“You will be upset.”

“Me…? Did you think I would be upset if you asked for help?”

“Ah, no…”

“Then, who? Who would be upset?”

Emperor Maxwell raised one eyebrow as he asked in response to Arabel’s answer. However, the earlier coldness had disappeared from his voice, replaced by gentleness.

His red pupils, held in round eyes, waited for her without rushing.

‘Why are you so frustrating? Speak, I say! Like a stupid fool.’

‘Why can’t you answer properly? Is it because you did something wrong that you can’t give a proper answer?’

Words Arabel had heard since she was young.

The reason she couldn’t answer questions immediately wasn’t because she was stupid or trying to hide her mistakes. She was very honest and careful.

She needed time to speak words to convey her true feelings, not to use her mind to make up words to look good to others, hide faults, or gain benefits.

People became frustrated with her for not blurting out words carelessly, misunderstood her, and pressured her. How many people wouldn’t become intimidated in conversations with others if such things happened repeatedly?

Just now in the forest, like the Emperor himself, people would have misunderstood her at will and pressed her without even giving her a proper chance to answer. Maxwell, who had come to understand Arabel’s way of conversing a little, waited for her without pushing.

How much time had passed? Arabel carefully opened her mouth, grasping the hem of her dress with both hands.

“When the competition ends, it’s… the one who will become the Empress.”

“Did you say Empress?”

The Emperor asked again, not knowing how to react to Arabel’s unexpected answer.

He had never been at a loss for words at any moment in his life, whether in diplomatic disputes with other kingdoms or disagreements with the council of elder nobles. Yet, in front of her, he often found himself speechless.

“The current candidate ladies don’t know the real reason why Your Majesty brought me to the palace. They all misunderstand that Your Majesty chose me as an Empress candidate because you like me…”

For a moment, Arabel’s face turned bright red as she lowered her head and continued her answer.

“If Your Majesty helps me, the lady who becomes the Empress will be very upset. If she finds out that I met with Your Majesty separately, she will feel hurt.”

The Emperor felt as if he had been struck blankly on the head, no, the heart, with a hammer.

She hadn’t even thought of asking for help or contacting him because she was worried the future Empress might misunderstand and be upset about the Emperor giving his heart to another woman. Even though one of the women tormenting her would become the Empress.

The small head was raised again, and kind eyes met his without wavering.

“So don’t worry. I came to help break Your Majesty’s curse, so I can endure what happens in the annex. And as I promised, I will never run away before the curse is broken.”

The Emperor’s brow, looking down at Arabel who seemed like a completely different life form from himself… relaxed infinitely softly before gradually furrowing.

Hearing her answer, it was more than enough that Arabel would have thought that way. Confirming that she hadn’t refrained from requesting his help because she didn’t want to see him seemed to clear the stuffiness in his chest.

However, for another reason, he felt very uncomfortable somehow. The Emperor’s jaw clenched as he glanced at Arabel’s hand held in his own.

The meaning of those words was that she had no desire for the position of Empress. Isn’t it the highest status a woman could achieve, one that every woman would have dreamed of at least once?

Why? Because of me…? Because she doesn’t want to become my wife…?

The Emperor, who had arbitrarily reinterpreted Arabel’s answer, narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her.

“It seems the young lady is misunderstanding something. I’m trying to help you not for your sake, but for mine.”

The Emperor, whose mood had inexplicably soured, spoke gruffly, uncharacteristically expressing his emotions.

“If you just keep getting helplessly bullied, people will start to notice. They’ll gossip that there must be another reason why the Emperor is neglecting the woman he supposedly brought because he favored her. And they’ll become obsessed with finding out the real reason I brought you.”

“Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.”

Arabel’s eyes widened even more as she understood the Emperor’s words, shaking with a worried light.

“So, you must let me know immediately if you need help. Otherwise, our secret could be exposed.”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

Arabel nodded, accepting the Emperor’s stern warning without doubt.

Though she answered, she would not easily ask for help saying it was difficult. The Emperor’s gaze, looking at the long eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks, flashed with regret.

“You know there’s a grand banquet for the eleven candidates at the palace in three days, right?”

The Emperor deliberately changed the subject in a gruff voice, and Arabel nodded.

“I heard a dancer invited from Chatel conducted a special practical class with the young ladies for three days. Were you there?”

Of course, she wouldn’t have been able to attend. They wouldn’t have called her on purpose.

The Emperor thought, seeing the awkward smile she put on to hide her embarrassment.

“Do you know how to dance the social dances that men and women dance together?”

“No. I haven’t learned to dance.”

Let alone dances that men and women do together, she hadn’t even held hands with a man…

Arabel shyly glanced at the Emperor’s hand still holding hers.

As I expected.

The Emperor brought his hand to the door installed at the end of the corridor,

“There will be many eyes at this banquet, and if the young lady cannot dance, there will be much talk. I’ll say it again, this is not to help you but to protect my secret.”

As he spoke, he pushed open the door.

“Now, young lady, place your right hand on my left palm… Yes, yes. Well done, very good.”

Lord Theo, the empire’s best dancer, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief as he praised the young lady standing before him. Despite being in a cool basement, he felt sweat rising on his back from the piercing gaze he kept sensing.

“Now, place your left hand on my chest…”

“Ahem!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a cough was heard from behind. Honestly, it sounded more like a threatening growl than a cough.

“On, on the chest, much higher, near the shoulder, yes, like that. Now my right arm will go around your waist…”

As Lord Theo’s right arm wrapped around Arabel’s waist and moved to her back, a dull thud echoed through the room. The Emperor had dropped the scabbard of the long sword he wore at his waist.

Lord Theo’s shoulders flinched and he froze in place. Then, the eerie sound of footsteps on the stone basement floor grew closer.

The Emperor, standing between Lord Theo and Arabel who were facing each other, spoke in a low voice. He lowered both of Arabel’s hands that were resting on Lord Theo’s hand and shoulder, then lifted his chin.

“Is physical contact absolutely necessary to teach dancing?”

“Pardon…?”

Lord Theo’s bewildered eyes darted about, losing their focus.

Though his dream was to be the lead dancer of the imperial dance troupe, Lord Theo was the sole heir to the Maquaire baronial family, famous for their valor on the battlefield.

He had been secretly participating in illegal dance competitions, hiding his identity from his family and the knightly order, freely expressing his talent. Then he was dragged before the Emperor.

‘I don’t particularly like obtaining things by force using others’ weaknesses. I prefer voluntary cooperation. So, let’s negotiate now.’

The Emperor promised to include him in the delegation to Chatel, where he could dance freely, in exchange for teaching the young lady to dance and keeping the secret.

Of course, if the secret leaked out,

‘These would be sent to your father and the knightly order.’

The Emperor smiled as he held up Lord Theo’s see-through stage costumes. At his feet lay the glittering tights and short crop top that Lord Theo had just been wearing.

Naturally, he accepted the Emperor’s offer, but suddenly his eyes were covered with a blindfold and he was dragged away by someone. When the blindfold was removed and he opened his eyes, he found himself in a gloomy basement.

‘Wait here.’

A familiar voice was heard and then quickly disappeared. It might have been the voice of the deputy commander of the Emperor’s royal guard.

As he looked around, the door on the opposite side opened and the Emperor entered. Behind him stood a small, cute-looking young lady.

‘At this rate, we won’t make any progress even if we stay up all night.’

The dance lesson he had been confident would go smoothly was at a standstill due to an enormous hindrance.

Physical contact is unavoidable when teaching social dances performed by men and women together. It’s not like they’re rubbing bodies against each other. Seeing the cold, arrogant red eyes looking down at him, the lips that were about to part in protest closed again.

Even during normal imperial audiences, he would break out in a nervous sweat, but now his legs were trembling as the Emperor stared at him as if he were some kind of pervert.

“I, I’ll try without physical contact. Then, again…”

Now with the Emperor standing beside them with his arms crossed, watching, Lord Theo and Arabel assumed the dance position without even touching fingers.

“Now, one step to the right, then slide one step back while arching your back slightly like this… Ugh.”

As soon as Arabel’s chest below the bust line touched Lord Theo as she arched her back, his body was pushed five steps away. The long fingers, once called lethal weapons on the battlefield, had mercilessly shoved his shoulder.

“This won’t do.”

The Emperor brushed his bangs up over his forehead with his long fingers, then stood in front of Arabel as if he had made a decision.

“As I said, I greatly dislike dancing, but it seems I’ll have to teach you directly to make progress. Lord Theo already looks exhausted.”

Lord Theo gazed at the Emperor, who seemed to be radiating a halo even in the dim basement, with wronged eyes.

Come to think of it… Lord Theo’s eyes widened as he watched the Emperor politely extend his hand to Arabel.

He had never seen the Emperor dance before. The Emperor rarely attended banquets, and even on special occasions when he had to make an appearance, he never danced with women.

That was why many nobles were looking forward to this celebration banquet for the competition, where the Emperor would have to dance with each of the young ladies. They would finally see the dance of the most distinguished man on the continent.

The toe of a large shoe entered her downcast eyes. Soon after, a large palm with slightly rough, calloused skin, contrasting with his dignified face, was extended.

“My lady, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”

As the resonant baritone voice asked politely, Arabel raised her head to look up at the Emperor.

In the corner, Lord Theo, who had been rubbing his shoulder where he had just been poked, also stared blankly at the Emperor in surprise. The Emperor was the only man who didn’t need to ask a lady’s permission to dance at a banquet.

At every banquet, a list of ladies who would dance with him was already prepared.

When the Emperor stepped onto the center stage, a waiting young lady would come forward to begin the dance. Of course, since Emperor Maxwell did not dance, this imperial custom had become useless.

But now, the Emperor slightly lowered his waist and politely extended his hand to young lady Arabel, as if he were an ordinary noble gentleman asking a lady for a dance.

To Arabel, who stood not knowing what to do, the Emperor reached out and carefully took her right hand, placing it on his left palm.

Then he took her left hand and placed it on the upper part of his right chest, and extended his right arm to embrace her slender waist and bring it to her back. Each of his gestures was exceedingly polite.

Arabel’s eyelids fluttered as her round eyes looked at the Emperor before her.

Under the flickering lamplight, the Emperor’s smiling face seemed almost dreamlike. His arm politely wrapped around her waist tightened, pressing Arabel’s body against his without an inch of space between them.

The Emperor tilted his head down and brought his red lips to Arabel’s ear, whispering secretly.

“Shall we dance now?”