“Whoa, whoa.”

Rinel grabbed Melanie’s wrists with one hand as she approached him waving her arms, then turned to his secretary.

“Raphael, is it legally required? That the emperor must spend the first night with a concubine?”

“There is no such law. Only the first night with Her Majesty the Empress is legally stipulated.”

Raphael glanced at the whining Melanie as he answered him.

“So that’s what the law says.”

Rinel said to her as if admonishing her.

“Calm down and go back to bed to rest.”

Rinel tried to calm her again.

“But… you came all the way here……”

As Melanie continued to whine, he turned to Raphael again.

In response, Raphael began to recite the recorded contents about the first night of the emperor and concubine, as if he had been waiting for this.

“I humbly report… There are records of two thousand previous emperors who never met even once with the concubines they took in.”

I suddenly wondered why Raphael memorized such useless knowledge, but I suppose it was to use in cases like this.

“Melanie, congratulations.”

Rinel said, patting her shoulder.

“Congratulations? Your Majesty, are you going to stay in my quarters tonight? Oh, how wonderful!”

Melanie jumped up and down on the floor with joy.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He imitated Melanie’s cute way of speaking and shattered her joy in an instant.

“What? You didn’t mean……”

“I meant congratulations on meeting me today. They say two thousand concubines of previous emperors were never met even once. At least you won’t be among them, so it’s worth congratulating.”

“Heeeng.”

“You seem to be good at running. Seeing you keep neighing like a horse.”

“Your Majesty!”

Melanie called out to him imploringly with a voice mixed with despair.

“From now on, don’t roll down the stairs, but run in the field beyond the rear garden.”

“Phoooo.”

She blew a raspberry and shook her head violently at Rinel’s cold expression, as if throwing a tantrum.

By this point, I seriously doubted whether Melanie might have been a horse in her past life.

I almost wanted to tell Sharon to bring some carrots for Melanie.

“Empress, let’s go now.”

Rinel sighed and gently turned me around.

“B-but! You went to Lady Catherine’s quarters yesterday, didn’t you?”

As I was about to turn around with him, Melanie called out urgently.

“Who says that? That I went to her quarters.”

Rinel turned to her and asked.

“What? Then Catherine, I mean, Lady Catherine also yesterday……”

“Yes, she slept alone. She probably didn’t roll down the stairs like someone else, though.”

Rinel added that she should just go to bed and lie down.

“Then when will you come to my quarters?”

He responded without hesitation to Melanie’s desperate voice from behind.

“When I hear news that you jumped up the stairs in one leap instead of rolling down them, I’ll visit again then.”

That meant he wouldn’t come.

I glanced back at Melanie as I was led out by his hand.

She was making a dejected expression, repeating “Oh oh…!” with one hand raised in the air, looking very disappointed.

It was the moment another concubine, following Catherine, came to think of me as an enemy.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Couldn’t you have spoken more warmly to her?”

I said to him as soon as we left Melanie’s quarters.

“I did my best. Don’t scold me.”

Rinel replied, looking up at the full moon.

“How dare I scold Your Majesty?”

“Zelda, haven’t you already committed too many things you ‘dare not’ do to me? Even in the main palace bedroom.”

He grabbed his chin and opened and closed his mouth wide, glancing down at my feet.

“My mouth still hurts.”

“……Should I roll somewhere like Melanie?”

“Oh.”

He responded as if he had been waiting for my jokingly thrown words.

“I’ll decide where the empress rolls.”

“……”

What a cold-hearted man.

“Please choose a place where I won’t get badly hurt.”

“You won’t get hurt. I won’t let you roll alone either.”

He put his arm around my shoulder and hurried his steps.

“Let’s go roll.”

“Where is that?”

“Do you really need to know right now?”

“I need to prepare myself mentally too. Is it somewhere you can’t tell me now?”

“There’s no reason I can’t.”

Rinel answered readily, then looked back.

Suddenly, he ordered the attendants following us:

“Everyone turn around, raise your heads, and admire that full moon for a moment before we go!”

What on earth is he saying?

The attendants, like me, all murmured in confusion at the emperor’s sudden order.

“I know you all spend a lot of time with your heads bowed all day. At least at times like this, raise your heads and admire that beautiful full moon.”

The attendants looked at Rinel with admiration at his words.

“Everyone raise your heads. Look at the full moon and purify your hearts!”

“Your Majesty, I’m moved to tears by your profound intention.”

“We are simply amazed by Your Majesty’s consideration for us.”

“It’s a beautiful night, Your Majesty!”

Not only Rinel’s attendants, but even my attendants joined in praising him.

“Enough, everyone turn around. You must not lower your heads or turn back until I give the order. Understood?”

“Yes, we will obey your command!”

The attendants chanted in unison and all turned around at once, raising their heads to start admiring the full moon.

I too was about to raise my head to look at the full moon like the attendants, but Rinel placed his hand on the crown of my head and applied pressure.

Because of that, my raised head lowered again.

My gaze met his face, shining brighter than the full moon.

“You said you wanted to know.”

He whispered.

“Pardon?”

“The place where the empress should roll.”

“Ah, where is that… mmph?!”

Smooch, Rinel’s lips pressed firmly against mine, then parted.

“Here.”

“The place where I should roll?”

I asked, pointing at my lips with my finger.

“Yes.”

“But what does that……”

Nonsense? ……is what I thought.

But even if it couldn’t be said, my body was responding.

Just as my lips were about to part, he removed his lips and said,

“The full moon is so bright.”

He said as he hugged me from behind.

His breath tickled my ear.

Rinel’s hand gently turned my chin to the side.

The cool breath filled with his softness entered my mouth.

His kiss never acted alone.

It rolled gently, taking care of me amicably.

Kissing him felt more dangerous and thrilling than rolling down stairs.

We enjoyed the thrill with many attendants right in front of us.

The attendants, completely unaware of what the emperor and empress were doing behind their backs, were enjoying themselves, gesturing at the full moon.

I was anxious that the attendants might turn around.

“No one’s looking. It’s the emperor’s order.”

Rinel whispered with a chuckle, seeing my worried expression.

Still, as I kept glancing at the attendants, he changed positions again and stood in front of me.

He covered both sides of my face with his hands and said,

“Look only at me.”

His smile, with the moonlight at his back, was enchanting.

I felt like I might go blind.

Not just my eyes, but I was scared that my reason might go blind too.

I wanted to run away from his perfect face looking at me.

So I closed my eyes completely.

When I couldn’t see him anymore, I suddenly wanted to feel him, as if I had gained courage.

I lifted my chin and offered my lips to him.

I knew Rinel would be staring down at my face with a smile.

He never hesitated for long.

To that place where only he and I could share the sensation.

I liked that he didn’t keep me waiting and came in sweetly right away.

I was so happy that I completely forgot there were attendants in front of us.

After a moment, I slowly opened my eyes.

“Rinel……”

“Don’t call me with those eyes. Not if you don’t want to shock the attendants right here.”

Rinel lifted my chin and gave a subtle smile.

A lavender scent wafted on the breeze.

It was a welcome fragrance that calmed my roughening breath.

I almost collapsed to the ground as my legs went weak.

I felt something becoming distant. I needed something to support my body.

Instinctively, I lightly grasped his waist with both hands.

Then his sturdy arms brought me into his embrace.

It was warm and cozy.

It was a distinctly different feeling from the hot energy I usually felt.

For a moment, I almost blurted out a word I hadn’t even thought of, looking at Rinel’s eyes gazing down at me.

“Is it love?”

The words that had been swirling in my mind came out of Rinel’s mouth first.

“What… did you just say?”

I was shocked that he was thinking the same thing as me.

And the fact that he said it out loud was even more surprising.

“I’m sure I like you, but if I say I love you already, I might seem too frivolous, so I added a question mark at the end.”

Are we already in love?

If there was a house called love, he seemed like a person just about to open the front door.

I couldn’t believe those lovely eyes looking at me right now.

“Is it in progress? If so, you’ll have to speed things up a bit.”

He asked, pressing his forehead against mine.

The Emperor of the Raphion Empire, that is.

“I feel like I’m almost there.”

“……Where?”

“To that emotion, I mean. If you come too slowly, it’ll be too… painful for me alone.”

“Painful?”

“Yes, enduring it. Here.”

Rinel said, taking my hand and placing it over his heart.

“So speed up your emotions too.”

“I’m confident in speed.”

I said with an awkward smile, as if joking.

“Hah, with such a delicate body, what speed?”

He grasped my sunken waistline with both hands, disparaging my physical strength.

I opened my mouth to retort to Rinel, but instead just put on a demure expression.

That’s because I remembered what Sharon, Solly, and Teresa had drummed into my ears earlier today, on the way back from the greenhouse.

.

.

.

‘Your Majesty the Empress, I say this out of concern, but you shouldn’t show off your strength in front of His Majesty. Do you understand?’

‘That’s right. Other women often pat the person next to them when laughing, but Your Majesty the Empress must absolutely! never do that. Promise us!’

‘And sometimes when dining, drop your fork from your hand, can you do that?’

After listening silently to their advice, I asked about a part I couldn’t understand at all.

‘Why drop the fork?’

‘It’s proof of how delicate you are.’

‘Ah, men like that sort of thing?’

When I asked with a puzzled expression, they all nodded in unison.

I couldn’t understand.

Men’s ideal type is a woman on the verge of needing care?

‘It triggers their protective instinct.’

‘They want to protect you if you’re delicate.’

Aha, so that’s why no one has ever protected me in my life.

Who knew the mystery of my lonely life would be solved like this.

.

.

.

Anyway, Rinel was surprisingly thinking of me as a delicate wife.

Then it would be good to let him believe that, right?

But I didn’t want to appear too weak.

“It’s true that my body is delicate… but I’m not as weak as I look.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe it until you prove it.”

“……Prove it?”

I looked around the garden.

Oh, there was a rock at a suitable distance that looked easy to lift.

Should I lift that rock to prove it?

No, I can’t. Then I won’t be able to drop the fork later…

As I was hesitating while staring at the rock, Rinel quietly said after watching me for a while.

“Over there, that rock.”

As expected, he seemed to have the same thought as me.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Shall we rest there for a bit?”

“……Ah!”

So that’s what he meant?

I had been secretly flexing my wrist muscles, but then stopped.

I almost ended up throwing that rock towards the full moon to show him.