What on earth is going on?

“Y-Your Majesty… How did you come… at this hour?”

“I walked.”

“?”

“Hm, do you not need to drink more water?”

“Ah, I’d like to drink a bit more…”

I raised my hand towards the glass of water he was holding, my thirst not yet fully quenched.

“This is warm water, is that alright?”

He asked, slightly lifting the glass he was holding as if trying to keep it out of my reach.

“I thought I just drank cold water… Was that my imagination?”

“It wasn’t your imagination. Seeing that the Empress desperately wanted cold water, I held this water in my mouth before passing it to you.”

“…Pardon?!”

Emperor Rinel seemed amused by my bewildered expression.

“Things that touch my hands decrease in temperature, making it possible.”

“Ah, is that why the water became cold?”

“Yes, it became even colder because it was in my mouth.”

I was at a loss for words at his added explanation.

“Do you need more water?”

“Yes, I do need it, but…”

“That means you need me.”

He mumbled to himself, nodding, then met my eyes and smiled slightly.

“Wait.”

As I swallowed dryly, he spoke while bringing the glass to his mouth.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he drank the water and approached my face closely.

My lips parted as if they had been waiting.

I absorbed the water he slowly transferred through his mouth.

Strangely, the water that had been in his mouth was as cold as ice water.

My mouth, which had felt like it was boiling, was gradually cooling down with the cool sensation of his soft touch.

“You still… look very thirsty?”

He whispered, removing his lips and gently holding my chin.

“I’m fine now…!”

Either not hearing my words or ignoring them, Emperor Rinel drank all the remaining water in the glass and passed it to me through his mouth again.

“Haa.”

It felt like the fire that had been rising from my throat was now completely extinguished.

As if I had plunged into an oasis in the middle of a sun-scorched desert.

Even after delivering the last sip of water, he was still pressing his lips against mine.

I gently pushed his shoulder away.

“R-Really, it’s enough now.”

I said, wiping my moistened lips with the back of my hand, thanks to Emperor Rinel.

“I’m the one who gave you cool water, but how strange. Why do I feel warmth spreading through my body…”

He fiddled with the water glass he was still holding.

“It must be your imagination?”

He murmured like that and lifted his head to look at me again.

“Empress, are you not feeling ill by any chance? Like a cold?”

He placed his hand on my forehead and tilted his head.

“There’s no fever.”

It seemed that he couldn’t feel the hot sensation inside my body either.

“I’m not ill anywhere. I was just thirsty while half-asleep. But Your Majesty, truly, why at this hour…”

“I said I would come to the Empress’s palace tonight, didn’t I mention it during lunch?”

“Ah, that’s true, but since there was no message until evening, I thought you weren’t coming.”

“It looked like it would be very late… I thought the Empress might stay up waiting, so I told them not to inform you.”

“I see…”

“I just dropped by briefly to see your face before leaving, but I ended up waking you.”

“With Your Majesty’s lips, you mean?”

I smiled as I countered his words, but he still looked at me with worried eyes.

“Earlier… it seemed like you were having a nightmare?”

“Ah, it happens sometimes.”

As I tried to brush it off lightly, he made a somewhat dubious expression but didn’t inquire further.

“I see.”

We exchanged glances silently for a moment.

Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, I first lifted the corners of my mouth slightly, and he, seemingly as awkward as I was, followed suit.

Then after clearing his throat a few times, he rose from the bed where he had been sitting.

“Ahem, well, since you’re alright now, I’ll be going back.”

“Yes…”

“?”

At his words about leaving, I also got up from the bed to see him off.

“Are you going to your main palace bedroom?”

“…Yes. Where else would I go?”

Emperor Rinel’s voice was somewhat cold.

Though his words sounded as if he would turn away at any moment, for some reason, he still remained in place.

What should I say to the Emperor who was standing there, staring blankly at me?

Should I hold him back out of courtesy? Or should I tell him to return safely again?

The cause of this hesitation stemmed from one thing.

If I were his real wife, I would surely have grabbed his arm.

But I…

“Then, please return safely…”

I’m not Emperor Rinel’s real wife.

In the end, I bowed my head and greeted him once more.

“Just stay here. No need to come out.”

Emperor Rinel spoke as if giving an order, turning to look at me as I tried to follow him to the bedroom door.

“Ah, yes.”

As I watched his back walking towards the bedroom door, I felt a little regretful.

The thought crossed my mind that if he turned back just once more, I might gather the courage to approach him, but…

Click-.

He left the bedroom just like that.

It felt as if a sense of emptiness was seeping through the cracks of the bedroom door.

I stood looking at the bedroom door until the sound of his fading footsteps disappeared.

Silence returned once again.

I turned off the small lamp he had left on and lay back down on the bed.

In the darkness, with my eyes open, I recalled that moment when I had vaguely awakened just before.

I rewound my memory to the point when the water he had passed between my lips was seeping in.

And placing my hand on my slightly beating heart, I tried to feel that sensation again.

The cool water,

The feeling of soft lips,

His soft… moving slightly as he passed the water.

It all seemed sweet.

No, it was sweet.

Moreover, it was thrilling too.

I brought my hand, which was placed on my heart, to my lips.

And very naturally, my hand caressed the place where the burn scar had been on the right side of my face.

Would he have left if I had held him back?

“Get a grip. What are you expecting?”

I have nothing of my own in the Raphion Imperial family.

Once again, I reminded myself of the role given to me, hypnotizing myself inwardly.

That I can’t be his woman.

That he will never fall in love with me.

So get a grip!

…But what if he does fall in love with me?

“No.”

I shook my head vigorously, trying to drive away the thoughts that kept building hope.

“That’s impossible!”

As I let out a hollow laugh and flipped the blanket over my head again.

Click-.

The bedroom door opened without a knock.

I jolted up, raising my upper body.

A long black shadow was cast inside the bedroom.

“W-Who is it?!”

My voice came out too high due to my startled state.

Despite my question, the black shadow approached me slowly without any answer.

The pitch-black darkness unnecessarily heightened one’s sense of fear to the extreme.

“I-I asked who it is! How dare you enter without knocking at this hour! Can you not hear me? You’re fearless! I’m asking who you are!”

“Your fearless husband.”

“…Y-Your Majesty?”

I quickly turned on the lamp.

Even in the dim light, his blue eyes were clearly visible.

“Why did you come back?”

“On my way back, I thought about it and felt displeased.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Couldn’t you have at least pretended to ask me to stay for a cup of tea?”

Emperor Rinel asked in a disgruntled voice, as if interrogating.

I glanced at the bedside clock.

“…Tea at this hour?”

“Well, I suppose it’s not the time for tea.”

He followed my gaze to check the time, then slightly relaxed his furrowed brow and changed his words.

“What about asking me to stay the night? Was that something you couldn’t say, no matter what?”

“T-That… I thought Your Majesty wouldn’t want that.”

“How would the Empress know that?”

Emperor Rinel’s sharp gaze fixed on my face.

His eyes stared at me as if interrogating insistently.

“I know that Your Majesty is considerate of me out of benevolence, but I was concerned that you might be forcing yourself to come to the Empress’s palace…”

“Empress, I apologize for interrupting, but I don’t understand what you’re saying. Moreover…”

He raised one hand to stop my words and poured out his own.

“Do you think I’m benevolent? Just today, over ten people lost their heads by my order.”

“…I-I’ll take back the benevolence.”

“Right. Anyway, you’re saying you didn’t hold me back out of consideration for me?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“Don’t you know that your consideration is making me angry?”

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty!”

“I mean that such consideration is unnecessary.”

He approached the bed.

“Instead, I’ll gladly accept the consideration of offering me a place by your side.”

“Pardon? Are you saying you’ll sleep here?”

I asked, looking back and forth between Emperor Rinel and the bed with wide eyes.

“Do you think I came back just to complain about why you didn’t hold me back?”

“T-Then…?”

“I came to sleep!”

Emperor Rinel spat out the words in an upset tone and carelessly threw off the robe he was wearing over his shoulders onto the floor.

As I stood there stiffly, staring blankly, he lightly patted my shoulder and then sprawled out on the bed.

“Do you intend to stand there and dare to look down on me, the Emperor? Well, that’s refreshing too.”

“N-No, that’s not it.”

I immediately lowered my gaze.

“Lie down too, Empress. I’d like to have a conversation from the same viewpoint.”

He pulled my hand with a slightly tired voice.

“I’m tired of seeing eyes always looking up at me. I want the Empress to look me in the eye from up close.”

I carefully lay down in the space he made for me and looked up at the ceiling.

“Turn towards me.”

He commanded.

I swiftly turned my face towards the Emperor.

“How cold. I meant turn your whole body towards me.”

His deep voice was filled with affection.

As if under a spell from his words, I unknowingly turned my body towards Emperor Rinel in one swift motion.

He had already turned his body towards me.

Propping up his handsome face with one hand, he was waiting for my gaze.

As I faced his refined features up close, it felt like my breath was getting tangled.

I swallowed hard and awkwardly moved my lips.

He said nothing, just meeting my eyes, then covered my eyes with his large hand and whispered.

“I know my appearance is desirable.”

It was a signal to stop staring.

As I let out a small laugh at those words, he spoke again in a voice devoid of jest.

“It seems I’ve needlessly disturbed your sleep. Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

I shook my head and whispered.

“You understand. That’s how I am. I’m not someone who can make others comfortable.”

“I… find Your Majesty comfortable.”

“What?”

Emperor Rinel’s straight eyebrows rose up as if something was wrong with my answer.

He slowly raised his upper body and looked down at me with a serious expression, asking.

“Saying your husband is comfortable in bed is… insulting?”

He misunderstood my words in a strange way.

He truly sounded displeased.

“No! I-I mean, when I said comfortable, I didn’t mean that you don’t feel like a man! Certainly, when we kissed, my heart was pounding so much that I wanted to rip it out completely, no, I don’t mean I wanted to rip off my lips, I meant I wanted to rip out my heart…!”

“…”

What am I babbling about right now?

In my bewilderment, I blurted out incoherent words without any order, then gasped and stopped talking.

“Go on, continue.”

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Being half-asleep, I forgot I was in your presence and just blurted out nonsense.”

“Continue. I’ll finish it, so the Empress can blurt out or spread out as you please.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m originally talented at finishing things. Be it wars or people. I see everything through to the end.”

Somehow, hearing that makes my spine tingle.

“So, what I mean is, what I want to say is…”

“You want to keep your lips attached?”

“Yes! I want to attach them again… Eeek?!”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll gladly oblige.”

Emperor Rinel’s hands cupped my face.

“I permit it.”

He immediately began to torment my lips.

“Attach them. To your heart’s content.”

His sweet voice resonated within me.

I closed my eyes tightly and held my breath.

As my shoulders rose sharply with tension, my body simultaneously stiffened.

“Empress, is it because there’s no water in my mouth now that you’re not opening your lips?”

Emperor Rinel asked, rubbing his lips against mine with his head tilted.

Hearing his words, I finally realized that I had my lips tightly closed.

“Ah, I’m sorr… Mmph!”

As I exhaled the breath I had been holding, my lips parted.

Emperor Rinel seized that tiny gap and delved in.