The gaze of passersby at the open-air dessert cafe was drawn to the two people sitting at a corner table.

To be more precise, they couldn’t take their eyes off the young man sitting with his long legs elegantly crossed, his broad rectangular shoulders and triangular upper body maintaining a perfectly upright posture without a hint of slouching.

Seemingly unconcerned with the stares of others, his ruby-like intelligent and dignified eyes were focused on the woman in front of him.

“Is it delicious?”

Arabel nodded in response to the Emperor’s question, experiencing the amazing sensation of chocolate gelato with whole wild strawberries melting in her mouth.

So this is how delightful and sweet chocolate can be. Arabel took a round chocolate truffle from the three-tiered tray and popped it into her mouth, giving a happy smile.

Her plump pink cheeks, the chubbiest part of her body, bulged as she held the chocolate. Seeing Arabel’s relaxed expression, the corners of the Emperor’s mouth also turned up slightly.

Though he disliked sweet foods and didn’t eat chocolate, watching her lips move as she chewed eagerly stimulated his salivary glands. The Emperor picked up a chocolate ball filled with condensed milk that Arabel had just eaten and brought it to his mouth.

As expected, the sweetness was not to his taste. The Emperor soon furrowed his brow slightly and forced himself to swallow the chocolate.

“At the Imperial Palace, you can eat desserts like this every day. It should help you gain weight.”

Maxwell was surprised and even embarrassed at himself for uttering words so lacking in dignity, contrary to his will. The tone of a lecherous young man trying to lure a village girl to the capital with promises of daily treats kept slipping out.

And what’s more, he was adding unnecessary comments about her gaining weight, as if it had anything to do with him.

‘To bear my weight, she needs to gain at least twenty pounds…’

As he thought about why she needed to gain weight, the Emperor remembered her soft body and quickly downed his hot Earl Grey tea in one gulp.

“Ugh…!”

As the Emperor let out a pained groan, his palate and throat scalded by the hot tea, Arabel started in alarm, offering him a handkerchief and asking:

“Are you alright?”

“I’m, I’m fine. It just went down the wrong way.”

Embarrassed, the Emperor replied while stuffing his mouth with the chocolate mousse cake Arabel had been eating and chewing vigorously.

‘It’s only natural to be concerned about her health as it’s related to my curse. That’s all it is.’

He rationalized to himself.

At the opposite corner table from where the Emperor and Arabel were sitting, two men with builds too large for this place were squeezed onto small chairs, watching them intently.

While bringing delicate teacups with rose patterns, too small to fit even one of their thick fingers, to their mouths.

“This is a first. His Majesty taking a long break for no reason… And above all, enjoying desserts with a young lady at an open-air cafe just like any other young person. If I weren’t witnessing it with my own two eyes, I would never have believed it.”

“He often went on secret trips to observe the activities of local lords, but this is truly the first time I’ve seen him spend personal time in disguise.”

Commander Jacob and Sir Peter, who had been serving Maxwell since he was Crown Prince, were witnessing a rare scene they had never seen before, just as they said.

Of course, the Emperor had repeatedly emphasized that this was a ‘secret inspection’ to gain a more detailed understanding of the regions far from the capital, but instead of the knights in plain clothes who usually accompanied him on inspections… he had come down to the village alone with Lady Arabel.

Dressed as an ordinary provincial noble.

This scene was very similar to courting, where two young people get to know each other before dating.

Moreover, without the chaperone who usually accompanies a young lady when meeting a young man, it looked more like a date between lovers, a step beyond courting.

“His Majesty’s eyes are smiling.”

As Commander Jacob spoke in a low voice, Deputy Commander Peter discreetly turned his head halfway to observe the Emperor’s expression.

“Even when his mouth smiles, his eyes have never truly laughed before… But now His Majesty’s eyes are genuinely smiling with joy.”

Some people said that Emperor Maxwell was born without any emotions at all. They said that God had not given him emotions so that his perfect intellect and reason would not be clouded for the sake of the empire’s prosperity.

However, as the closest friend of the late Crown Prince and as Maxwell’s guard knights, the two loyal subjects knew. Maxwell was not born without emotions… but had to eliminate them in order to survive.

From birth, he had been the target of power struggles within the Imperial family for the throne and constantly the target of assassination attempts. He learned hatred and betrayal from people before he learned love and trust.

The two knights remembered how much the young Crown Prince Maxwell had trusted and followed his uncle Gustav like a father and the Grand Duchess Caroline like a mother.

Even though they were not blood-related, there was a time when he thought the masked face of his grandfather’s wife, Empress Dowager Natalie, was sincere and considered her his grandmother.

Once, sycophants swarmed around the young Crown Prince, mentioning the names of his deceased father and abducted mother to gain his favor.

For him, emotions that interfered with his cool judgment and reason were the greatest enemy threatening his existence.

As the plates on the table were emptied, the Emperor slowly opened his mouth, feeling somehow reluctant:

“Shall we return to the camp now?”

He was prepared to grant her request if she asked to look around the village more, but Arabel nodded without hesitation.

Feeling his mood inexplicably dampened, the Emperor was about to stand up when Arabel hesitated and spoke:

“But… Your Majesty,”

“What is it, don’t hesitate to speak. We still have plenty of time. We don’t have to go back right away.”

The Emperor quickly threw out bait with a glimmer of hope. While radiating a look that said not to worry, they could go sightseeing elsewhere too.

But as always, she diverged from the Emperor’s expectations.

“Your Majesty, there’s… chocolate on your lip.”

Arabel answered, her face reddening slightly with embarrassment. The corners of the Emperor’s mouth twisted. Defining the emotion he felt now not as disappointment, but as the embarrassment of an Emperor who had lost his dignity by carelessly smearing chocolate around his mouth.

He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth carelessly before putting it down, but Arabel said:

“Ah, it’s still there.”

“Where, here?”

“No, a little lower. No, a little to the side…”

Her round brown eyes remained fixed on the Emperor’s lips, looking concerned. Although it was far from a seductive gaze, the Emperor felt his lips heating up and swallowed dryly.

His eyes flashed for a moment and narrowed slightly.

Putting down the napkin he had been holding onto the table, the Emperor said gruffly:

“We can’t delay any longer. Hmm… There’s no other way. You’ll have to help me.”

The Emperor who had said there was plenty of time left now contradicted himself and urged that there was no time.

Catching Arabel’s bewildered gaze, the Emperor spoke in as flat a voice as possible:

“Since we must return to the camp quickly, you’ll have to wipe my mouth for me.”

Arabel’s eyes widened, then she soon answered in a careful but unwavering voice:

“How could I dare to touch Your Majesty’s face? And above all, I know this is not proper behavior for a young man and woman. It absolutely cannot be good for Your Majesty.”

She was right. The empire’s customs were lenient towards displays of affection between married couples or engaged lovers, but very strict about behavior between unmarried men and women of marriageable age whose relationship had not been officially announced.

As he had felt before, Arabel was unexpectedly resolute at times. The Emperor looked at Arabel, who had dropped her gaze, and thought for a moment.

“There’s no other way then. I can’t tell where the chocolate is, so we’ll just have to go like this. People will whisper and point fingers saying I have no sense of dignity, but it’s all due to my carelessness so I’ll have to accept it. Sigh…”

He deliberately avoided Arabel’s gaze as she looked up at him and let out a long sigh.

“If by chance some gossips notice I’m the Emperor, it will be fodder for their tongues for a long time. Ah, don’t worry. They may laugh behind my back, but how could they dare laugh in front of me? Let’s get up now.”

As the Emperor slowly rose, lowering his usually proudly raised chin slightly,

“If you’ll allow me… I’ll wipe it for you.”

At Arabel’s voice, the lips of the face that had been drooping twitched before returning to their place.

I can’t let His Majesty the Emperor become fodder for people’s gossip. Arabel clenched her fist and made up her mind, her nostrils flaring with determination.

With an expression that seemed almost solemn, Arabel picked up her handkerchief. As she stretched her arm across the table, the Emperor leaned his upper body forward and craned his long neck. As if he had been waiting for this, he even pushed out his alluring red lips slightly.

Arabel carefully wiped around the left corner of his lower lip as the Emperor closed his eyes and offered his face. Though she wasn’t afraid, for some reason her heart was pounding so hard it made her hands tremble, and she had to force herself to steady them.

Just as Arabel was about to withdraw her hand after wiping the Emperor’s mouth clean, suddenly something hot and moist licked across her finger stickily. Arabel inhaled sharply and dropped the handkerchief, unable to exhale.

It had clearly come from inside the Emperor’s lips. Her round brown eyes flickered uncertainly in confusion before hastily lowering her gaze.

The Emperor opened his eyes, revealing his red irises, and spoke nonchalantly:

“Oh my, I had my eyes closed so I thought it was the handkerchief. I was trying to taste the chocolate on the handkerchief because it seemed a waste.”

His red eyes, intoxicated with satisfaction, captured and held her fleeing brown gaze. A tongue even redder than his eyes came out and slowly moistened his lips, as if demonstrating in detail how he had licked her finger.

The sensation that had been hot enough to burn still lingered vividly on her finger, making her heart pound. Arabel clenched her fist on her lap until it turned white, afraid the sound of her racing heart might reach the Emperor’s ears.

Arabel wasn’t the only one who had dropped something.

The waiter bringing the box of chocolates the Emperor had ordered… the young women peeking at the Emperor’s handsome face through the indoor glass window… and his knights sitting on the opposite side all gaped with their mouths open nearly to the floor.

****

“I’m so happy to see the ‘Lake Mountain’ I’ve only heard about in words.”

Arabel said with great courage on the way back to the mountain where the camp had been prepared.

The Emperor, who had greatly reduced his stride to match Arabel’s steps, raised his eyebrows playfully.

“I didn’t know the southern mountain of the Hilking Ice mountain range was called ‘Lake Mountain’.”

“It’s a name given by mountain climbers. The trees are so tall and densely packed that when you look down from the peak of the neighboring mountain, the lush foliage makes it look like a lake. Seeing it with my own eyes, it’s truly beautiful.”

Arabel began to chatter excitedly like a little bird.

Her usual shy and passive demeanor was nowhere to be seen. With a bright and energetic expression, she listed the names of the trees and plants they passed one by one, even explaining which animals lived in them.

“Our mountain is so rocky that it’s difficult for wild animals to make homes, but this place is ideal for animals to live. A single beech tree can house five or six animal families, including owls, squirrels, foxes, and badgers. It’s a very grateful forest where they can hide from hunters.”

The damp, moss-covered dark forest that seemed unremarkable came alive with vibrant colors and life in Arabel’s stories.

Not only the Emperor, but also the guard members who had been listening behind them, raised their heads for the first time to look around the forest.

Amazingly, as Arabel had said, mysterious plants and animals that hadn’t been visible before began to appear. Now the forest looked even more beautiful than the bustling village inside the famous southern region of Count Laurel’s domain.

“I never knew the tree we used to shelter from the sun on the battlefield was called a eucalyptus.”

After Arabel had entered the tent set up for her, one of the soldiers gathered around the campfire spoke up. The other soldiers around him nodded as they looked at the surrounding forest.

“Suddenly I want to pick up a brush I haven’t touched in years and paint this mountain. Ha, ha.”

“Commander, Deputy Commander, His Majesty is waiting inside the tent.”

Kyle, the Emperor’s aide, informed Jacob and Peter, who were chatting with the soldiers.

As the two knights entered the tent with Kyle, the Emperor turned his head to greet them. Wearing plate armor covered with silver chainmail.

He opened his mouth in a chilling tone towards the two wide-eyed knights.

“Tonight we will set fire to the forest on the opposite side of the river. We’ll burn the lower forest to split the mountain in two, cutting off the path of those rats.”

“By rats, you mean…”

“Didn’t you see in the village earlier? Though they were in disguise, they were clearly soldiers from the Northwestern Allied Countries. I knew Count Laurel was building up military power by joining hands with the Allied Countries, but it’s clear they’re bringing in new weapons. The blades hanging in the village mill and butcher shop were not from our empire.”

The Emperor finished speaking as he sheathed his longsword.

“We will simultaneously attack Count Laurel’s castle while his army is distracted by the fire.”

The three men gathered in the tent were speechless, staring blankly at the Emperor. Each of them was one of the continent’s most renowned knights. However, they were no match for the Emperor with his thorough intellect and animal-like instincts.

“But then… half the forest will turn to ashes, won’t it?”

As Peter hesitantly asked, the Emperor turned his gaze to him.

It was not the beautiful ruby-colored eyes that had shown hints of playfulness in the village earlier that day. Cold, merciless blood-red eyes that sent chills down one’s spine had appeared.

A low voice that betrayed no emotion pulled the air in the tent down to the floor:

“And is that a problem?”

At his short question, the three knights bowed their heads and prepared to receive orders.