An old, cheap rectangular dining table for 8 people sits alone in the first-floor dining room. It’s embarrassingly inadequate to be called the lord’s dining room.

Emperor Maxwell was sitting at the head of the table with his long legs crossed, tolerating the extras at this gathering.

“I’ve dressed and fed Arabel better than my own daughter Margo. She’s like my own daughter. Arabel also follows me, her great-uncle, like a father.”

“Even when the budget was tight, I always assigned a dedicated maid to Arabel, Your Majesty. I raised her with plenty of love in place of her runaway mother.”

Baron and Baroness Kander, sitting on either side of the Emperor, kept emphasizing how much they had invested in Arabel. Listening to them, it seemed as if the territory’s financial problems were all because of Arabel.

Not to be outdone,

“I have three daughters, but Arabel is the most special to me. I’ve favored Arabel so much since she was young that my other two daughters complained a lot. While those two had to help with work in the castle, I made sure Arabel never had to lift a finger.”

Arabel’s father, sitting next to Baroness Kander, smiled obsequiously as he boasted.

Camille, Roxy, and even Margo, seated around the table, joined in. They were eager to show off how close they were to Arabel.

“As her older sister, I’ve raised Arabel since she was little, even taking on a mother’s role. She’s always needed a lot of attention. Arabel is still quite lacking, but I’ll follow her to the imperial palace and work hard to teach and help her.”

“Arabel is my most beloved sister. She’s a bit slow, so she’ll have difficulties with palace life, but I’ll go with her and be her hands and feet as I’ve always been.”

“Arabel is my closest friend. We share secrets and cover for each other’s mistakes, though Arabel made almost all the mistakes… I took a lot of scolding for her. She’ll be lonely in the palace, so I, her best friend, will go with her and protect her.”

The three young women were desperate not to miss the chance to go to the capital.

When a kind smile appeared on the Emperor’s lips, Arabel’s family inwardly rejoiced. The enormous rewards they would receive weren’t the issue. They might even receive fertile territory and high titles.

Lost in their extravagant fantasies, they didn’t even notice the Emperor’s red eyes growing cold.

“It seems your words about cherishing her more than your own daughter are true.”

Maxwell finally spoke. His gaze remained on Arabel, who was standing at the end of the table with her head bowed.

“Seeing as you don’t give this shoddy food to Lady Arabel.”

On the table were seven plates with late-night snacks and seven wine glasses filled with wine.

When the Emperor entered the dining room and took his seat, the Kander couple, their daughter Margo, and Arabel’s father and two sisters sat in their places.

Only Baron Kander yielded the head seat to the Emperor and sat in his absent son Eric’s place. Arabel, who had followed the family in, stood at the end of the table to serve them.

The head maid who came out of the kitchen unconsciously handed the water pitcher to Arabel. Arabel took the pitcher and poured water into the glasses in front of everyone, and they all accepted her service as if it were natural.

These dull-witted people couldn’t immediately understand the Emperor’s sarcasm. Their faces, which had been gaping blankly, simultaneously turned pale. They realized they had completely forgotten about Arabel, the actual protagonist of the conversation.

“Ah, Arabel, why are you standing there? Quickly, come sit in your place.”

Baroness Kander called Arabel, making her voice as sweet as possible. Father Jonathan quickly added, shaking his head:

“Arabel is so slow in her actions that we have trouble with her.”

Arabel’s large eyes trembled in confusion as she was urged to sit down. There was no place for her at the table.

“Roxy, what are you doing? Why are you sitting in Arabel’s place? Get up right now!”

Baron Kander scolded Roxy with a frown. Roxy, her face turning bright red, pushed back her chair and stood up.

“Ma-Margo has gained weight recently and doesn’t eat late-night snacks, so it seems the kitchen only prepared seven portions. Arabel, come and eat quickly.”

At Baroness Kander’s excuse, the quick-witted Margo abruptly stood up and went to Arabel.

Arabel’s thin shoulders stiffened at Margo’s affectionate arm-linking gesture. The red gaze didn’t miss this, twinkling with amusement.

“Arabel, quickly go sit in your place. This girl is so clueless that we have to teach her how to behave in every situation. Ho, ho, don’t worry, Arabel. I’ll go to the imperial palace with you and help you.”

As Margo pulled Arabel to sit down, Camille and Roxy glared at her. Their eyes trembled finely, upset at losing the opportunity to look good in front of the Emperor.

Arabel’s family started clamoring that it would be better if they all went to the capital together.

“Enough.”

The Emperor raised his right hand slightly.

As the benevolent smile disappeared from the Emperor’s lips, the air in the dining room suddenly cooled. The mouths that had been moving busily closed.

“This is as far as my generosity goes. I need to speak with Lady Arabel alone, so everyone leave.”

The red eyes, not giving a glance to anyone else, looked at Arabel.

Even these foolish people sensed that they needed to leave immediately. Arabel’s family, feeling chills run down their spines, quickly disappeared out the door.

“You knights leave as well. I have important matters to discuss with the Lady.”

The knights of the imperial guard swiftly left the dining room and stood guard in front of the closed door.

Silence fell in the room where only the Emperor and Arabel remained. The Emperor was in a very bad mood. He had wasted time on those not worth dealing with. However, he felt even more displeased for some reason he couldn’t quite pin down.

His mood soured further at the girl who still wouldn’t raise her head and look at him. She had been so affectionate with the beast, even rubbing her head against it and fearlessly stroking its ears and belly.

Arabel felt her shoulders weighed down by the Emperor’s silence. She still couldn’t understand what the Emperor had said in the stable, and this situation of being alone with him was very uncomfortable.

‘Is he worried that I might reveal his secret…? He must have come to check since it’s difficult for him to speak about it openly.’

Arabel’s face brightened slightly as if she had just realized the Emperor’s intentions.

As the light brown eyes turned towards him, the Emperor’s furrowed brow smoothed out. Of course, he wasn’t aware of this.

Arabel wiped the sweat gathering in her palms on her skirt and opened her mouth.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone about what happened in the mountains, not until the day I die.”

It was a plain voice, but the most believable promise the Emperor had ever heard. As Arabel quickly lowered her gaze again, the Emperor’s brow furrowed once more.

“How can I trust your words? Usually, people can’t look directly into the eyes of others when they’re lying. Seeing how you keep avoiding my gaze, it’s suspicious.”

Arabel raised her head with a start and shook it vigorously.

“No, no. I will absolutely never break my promise. I don’t lie.”

“How can I believe you without any collateral? For all I know, you might have already spread rumors to the villagers. It seems you have a habit of chattering to animals too, did you tell them as well?”

At the Emperor’s threat, the round eyes wavered with a sense of injustice. As the pink lips quivered as if trying to say something, the Emperor’s gaze softened. A curve appeared on his red lips as well.

The Emperor had felt displeased when he saw Arabel stiffen in front of those worthless people. But when Arabel became flustered and at a loss because of him, he felt strangely pleased.

Arabel met the Emperor’s gaze steadily, trying to prove that she wasn’t lying. Looking at the round eyes with reddened corners made him feel a tickle below his navel.

‘Teasing women isn’t my hobby.’

Moreover, he had even less interest in harassing the weak. If the opponent were strong or evil, he might toy with them before crushing them, but that was different.

The Emperor peered into the clear face that he kept wanting to tease.

“We’ll leave tonight, so get ready.”

Maxwell ordered kindly, as if bestowing a favor.

It was obvious at a glance that she had lived as an outcast in this house. If he said he was taking her as a candidate for Empress, she would understand what that meant. An unimaginable future was unfolding.

Even the last ten candidates who didn’t become Empress were awarded honorary titles and given enormous consolation money. It was more money than selling this entire territory. No matter how naive she might be, surely she wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

After being lost in thought for a moment, Arabel slowly raised her head. She met the Emperor’s gaze to avoid being suspected of dishonesty.

“I’m very grateful for your words, but I cannot go with Your Majesty.”

If another woman had given the same answer, Maxwell would have sneered. Thinking she was just putting on airs once to appeal to the Emperor. However, the clear eyes held not a trace of deceit.

The Emperor’s voice carried a hint of mockery as his pride was hurt.

“I’m not taking you to make you Empress. Just becoming a candidate can bring you great wealth, so think of it as compensation for helping me.”

“I know. How could I dare to think such a thing? I’m about to leave this place soon. My master is coming to take me.”

Ha, the Emperor’s open lips couldn’t even form words, he was so dumbfounded.

“You mean the master you praised all night until the beast’s ears nearly fell off?”

“Yes… He promised to come on the night of the next full moon.”

The Emperor tried to ask calmly, and Arabel answered with a bright smile.

“The night of the full moon… Well, where did your esteemed master say he was taking you?”

The smile disappeared from above the red eyes, but Arabel didn’t notice and answered:

“My master travels through time and saves endangered mythical animals. Until now, he couldn’t take me because I was too young, but he promised to definitely take me this year.”

“When did he make this promise?”

“When I was ten years old.”

“Was that the last time you saw your ‘most handsome and perfect’ master?”

“Yes, but he promised to come for me in the year I become an adult at twenty. On the night of the first full moon in October. That’s why I can’t go to the capital with Your Majesty.”

Time travel. Mythical animals. The Emperor, who rarely let emotions sway him, had to control his breathing to suppress the rising anger.

Even though he himself was cursed to transform into a beast once a month, listening to this nonsensical story made him feel self-contempt.

It seemed some wandering bard or quack medicine seller had played a trick on this innocent child. She had been faithfully waiting for 8 years, believing in a promise made that long ago.

“Does your father know about this?”

“Ah, no. But Father always said that when I come of age, I should leave home and earn money. I turned twenty last month, so I can go with my master. He said he would pay me a salary, so I can send money home every month.”

“Where did you agree to meet?”

“In the cave where I met Your Majesty. That’s where I first met my master and learned about mythical animals.”

Maxwell’s head, which always operated coolly, began to throb painfully. He could imagine Arabel standing with a bundle on the night of the full moon.

He didn’t like the image of her waiting endlessly for a master who wouldn’t come, nor the image of her being deceived by his sweet talk and following him.

As he pictured her trailing behind the con artist, blue veins bulged on Maxwell’s forearms.

“If it’s about sending money to your family, wouldn’t it be much better to enter as a candidate for Empress? You don’t seem to understand, but becoming an Empress candidate means you could raise up your entire family.”

“I promised my master. I said I would train hard until he returns. My lifelong dream is to travel through time with my master and save endangered animals. I can’t even imagine anything else.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed at Arabel’s firm answer.

She was unexpectedly stubborn. He had thought she was soft, but she was full of certainty about her future.

“What if I, the Emperor, command it? Would you still refuse?”

He childishly invoked his own power, but Arabel shook her head.

“I’m not qualified. The Empress candidates are noble people who excel in all areas. It doesn’t make sense for me to be a candidate. I would surely cause great harm to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s Adam’s apple bobbed greatly at Arabel’s answer.

He had planned to coax her into coming along. During the selection period, he would experiment to see how she was connected to the curse, then give her a large reward and send her away. If she kept insisting on not going, he would forcibly take her and experiment on her after confining her.

I am the Emperor of the Empire. Any sacrifice for my safety is not a problem. Arabel never had a choice from the beginning.

Looking at the annoying lips that rejected his offer, suddenly an unbearable thirst came over him. The Emperor’s red eyes fell on her slender neck and darkened ominously.