The Empress' Scandalous Paramour - Chapter 23

The extreme tension that had filled the banquet hall was gently pushed aside by my kind words.

I quietly lifted Mereum’s chin. Then, without resistance, he straightened his body and stood upright.

‘He’s like a colorful painting pretending to be monochrome.’

The darkness unique to someone who had forcibly suppressed their innate predatory temperament clung like a shadow to his bright golden eyes.

I stared at it intently and thoroughly searched his inner self.

Ah, he was one who yearned.

For a place of rest. A place to return to. A warm place.

And a home.

I was more than willing to give Mereum what he needed in exchange for letting me live.

“Yes. From now on, don’t bow your back to anyone. I won’t allow it.”

As I spoke kindly, Mereum’s pupils trembled with nowhere to go.

It was a sight I loved so much that my chest ached.

A wounded beast standing precariously on the edge of a cliff.

I wanted to treat this child’s wounds, wrap them in bandages, groom their fur nicely, feed them only good things, and cherish them to my heart’s content.

‘My elder sisters know me too well, that’s the problem.’

Grumbling inwardly, I held out my hand to Mereum. If he had come knowing he would be dedicated to me, he would have learned the etiquette of the Nix.

Mereum carefully grasped my hand and kissed the back of it.

Although it was so brief it almost didn’t touch, just that was enough to make the boy’s ears turn red.

“!!!”

The Empress received a tribute!

And at this shocking sight, the nobles were all flabbergasted.

Of course, the Desert Emperor had only said he would “offer” his younger brother, without specifying for what purpose. But wasn’t it obvious?

The tribute was to become the Empress’s official concubine in the future.

His appearance and status were more than sufficient.

In other words, before the eyes of the Emperor of Nix, the Emperor of the Desert Kingdom gifted a concubine!

Those who witnessed this enormous provocation fell into a state of frenzied excitement.

They never dreamed such an entertaining event would unfold.

“I heard you also have a concubine, so I thought you wouldn’t be offended by this. Hahaha!”

Calick laughed as if he felt very refreshed. At that, Helene, who had been approaching this way, stood still as if shocked again.

It seemed to be because he had explicitly referred to her as a “concubine”.

“…Helene is not a concubine, but a saint. I would appreciate it if you treat her accordingly.”

Enrique was not the talkative type. He wasn’t one to speak at length either.

I know that, but how should I put it…

There must be quite a few things he should say right now, but in the end, he chose to spit out words defending Helene’s status.

I thought there was no more room for disappointment, but I was amazed that it kept coming out.

This time, I didn’t hide my emotions and revealed them.

I didn’t say much. I just smiled.

“Ah, I seem to recall that there is a position called a saint in this country.”

At that, Calick ended his words very ambiguously.

It wasn’t even that he remembered, but that he seemed to remember, which was tantamount to saying he had no intention of treating her that way at all.

Cassandra also chuckled.

“In the desert, priestesses hold a very sacred position. It is believed that sacredness and purity are maintained by being far from politics,” her red lips, still with a hint of a smile, whispered bewitchingly.

To my ears, it was a very pleasant thing to hear.

Because it meant that Helene, who was called the Emperor’s concubine, was not sacred.

‘Judging by how she keeps siding with me and disparaging Helene, it seems she quite wants to establish a friendly relationship with me.’

Helene’s eyes were now brimming with tears.

She had treated the imperial palace as her own playground until now. Being favored by Enrique, she had never received such insults from the nobles of Nix.

But Cassandra didn’t care what Helene was.

‘Being able to join hands in equally disliking a certain being. This, too, is a very demonic thing to do.’

With an elegant stride, I approached Cassandra and clasped her hands in mine.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced you to the gardens yet. The night garden is also quite a sight to behold, so how about taking a walk with me?”

“Oh my, that sounds exciting. A time just for us women!”

Cassandra responded favorably and gestured with her eyes toward Calick. It seemed to mean not to follow.

“It’s difficult to bear when your husband pays attention to another woman besides you.”

Stepping out of the sweltering interior and being greeted by the cold air, my chest felt refreshingly open as if it had been unblocked.

Earlier, I had deliberately touched the tip of Mereum’s chin to absorb his yang energy. Thanks to that, I gained the strength to endure the remaining banquet time.

And the strength to have a one-on-one conversation with Cassandra.

“Still, I endured it because I am the officially recognized wife. Calick may not be a very good husband, but he’s not the type of man to pay attention to women other than his wife. The problem is that he has many wives.”

Cassandra was the first to break the ice in the conversation.

She was currently indignant about Helene.

“But how can that woman be so brazen! Attending an event like this without even being a wife. The right to stand by her husband’s side belongs only to the wife. It doesn’t make sense for a woman like that to set foot in the banquet hall in the first place.”

Since Cassandra said everything I wanted to say, I had nothing to reply to. I just shrugged my shoulders.

Walking a few steps slowly, I abruptly asked a question.

Today’s topic.

The single word roaming in my mind.

It was about love.

“Bi is in love.”

“Please call me Cassandra. And… yes. I do love him. My husband. There is no man as strong as him. I love his strength.”

“What if he becomes weak?”

“I wouldn’t love him then. I don’t love him, but his strength. It’s important to clearly know that.”

Cassandra answered with a bright smile.

I also smiled at Cassandra like that.

She has a personality that is true to her desires. She also has a strong instinct to protect what is hers.

So she must have rejected Mereum just as much.

This is what it means to be human.

Because a person doesn’t have just one side to them.

Humans are multi-faceted, and while they may be a good person to someone, they inevitably are a bad person to someone else.

When I fell in love with Enrique, I came to love even that aspect of humans.

“Thank you for getting angry on my behalf. But it’s alright. I don’t love my husband. We are merely in a political marriage.”

“Hmm.”

Cassandra made a very subtle nasal sound.

Then, turning to look at me, she whispered softly.

“The Emperor doesn’t seem to think so.”

“…What doesn’t he think?”

“He seems to have a lot of interest in the Empress.”

Enrique? In me?

Not understanding, I blinked my eyes.

It felt like reading a sentence with completely incorrect grammar.

“You didn’t know? Today, the Emperor of Nix never once looked at that woman. He only had his eyes on the Empress. With a gaze as if searching for something.”

I didn’t know that.

I had too many things to worry about today.

I had to check if the banquet was going well, if there were any problems anywhere, if the food was getting cold, all while having to entertain Quan’s guests.

In the midst of that, the scorching sun’s energy also made me dizzy, and at the end, there was even a test thrown at me by my elder sisters.

Worrying about all of that alone, I didn’t have a chance to check whether Enrique was looking at me or not.

“Well… maybe he’s coming to his senses now and trying to keep his concubine at a distance.”

Enrique keeping Helene at a distance?

That was hard to even imagine.

If such a thing really happened, I would be so angry I couldn’t even breathe.

Because he killed me with a heart that wouldn’t change so easily.

Rather, that was the one situation where I could never forgive Enrique.

“Mereum. I hope the Emperor’s dash comforts you.”

Cassandra, who had stopped, turned to look at me and subtly revealed her true feelings.

“Actually, it was quite a headache. But how did God know and help Calick.”

“I really don’t know why the God of the Desert told you to send him to me… but I hope the Desert of Death won’t multiply any further.”

“Thank you for your blessed words.”

The conversation we had after this was not very nutritious.

Feeling my body temperature dropping, I returned to the banquet hall without being late.

‘Ah, I’m tired.’

I can say with certainty that this was the first time I had talked so much since possessing this body. It was also the first time I had stood for so long.

‘I’m getting dizzy…’

Judging by the fact that my head feels warm, it seems I’m getting a low fever.

‘But if I just hold on a little longer, I can do it. Let’s stay strong.’

I exhaled a long breath and entered the banquet hall.

“Ugh!”

“Oh my god. Call a doctor! It’s poison!”

“Protect the Emperor!!!”

“How dare you!!!”

But what’s going on here?

The banquet hall I returned to was in complete chaos, unlike when I had left for a walk.

Some desert people were retching and coughing violently.

Those who were fine surrounded Calick in a circle and took a defensive stance, and as soon as some warriors spotted Cassandra, they rushed over and meticulously surrounded her.

Barely escaping the human wall, I habitually tried to find Derek, but realized he couldn’t attend this banquet and bit my lip.

Ah, I think I need to lean on something…

That’s when it happened.

A firm arm wrapped around my waist and supported me so I could stand upright. Leaning against the straight body and firm chest, I very slowly opened my half-closed eyes again.

In my slightly blurred vision, a boy was reflected.

His face looked somewhat embarrassed.

“…You were staggering.”