Amidst the chaos filled with screams and cries, it was the moment when the flashing blade was about to fall on the neck.

‘Close your eyes.’

Arabel clearly heard the unwavering, low voice in her ears.

In the brief moment, the silhouette she had missed appeared faintly in her blurry vision. At the Emperor’s words, Arabel tightly shut her eyes.

Before the sharp metal could touch her skin, the brute force of the hand gripping her shoulder loosened. Then with a thud, the leader of the trafficking ring who had been holding Arabel hostage fell backwards without even making a sound, collapsing flat on the ground.

‘Do not open your eyes.’

The Emperor’s voice heard right beside her was calm and cold.

The sounds of swords clashing and screams of the traffickers and hostages mixed together, but as he said, Arabel did not open her closed eyes.

Arabel could tell even without hearing the Emperor’s voice. Just the belief that he was beside her allowed her to support her trembling legs.

With each whoosh of the sword, a chilly wind scattered Arabel’s hair.

And soon, silence fell where not even breathing could be heard.

Arabel still did not open her eyes, and stood there clutching the hem of her dress with both hands. She looked unmoved, as if waiting for someone.

As long arms lightly lifted her waist, her feet left the ground and her slender body entered a reliable embrace.

As Arabel’s head was buried against the broad, firm chest that had become somewhat familiar now, she felt the strong pounding of a heartbeat.

The faint scent of mint and sandalwood that she smelled when together calmed Arabel’s heart. Without opening her eyes, without hearing his voice, Arabel could tell who the man holding her in his arms was.

As warm lips touched the top of her head and disappeared, Arabel buried her head in the Emperor’s chest and silently burst into the tears she had been holding back.

Only then did her thin shoulders, connected to the arms wrapped around the Emperor’s neck as if clinging, begin to shake uncontrollably.

Emperor Maxwell, carrying Arabel, lightly mounted his horse Maximus that had been waiting, and grasped the reins with one hand.

“We shall return to the palace tomorrow morning. Make it known.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Commander Jacob and the imperial guards bowed their heads and sent off the Emperor as he rode away.

On the way to the villa in the capital a little distance from the square, the Emperor thought as he looked at Arabel’s thin arms wrapped around his neck.

Before, she would stiffen from her shoulders just from touching me, not knowing what to do, but it seems she’s quite shocked now.

The original plan was to give her a tour of the capital under the pretext of investigating counterfeit jewels, but with the unexpected commotion, I briefly considered returning to the imperial palace with the guards.

However, I couldn’t send her back to the annex palace as she wept silently and trembled in my arms.

If she returns to the annex palace, the maids will take care of her, but… I won’t be able to be by her side.

It was a first. The feeling as if all the blood drained from my body in an instant.

Unable to attach a clear word to the emotion he had just felt, the Emperor’s lips closed into a line and his jaw clenched tightly.

It certainly wasn’t anger or hatred towards the situation or the traffickers. It wasn’t fear either. It was far from the exhilaration felt before cornering those recklessly scurrying rat bastards.

The unfamiliar emotion that swept over him didn’t make his blood boil hot, but rather chilled it ice cold. Even at nine years old in the mountains, when grandfather aimed an arrowhead at my heart, I didn’t feel this emotion.

It was an emotion I had never felt in my life, nor ever wanted to feel…

As the tension left her body, Arabel’s arms slowly loosened and fell from the Emperor’s neck. The Emperor’s brow furrowed instantly at the loss of her warmth from his neck.

Even though she was still in his arms, as Arabel’s upper body that had let go of her arms moved slightly away from his body, a sense of urgency rushed over him. His heart felt heavy and his throat stung.

In that moment, Emperor Maxwell realized. The word for the emotion he felt the instant he saw Arabel taken hostage earlier.

A desperate desire not to lose. It was desperation.

Dong dong dong, the bell in the tower began to ring, announcing the curfew.

The Emperor’s red eyes darkened deeply as he passed through the dark streets of the square where lamps were going out one by one.

The Emperor’s secret villa in the capital.

As he washed his blood-stained body under cold water, the Emperor was trying to rationalize the damn emotion he had just learned for the first time. His rational and logical mind that had never betrayed the Emperor worked quickly.

It was a mind that clearly analyzed the reasons, processes, and results and came up with answers no matter what difficult situations he faced.

The ‘desperation’ I felt in the flower shop… is a temporary emotion felt because the key to breaking my curse was in danger. If I lose the key, I won’t be able to break my curse, so it’s natural to feel desperate.

‘If her well-being is endangered, it will ultimately have a negative impact on breaking my curse. It’s an emotion felt because of that, nothing more, nothing less.’

After repeating it through his teeth like a mantra a few times, his mind felt much lighter.

It was similar to the reason why he couldn’t control his boiling anger and drew his sword from his waist when he heard the report that she had been humiliated by those worthless ones at the banquet hall last time.

If a woman who saved my life is disrespected, isn’t it human decency to get angry? Even beasts repay debts to those who save their lives, so it’s only natural that I, a human, care for her.

Emperor Maxwell pulled out words like human decency and loyalty that he usually sneered at in order to give satisfactory reasons for his emotions.

The Emperor, who had changed into a light gray tunic top and comfortable black pants that narrowed below the knee, opened his mouth.

“Have the preparations for the lady’s bed been completed?”

“Th-that… I humbly apologize, Your Majesty. We were unable to enter the bedroom, so we could not prepare the lady’s bed.”

The villa keeper’s wife, who had brought a tray with water and fruit to drink at night, bowed her head and answered the Emperor’s question.

The modest two-story house, quite far from the bustling streets of the capital square, was a secret place used by the Emperor when he went out in disguise. Only the retired villa keeper couple from the imperial palace lived here and were responsible for managing it.

“What do you mean? The lady must be exhausted from the shock, did you not even help her bathe?”

As the Emperor asked with furrowed brows, the villa keeper’s wife answered honestly.

“The young lady pleaded so earnestly not to enter her bedroom that we dared not force the door open.”

The Emperor knew that Arabel was very awkward and embarrassed when she first started receiving the care of Vera and the three maids. Unable to just watch, the Emperor had threatened, ‘If you keep rejecting their care, they will become useless. That means there will be no reason for them to be by your side, which means they will lose their jobs.’ Startled, Arabel had accepted the maids’ care from then on, and he thought she had become somewhat used to it by now.

After sending the maid to the first floor quarters, the Emperor’s brows furrowed as he stroked his chin with long fingers.

She might be injured. She might have rejected the maid’s help to hide her injuries. As soon as the thought struck him, the Emperor’s legs were already leaving the bedroom and his hand was knocking on the door of the adjacent room.

“Are you alright?”

As the Emperor asked, trying to maintain a calm voice, a small voice was heard from beyond the door.

“Yes, Your Majesty. G-good night.”

“Are you, going to sleep already?”

“Yes… I’m a bit tired, so I plan to go to bed early.”

What a truly terrible liar she is. The Emperor clicked his tongue for a moment and stared intently at the door.

“Weren’t we supposed to examine the counterfeit jewels together? We need to finish before returning to the palace tomorrow morning.”

There was no answer for a moment, as if flustered by the Emperor’s words.

“Um… I’m very sleepy right now, so c-can we do it tomorrow instead of today?”

“If you’re that tired, it can’t be helped. I’ll at least take the jewels delivered to your room so I can look at them first. Open the door for a moment and I’ll take the jewelry boxes.”

As Arabel answered in an almost inaudible voice, the Emperor narrowed his eyes and spoke.

This time there was a longer silence in response to the Emperor’s request to open the door so he could take the jewels.

“Lady Arabel.”

The Emperor’s lowered voice called her name, but there was no sound from inside the bedroom.

However, the Emperor’s ears, sharpened on the battlefield, did not miss the very faint sound of a sigh. The Emperor commanded once more in a low voice.

“Lady Arabel, open the door.”

As the sound of startled breathing flowed into his sensitive ears, the Emperor’s jaw clenched tightly.

She’s injured and trying not to show it. She’s hurt but didn’t say anything. Does that mean she’s not comfortable with me? Somehow feeling twisted at her still keeping her distance, he glared at the bedroom doorknob.

The Emperor’s cold voice spread low across the hallway.

“If you don’t open the door, I will break it down to enter.”

As his hand reached for the doorknob of the still silent door… click, the door slowly opened and Arabel’s face peeked out through the gap.

Large eyes, reddened as if about to cry at any moment, looked up at the Emperor pitifully. The red pupils that had descended from her round face trembled for a moment but soon found their place again.

Seeing Arabel wrapped tightly from below her chin in a bed sheet, the Emperor thought his premonition was correct. You were injured by the traffickers’ swords.

Though the bastard had already fallen to hell after taking his thrown dagger squarely to the forehead, the urge to dig up the corpse and tear it limb from limb rose up, causing the Emperor to grind his molars hard.

“Why are you wrapped in a sheet?”

Maxwell quietly asked, thinking she was covering her body to hide her wounded areas from him. Arabel’s face flushed even redder as she lowered her head.

“It’s… it’s just because I’m cold…”

“This villa is famous for being well-heated even in the dead of winter. If you’re really cold, I’ll have them raise the temperature.”

“N-no, it’s fine. I’ll be okay once I get in bed.”

Arabel hastily replied as she made way for the Emperor pushing into the bedroom. Her hand tightly gripping the edge of the bed sheet wrapped around her in several layers was trembling noticeably.

Click. The Emperor closed the bedroom door behind him. Round eyes widened as they looked at the Emperor.

The Emperor slowly approached her, capturing Arabel’s gaze. As his long, large bare feet nearly touched her small ones, a long shadow fell over the light brown crown of her head.

“You’re injured.”

At the brief words, Arabel shook her head, her eyes widening even further when it seemed they couldn’t get any bigger.

“This must be where the sword cut you.”

The long, firm index finger traced Arabel’s slender jawline as if outlining it, then slowly moved down to her neck.

Unable to bear the ticklish sensation accompanied by heat, Arabel curled her shoulders up. The Emperor’s finger began to invade inside the boundary of the sheet covering her neck.

“Where is it? The injured spot?”

The Emperor’s chilly voice spreading through the bedroom intertwined with his not-so-chilly hot fingers as they fell on Arabel’s neck.

As Arabel squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head vigorously, the Emperor’s voice came from right next to her ear.

“Didn’t I tell you to look me in the eye when you’re with me? I clearly said that if you don’t, I’ll think you’re lying to me.”

Round eyes revealed between long lashes captured the Emperor’s face, which was close enough to touch her own.

“Are you still uncomfortable with me? To the point where you can’t even properly say you’re hurt when you are?”

Unable to avoid the Emperor’s cold red gaze directed at her, Arabel answered.

“No, I’m not injured. Didn’t Your Majesty save me?”

“Then you can show me. If you’re not hurt, there should be no wounds on your neck.”

As the trembling of Arabel’s hand clutching the sheet could be felt on his fingers, a chill entered the Emperor’s voice.

“Do you see me as a thug from the back alleys? Are you trembling because you think I’ll order you to take off the clothes you’re wearing under the sheet to see your wounds?”

The Emperor brought his fingers to Arabel, who immediately shook her head, and let out a sigh.

“If you’re hurt, you need to treat it properly, don’t you? If you really don’t want to show me, show the villa keeper’s wife.”

The Emperor, believing she was still afraid of him because of the incident in the carriage, stepped back as if giving up. Worry about whether she was badly hurt took precedence over feeling hurt.

“I’ll send up the villa keeper’s wife. Make sure you receive treatment.”

As he spoke and turned to leave, small fingers grabbed the hem of the Emperor’s clothes.

“…That’s, not it. I’m not hurt. Vera, Vera… nightgown…”

The Emperor’s eyebrow rose as he looked down at Arabel clutching his clothes.

“Vera? You mean your maid brought from the former Count Lorel’s household? What about the nightgown?”

Arabel seemed to make up her mind as she scrunched her nose and let go of the edge of the sheet she had been firmly gripping with one hand. Swish, thud, the sheet that had been wrapped around her thin body in layers fell to the floor.

As Arabel had said, her transparent neck was without a single wound, glistening ethereally in the lamplight. In contrast to her smooth neck, blue veins suddenly bulged on the Emperor’s long, straight bronze neck.

The Emperor’s eyes, which had taken in the body of the woman before him, were instantly covered with an intensely deep red heat, like flames suddenly spreading across a cool lake surface.