Rinel pushed the plate on his right in front of me.

“It’s a pie made with apples, lemons, and blueberries.”

I cut a piece of the pie and put it in my mouth as I listened to his explanation.

“Uhm!”

The pie was so delicious I couldn’t tell whether I ate the pie, or the pie ate me.

He said that on particularly tiring days, taking a bite of this pie with coffee would relieve half the day’s fatigue and stress.

I somehow had a hunch that I would be enjoying this pie from now on.

“If you were to describe the taste of the pie in one word?”

He asked me, spreading butter on his bread.

He looked curious about what I thought of a food he usually enjoyed.

“It’s so delicious that I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone.”

“Hahaha, I had the exact same thought the moment I first tasted this pie.”

It was an exaggerated comment, but the pie was so delicious that I wanted to keep it all to myself.

“It’s a shame to want to keep a favorite pie to myself…”

Rinel sipped his coffee, hinting at something he wanted to say.

“What?”

“I was wondering about Zelda, or rather the Empress.”

“What about it?”

“In a week there’s a ceremony to welcome the concubines. After the ceremony, I formally have to share myself with them.”

It didn’t seem like a question from a sincere curiosity, rather, it felt like he was testing me.

“You’re not a pie, Your Majesty.”

The only answer I could give was this formal response.

“Right, I’m not delicious like a pie, am I?”

Rinel laughed bitterly.

Just as he put it, I would have to share him with the other concubines soon.

Our facetoface time would decrease due to these women.

Suddenly, the sweet pie I just ate tasted bitter.

The taste was different from the first pie I tasted, and it tortured my tongue.

I rehydrated my mouth with soup, but the taste of the soup also seemed subtly different.

It was strange.

“You’ll be busy in the future, won’t you?”

Not feeling like touching other foods, I asked, pricking the pie with my fork.

“Wouldn’t the ones to get busy be the concubines, not me?”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

All he had to do was choose a concubine to go to his bedroom.

Aside from deciding where to sleep for the night, there was nothing else for the emperor to be busy with because of the concubines.

Of course, he could be busy late at night…

On the contrary, the concubines had a different situation.

They would be quite busy trying to look good for him.

Wouldn’t I become the most idle person in this palace?

Suddenly, I remembered praying every night in the carriage heading to the Laphion Royal Palace.

I prayed to spend my time quietly in the empress’s palace until Princess Resilia arrived at the Laphion Royal Palace.

Surprisingly, my wish was fulfilled due to the concubines, but I didn’t understand why I felt so uncomfortable.

Damn it, it seemed like the gods had granted my past wish without considering the changed circumstances.

“Zelda, I have a meeting soon, so I have to leave first.”

The morning meal, which had been warm and welcoming, had transformed into a funerallike atmosphere, and finally, he rose from his chair.

Rinel looked down at the halfeaten pie that was my portion.

“Doesn’t the pie the empress eats taste good?”

“No.”

“It might taste different, so don’t eat that one. Eat mine. I left it on purpose.”

He put the dish with the pie he liked in front of me again and pushed my dish aside.

I quietly stared at the pie he intentionally left.

I felt strange.

I hadn’t even eaten the pie he handed over, but already, saliva was gathering in my mouth.

I raised my head and looked up at him and asked,

“But didn’t you say you didn’t want to share the pie you liked?”

“Yeah, I don’t.”

“But why… why are you giving it to me?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off him as if bewitched, and pointed at the pie with my finger, asking.

“I’m the emperor.”

“You said you’re rich too.”

Rinel smiled, lifting one corner of his mouth at my reply.

Then he spoke warmly, as if it were a given.

“You’re the empress. We’re not strangers.”

I felt as if an invisible string was wrapping around him and me.

He gently stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.

Then he mouthed ‘Eat it all’ and turned around.

“Ah, wait.”

He was about to go outside, having opened the bedroom door handle shaped like a wyvern, but then he turned back to me.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Zelda, you’re the first.”

“What do you mean?”

“That I’ve given that pie to someone.”

“…Ah.”

“So, eat it all.”

Ten days later.

The original marriage ceremony of the Laphion royal family takes place in the banquet hall inside the main palace, and the ceremony with the harem is held simply in the prayer room of the temple building.

However, this harem ceremony was held on a fairly large scale in the chapel of the new building.