“Wh-When will we be able to return to our domain?”

Baron Kander, whose face had turned pale from seasickness, stammered as he asked the man in front of him.

The man opened his sharp gray eyes and replied briefly. A red tattoo flashed briefly above the neck of his dark blue cloak.

“As I said, that place will now become your new home. It’s best not to expect to return at all.”

At his words, cries erupted from various members of the Arabel family.

“Sob, it’s too cruel. To order us to abandon everything overnight and go live across the sea in the Kingdom of Lupan.”

“To tell us to leave our homeland like this with no end in sight. Your Majesty the Emperor, you’re going too far.”

“How are we supposed to live now… Oh my…”

A massive cargo ship was sailing across the deep blue undulating sea. The destination was the marine nation of Lupan, a satellite state of the Empire.

Peter, the captain of the cargo ship, spoke harshly to the annoying Kander people.

“Instead of being grateful that His Majesty the Emperor is not punishing your crimes and sending you to Lupan, you dare to complain? Should you return to the Empire and receive harsh punishment to come to your senses?”

At his warning, the Arabel family members who had been whining all shut their mouths at once.

After the Emperor’s procession carrying Arabel left, her family members were chattering excitedly, having received a hefty compensation from the Emperor.

“Let’s follow Arabel right away and settle in the capital.”

“You know that the women who make it to the final selection for Empress receive land incomparable to this measly domain and an enormous consolation prize after the competition ends, right?”

“Of course, how could that foolish girl manage such a large fortune? I, her father, should take charge of managing it.”

“What are you talking about? I, who have fed and sheltered her until now, should take charge! It’s obvious you’ll gamble it all away.”

“For now, let’s decide later who will manage Arabel’s assets. Right now is when we all need to unite and stick close to Arabel.”

When Eric, Baron Kander’s eldest son who had hurriedly come after playing in taverns with his unsavory friends until dawn, spoke, everyone agreed and made a fuss over the windfall that would soon be in their hands.

“I’ll definitely enter the palace following Arabel, so don’t get any other ideas. Is there a law saying I can’t catch the Emperor’s eye?”

“How ridiculous. We’re Arabel’s real sisters. We’ll live in the palace with Arabel, so don’t even hope.”

As Camille and Roxy, who until now couldn’t move an inch against Margo, glared at her trusting in Arabel’s power, Baron Kander’s wife clicked her tongue and said,

“Stop fighting uselessly. That Arabel’s heart is foolishly weak, so if you three ask, she’ll let you stay with her in the imperial palace. Just think about mingling with the children of the upper nobility in the palace.”

As they hurriedly entered the castle to pack their belongings, knights on horseback appeared, flying the imperial flag. They were escorting the Emperor’s special executor.

The executor, dismounting from his horse, began reading out the charges against Baron Kander and Jonathan, Arabel’s father who was once called a marquis, without pause.

Two pages were densely filled with the laws violated by Baron Kander’s family, including years of embezzling taxes owed to the imperial family, free exploitation of now-abolished serfs, prohibited tax increases during natural disasters, and so on.

It was the same for Jonathan.

Not only using unapproved animal treatments on patients, but also fraud against commoners by claiming healing abilities that had disappeared, and involvement in illegal gambling rings that the Empire strictly punishes, among numerous other charges that were read out.

Along with countless irrefutable pieces of evidence.

They became not only stripped of their titles and domains, but also sentenced to spend half their lives in prison. To them standing there dumbfounded, the executor presented the Emperor’s merciful offer.

He ordered them to choose whether to remain in the Empire and live in prison, or go to the satellite state of Lupan to live a new life.

“You’ll live much more abundantly than you do now in your domain, so don’t think otherwise and live quietly while being grateful to His Majesty the Emperor. Don’t forget that there will always be eyes watching you.”

At Captain Peter’s words, Kander and the others closed their mouths, glancing at the pile of gold bars and land deeds placed before them.

He had only wanted to help her lie down comfortably, as her small head was swaying weakly back and forth pitifully.

The current situation… unintentionally became like a molester covering Arabel’s body.

Despite being much taller than the average man, the Emperor, with his body covered in sleek lean muscles instead of large bulging ones, giving him a smooth body line, had never felt his physique was large.

But because of the delicate woman lying beneath his body, he felt like a giant.

As he tried to quickly sit up, seeing Arabel who had forgotten to even breathe in shock, a shallow breath escaped between her closed lips and spread across his nape.

The sweet fragrance instantly captivated his sense of smell and led his red gaze to her plump lips.

For a moment, an unbearable thirst made his mouth go completely dry. It seemed to have started after drinking the fruit juice that Arabel had chewed and spit out in the rainy cave. The burning thirst that came whenever he saw her cute lips.

He wanted to bite into them in one mouthful and drink in the juice inside. Saliva began to pool in his parched mouth. Sweat beaded on the Emperor’s spine at the chilling thought he had looking at a person’s lips.

Though he felt disgust at himself for seemingly turning into a beast, his gaze wouldn’t leave Arabel’s lips. The Emperor’s upper body that had been moving away began to tilt down again, starting to place the weight of his body on her frail form.

As Arabel’s eyes squeezed shut, avoiding the red eyes that seemed about to devour her, a growling sound emerged from deep in the Emperor’s lower abdomen.

“If you don’t open your eyes, you don’t know what I might do, so open them.”

The eyes that struggled to lift their heavy lids to meet the Emperor’s gaze wavered with moisture. As the blurred, shimmering eyes reflected his feverish face into the red eyes, the Emperor’s face stiffened pale.

His own appearance was that of a beast losing its reason. The Emperor’s large hand covered Arabel’s eyes, blocking her view. After gnashing his molars to the point of breaking, the Emperor lowered his head motionless, then soon rose and moved away from her.

The Emperor, who had stopped the carriage by hitting the wall, wordlessly opened the door and went out. Arabel’s thin shoulders, still lying on the bench with her hands clenched white-knuckled, shook uncontrollably.

‘This is the worst. I acted no different from a back alley molester. As an emperor, as a man, I committed an unforgivable rudeness and left her behind as if fleeing.’

The Emperor harshly pulled on the reins, cursing his cowardice for leaving Arabel alone in the carriage trembling in fear without a word of apology.

“She says she’s not hungry.”

The young cook came out of the carriage with the untouched lunch and reported. Adding, “She really seems unwell, her face is as white as a sheet of paper.”

The Emperor hadn’t touched the food in front of him either.

“Shall we have her examined by a physician when we arrive at Marquis Lorel’s domain?”

As Commander Jacob watched the Emperor’s expression and spoke, the Emperor silently nodded.

The Imperial Guard, who had started their march at dawn, briefly pitched tents and entered their afternoon rest period. Although the Emperor usually didn’t rest for long until reaching the destination, this time he exceptionally allowed quite a long rest period.

Because he was worried she might be tired inside the moving carriage. And with the expectation that she might come out of the carriage for a moment.

The red eyes looking at the still unopened carriage door darkened.

“Oh my, people are so cruel. Hunting a newborn fawn because there’s nothing else to hunt…”

As Deputy Commander Peter, who had come up from the riverside, shook his head and muttered to himself, Commander Jacob, who was guarding the Emperor’s side, asked,

“What do you mean?”

“There was a baby deer shot with an arrow abandoned by the river. When I looked, the mother deer was hiding and watching from the opposite bank. They probably attacked the fawn to catch the mother deer.”

“This year deer hunting is prohibited. We’ll have to give a stern warning when we reach the domain.”

As Peter and Jacob conversed, the carriage window quietly slid open. The red eyes didn’t miss the light brown eyes reflected in the glass window.

“I’d like to save it, but… it’s unfortunate there’s no one here who can treat a live animal.”

As the Emperor deliberately spoke in a loud voice, Peter and Jacob looked at the Emperor with puzzled expressions.

Since when had the Emperor shown interest in injured wild animals?

“Still, I should go down and take a look. It wouldn’t be right to just pass by.”

The Emperor who enjoyed rough hunting, who unhesitatingly advanced even when the army’s horses were injured… now says he will go down to the riverside to help an injured wild animal, as if he had always done so.

As the Imperial Guards stood blankly, unable to even react, the door inside the carriage quietly opened.

“May I… come along too?”

A trembling voice softly flowed out.

On the deserted riverside, a baby deer that looked no more than two days old was breathing heavily.

Its large black eyes gazed piteously at the gentle hands warming its body. Beyond the small, busy shoulders, the mother deer stood on the opposite bank, unable to approach, endlessly watching.

Maxwell returned to Arabel with an armful of branches and carefully sat down beside her.

Her shoulders flinched, but it seemed much better than before. She probably didn’t have the leisure to mind the Emperor, being completely focused on treating the deer.

As they walked down the slope to the riverside alone with the Emperor, her entire body was stiff, unable to even meet his eyes, which made the Emperor’s throat sting as if pierced by thorns.

Maxwell silently assisted Arabel as she began treatment after removing the arrow from the fawn’s belly and stopping the bleeding.

When she needed cloth for hemostasis and was about to tear the hem of her dress, a heavy hand was placed on Arabel’s shoulder. Arabel looked at the Emperor with a startled, pale face.

The Emperor, with his jaw tightly clenched at the throbbing in his heart, wordlessly tore his tunic top and handed it to Arabel.

“Use this.”

After Arabel took the cloth and used it to stop the bleeding on the fawn’s belly, replacing it with a bandage, the fawn’s head nestled into her arms.

“I’m sorry, but… could you bring some water? I can’t go myself…”

As Arabel asked while stroking the fawn’s head, the Emperor strode to the river, folded a large leaf into a bowl shape, filled it with water, and brought it back.

After repeating this several times to give the deer water, the fawn’s dim eyes began to slowly brighten.

“Mom, we need to take it to its mom…”

No sooner had Arabel finished speaking than Maxwell took the fawn from her and crossed the river with its rough currents reaching up to his waist, arriving at the forest on the opposite bank.

After laying the fawn down at the edge of the forest, Maxwell crossed back over the river.

“I think I should go across the river to watch over the fawn’s spot. Otherwise, it might be attacked by wolves at night.”

Arabel said while avoiding the Emperor’s gaze, then began walking towards the river.

“Can you swim?”

“Ah, no.”

“Then you’ll be swept away by the rough currents of the deep river.”

As Arabel looked back and forth between the fawn and its mother on the opposite bank in confusion at the Emperor’s words, the Emperor spoke softly.

“If my lady permits, I will carry you across the river.”

Silence fell for a moment. Only the sound of flowing water and leaves rustling in the wind could be heard in the ears of the two facing each other.

“Then I’ll ask for your help.”

As Arabel spoke quietly, the Emperor lifted her up, trying his best not to touch her body with his hands, using only his forearms… and began crossing the deep river.

At first, Arabel stiffly lay in his arms with her hands placed on the front of her dress, but when the Emperor stumbled due to the suddenly surging currents as he tried hard not to touch her body, she turned her body slightly towards him and lightly placed her hands on his shoulders to help him.

After reaching the opposite bank, Arabel and Emperor Maxwell entered the forest, made a place for the fawn to hide with its mother, then returned to the riverside.

Seeing Arabel’s stiff shoulders, as if hesitant to be carried again, the Emperor opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry. For frightening you. For running away and leaving you alone without an apology. I committed the most shameful act as an emperor and as a man.”

Arabel’s eyes widened as she raised her head. The Emperor, who seemed like he would never bow his head to anyone, was bowing and apologizing to her.

“I will never commit such a discourtesy again. I swear on my name.”

The Emperor’s eyes met Arabel’s unwavering as he slowly raised his head and promised. The light brown eyes began to waver, then filled with blurry tears.

“Sob, sob…”

The Emperor experienced the pain of his heart being carved out at the sobs that couldn’t even be fully released, only flowing out between her lips.

As her thin shoulders shook uncontrollably while wiping away the flowing tears with the back of her hand, the Emperor’s eyes also wavered with sympathy.

He wanted to wipe away her tears with his hands, hold her small body in his arms, and soothe her by rubbing her thin back, but he had no right to do so, so he tightly clenched and unclenched his fists.

He could only wait. The crying she had held back out of confusion and fear showed no sign of ending.

How long had she cried? Her tear-stained face couldn’t look at the Emperor and lowered her head. A silver dagger entered her downcast eyes. When she raised her head to look at the Emperor, he showed her the unfolded dagger with his name engraved on it.

“If by any chance I lose my reason and act like a beast…”

He carefully grasped Arabel’s wrist and placed the dagger in her hand, saying,

“Stab me with this. As this dagger is given by me, no one will hold you responsible.”

Tears overflowed again from Arabel’s eyes, reminiscent of the fawn they had just handed over to its mother.

As Arabel was carried in the Emperor’s arms crossing the river, a gentle voice reached her ears.

“The village we’ll soon arrive at is famous for chocolate. Have you ever eaten chocolate?”

Arabel, now with her arms around the Emperor’s neck, blushed and shook her head.

Even nobles only eat chocolate, a precious dessert, on special occasions. Arabel had only seen Margo eat it, but had never tasted it herself.

“When we get to the village, I’ll buy you all kinds of chocolate. Even gelato made with chocolate.”

The Emperor’s face flushed hot as he realized his words sounded like the boastful talk of a young man trying to seduce an innocent village girl… Fortunately, Arabel, with her head resting on his nape, couldn’t see his flustered expression.

The setting sun behind the mountains began to tinge the heads of the man and woman crossing the river with a red glow.