slightest interest in any of the candidates, suddenly brings her himself. The court already acts as though Lady Delcinq is practically Empress.”
It was true.
Some quick-witted nobles had already begun currying favor with the palace maids and stewards, hoping to gain influence over this unseen Lady Delcinq.
“No matter how favored she is by His Majesty, she must still win the selection to become Empress. That is an unbreakable law of the Imperial House. Many past Emperors have presented favored noblewomen as candidates—but barely half of them even came close to becoming Empress.”
The Empress Dowager forced a relaxed smile as she spoke, and Grand Duchess Lecain likewise lifted the corners of her lips to hide her burning anxiety.
Yet a chilling premonition gripped her: this time might be different. After all, the Emperor was Maxwell.
His choice of a consort would never stem from something as trivial as love.
The gods had granted him everything—except the capacity to feel love.
And that, in truth, was the greatest gift the divine could bestow upon a ruler of this land—a man whose judgment would never be clouded by emotion. It was precisely this quality that had enabled him to conquer not only the Empire but now the entire continent.
Thus, everyone firmly believed the candidate he was bringing would be a formidable rival—chosen not from personal affection, but for cold, calculated political reasons—and she would surely…
“Grace, you must stay sharp. Your opponent isn’t the frivolous, beauty-reliant Lilibet. The woman walking beside the Emperor is undoubtedly a master strategist. If you’re not careful, she’ll outmaneuver us.”
“Princess Lilibet, you don’t have time for picnics and idle chatter with other noblewomen. This new candidate from House Del Sacre likely possesses intellect rivaling the Emperor’s own. That means she’ll lie as easily as breathing and remain impossible to read. We must prepare thoroughly if we’re to avoid falling into her trap.”
After their tea, the Empress Dowager and the Grand Duchess immediately sought out Grace and Lilibet, urging them that this was no time for leisure.
This cold-blooded, ruthless schemer they spoke of was, at this very moment, walking beside the Emperor—happily stuffing her mouth full of chocolate-covered marshmallows she’d never tasted before, beaming with pure delight.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
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I’m not yet convinced this is a curse. There are a lot of questionable events. Why would a black panther kidnap a princess?
I’ve been wondering just how he intends to keep her alive and unharmed enough to even attempt lifting the curse. I don’t believe these classes will be enough if she only had four days.
Is she not concerned because the emperor told her she wasn’t going to become the empress regardless? He explicitly stated she only needed to break his curse & that she wouldn’t become the empress as she wasn’t qualified (I don’t recall his precise wording).