IWABES - Chapter 4 < The Night Was Over >

“Why are you doing this? It’s so weird...”

Emperor Linel gave me a few kisses, tilted his head, and muttered, Why are you doing this? No, what is strange?

“...?!”

Surprised by Emperor Linel’s beautiful face that had come closer, my lips opened without me knowing. Hey, I didn’t open them to kiss you, did I? 

My lips were instantly between his. Now, even though the handsome man was shattering my reason, I couldn’t react at all. My soul began to sway weakly towards him at the ecstatic touch. It felt as if I was dancing while listening to sweet sounds. It was as dizzying a moment as my life had been. My five senses were becoming more sensitive as if each and every nerve cell was awakening. 

By the way. What is he trying to confirm from me by being so busy between my lips? 

I don’t know why Emperor Linel is doing this, but I had no choice but to be proactive. Strangely, the pain that felt like my whole body was burning was disappearing. I unconsciously hugged him with both arms. It was just an action to survive. The space between our lips that had touched moved greatly at the same time. Ironically, even though the priests had left the bedroom, the kiss became more passionate.

“Hmm...”

Emperor Linel opened his lips first. The Emperor looked quite surprised as he watched me desperately cling to him. I too was surprised by my unexpected bold action. However, I couldn’t stop. The coolness seeped into my skin where his body touched, and I felt a refreshing feeling that words could not express. In contrast to his breathing which was getting hotter, my breathing was getting lighter. If I wasn’t mistaken, Emperor Linel’s face was also getting livelier. Even if I were to say so, why was he getting livelier? 

His face, which had been dripping with cold energy, was now flushed. There was something suspicious about this man. The veins on the Emperor’s nape and the two arms that were holding me back were so thick that they looked like they would burst if I pressed them lightly. Why was his face getting red? Why was he biting his lips? Was he holding his breath on purpose? 

There were only the two of us in the bedroom, but ironically, Emperor Linel’s acting was getting hotter. He tilted his head repeatedly and kissed me again. It felt really strange! 

Right now, I felt like some powerful force was pulling him towards me. The moment I swallowed, something unexpected happened...

I was becoming increasingly dizzy. I felt like I had been cut off from all of this time and space for a while and then came back. And when I came to, my body temperature, which had been boiling, had returned to normal. I felt like I was being engulfed in an irresistible force.

“Why on earth do I have this reaction when my skin touches the Empress... Why does my body become so warm?”

I also wanted to ask Emperor Linel, who was whispering in my ear, why do I feel so refreshed when our skin touches, why does my body feel so cool...?

“...I didn’t think it would be like this...”

Emperor Linel whispered with an embarrassed expression and a very sorry voice. I feel the same way. How did we end up like this?

“I’m sorry, I’m serious. But, Your Majesty...”

Emperor Linel, who was barely able to speak in a labored voice, clenched his teeth in pain as he tried to say something important.

“Huh?”

“Take it easy... relax.”

“Strength? What kind of strength are you talking about...?”

When I asked him in a puzzled tone, he slapped my hand as if he were slapping his arm in a fight to surrender to his opponent.

“If you’re not going to squeeze my arm, then relax your grip...”

It was only then that I realized that I was holding his arms tightly in my hands as if I were wringing out laundry.

“Oh, sorry!”

I quickly took my hands off his arms. I had held on so tightly that red handprints appeared on both of the Emperor’s arms. Emperor Linel buried his face in my neck and calmed his breathing. I wanted to ask, “Your Majesty, what were you trying to check earlier?” but the awkward atmosphere made my mouth not open. He held me for a while and said nothing. My heartbeat, which I couldn’t tell if it was mine or his, resonated throughout my body. The two heartbeats were like two racehorses racing each other, thumping, thumping. 

After a while, he raised his head and looked down at me. I didn’t avoid his blue eyes either. It would be awkward no matter where I looked. If I were going to do that, I thought it would be best to glare at the person who made me feel the most strange. I got a feeling when I saw his face, which was fidgeting for some reason. 

Ah, Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Lapion Empire...! Was today really your first night? 

The Kingdom of Shattonil is quite open to romance after the age of twenty. I was forced to live a saintly life because of my circumstances, but I was always on the lookout for an opportunity to express my passion. But why is this handsome man's eyes so pure? 

While I was having an unintentional stare-off with him, he suddenly kissed my eyelid. For a moment, I thought the Emperor was going to gouge out my eyeballs, so I shut my eyes tightly when his lips came near. Maybe that was really his intention. After failing to gouge out my eyeballs, he kissed my cheeks repeatedly like a puppy this time. Puppies are cute, aren't they? 

This man's breathing is so dangerous... He's sexy. 

I suddenly became curious about the Emperor's expression as he kissed my cheek, so I slowly opened my closed eyes. Emperor Linel had his eyes closed. His long eyelashes were fluttering. His intense appearance captivated people even when his pupils were not visible. My hand went up to his face, shining with dignity, without me knowing. The Emperor's skin, soft and smooth like silk, slipped in my hand. He opened his eyes and smiled at me for a moment before returning to his expressionless face. Was that smile just now a sneer? 

'You dare touch my noble and beautiful face now!' 

What did you mean? Sweat was bashfully flowing down Emperor Linel's face.

“What on earth is your true identity?”

He said, holding my chin with his hand. For a moment, my heart sank at his words. Was he starting to doubt my existence?

“I, I...”

“It wasn’t a question.”

At his words, I cautiously let out a sigh of relief.

"Then..."

“I couldn’t control it. I’ve always controlled everything that happened to me. But at that moment, why, why?”

Couldn't you stop? He stared at me and asked me questioningly.

“...”

He moved to lie down next to me as if he hadn't asked for my opinion in the first place. Then, after catching his breath for a moment, he glanced at me. When I smiled shyly at Emperor Linel's gaze, he suddenly covered my forehead with the blanket.

“Ugh, Your Majesty?!”

For a moment, I thought he was going to suffocate me. He chuckled at my flustered voice and pulled the blanket back down to my neck. When I glanced away, he pretended not to notice my gaze and shouted at the bedroom door.

“Stianne!”

As soon as Emperor Linel called the name of the chamberlain, the bedroom door opened and the priests who had been waiting outside came into the bedroom. 

*** 

The priests who surrounded the bedroom went around and congratulated him without any suspicion.

“Your Majesty, we will proceed with the final procedure.”

“Do so.”

The priests began to sing the last blessing song to announce that we had become a true couple. It was not bad to hear them singing in harmony. When the blessing song ended, the priests bowed very politely and left the bedroom in an orderly manner.

“I hope you both have a comfortable first night.”

Huh, you guys are joking. Isn't that something the people who made our first night the most uncomfortable should say? 

*** 

Once again, Emperor Linel, me, and the awkward atmosphere were left alone in the bedroom. We lay side by side, looking up at the ceiling mural of baby angels beckoning. Then, when Emperor Linel moved to raise his upper body, I felt anxious about his gaze looking down at me, so I slightly turned my body to the other side. But when I turned around, I realized that I didn't need to. My burn scars were gone because I had taken the magic potion. I forgot that fact and just did it out of habit.

"Empress..."

His cold voice tapped my back. Every time the Emperor called me Empress, I felt uncomfortable as if I was wearing clothes that were not mine.

"Empress."

He called me again.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I answered quietly.

“Don't turn your back.”

"... Yes?"

At his unexpected words, my body automatically turned to him.

“Don’t turn around first. Your back.”

“Oh, Your Majesty. I just...”

“I know. What you care about.”

His soft voice made me even more nervous. When I heard that, my stomach churned. Emperor Linel must have said it without meaning, but it felt embarrassing as if he knew my shortcomings. However, I no longer had any desire to turn my back on him again. I always pretended not to care about other people’s eyes, but in fact, that wasn’t true. I wanted to hide my burn scars that were obvious to others even a little more. No one openly mocked me, but everyone whispered behind my back. I knew well. The duplicity of the nobles. They treated me kindly on the outside, but when I approached them, they didn’t try to get close to me. Some of them deliberately hovered around me to prove that they were dignified nobles with sympathy and compassion. However, not a single one of them told me that I was okay the way I was. My burn scars were not okay, but pitiful, and they were like a mark that drew a line that they could not get close to. The eyes and silent expressions of the nobles who wanted me to avoid their gaze first. 

But... Emperor Linel was telling me not to turn my back on him first. This was the first time something like this had happened. Of course, he said it without seeing my burn scars, but it still touched my heart.

“What I said... did you understand?”

He asked again, seeming annoyed.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You were quick to respond to other questions, so why did you suddenly become silent again?”

He still glared at me with a displeased look, then said, "Ah," as if he had realized something. Then he frowned and let out a deep sigh, but after a long while he finally opened his mouth.

“I was just going to imitate you, but I ended up doing it anyway... So that’s why you’re upset.”

“?”

“Just now... Okay. I apologize again.”

Emperor Linel spoke to me politely. His gaze was so embarrassing that I couldn't help but get up. I pulled the fluffy blanket up to my chest and met his gaze. He stared at my face for a few seconds, then cleared his throat and spoke seriously.

“Ahem, the priests are quick-witted and have a keen eye for detail.”

"Yes?"

“Probably he was feeling divine outside the bedroom, whether we were really having a wild night or not.”

“...Suddenly?”

"What?"

“You clearly said earlier that they were stupid priests with poor divine powers, so even if they were watching from our bedrooms, they wouldn’t know that we were acting at all.”

“...Did I do that?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. You said so exactly one minute before the priests entered.”

“Maybe I said that because Empress was so nervous..."

Emperor Linel slapped his hand against the back of his neck and muttered an excuse. And he really looked sorry. In fact, he didn't need to do that at all. I wanted to tell him that he saved me because he took away my pain of burning alive in the flames. If he hadn't done that, I would have been the first to...

“You don’t have to apologize. We’re already a couple.”

As the acting Empress, my conscience pricked my heart as these words came out of my mouth so easily.

“It was warm.”

Emperor Linel spoke abruptly. Those few words, like a short confession, dug into my heart and settled heavily in my mind.

“I’m always a winter person. But when I kissed the Empress, it suddenly felt like spring. That’s why I wanted to find out more.”

“?”

He continued speaking calmly.

“I wonder if it was an illusion or if my body temperature really rose. But it wasn’t an illusion. My body even became hot like midsummer.”

What the hell is this?

“You probably know my condition roughly from hearing from Prince Tesla.”

When I stared blankly at his incomprehensible words, he chuckled.

“Didn’t Prince Tesla tell you about this too?”

Yeah, he's a handsome son of a bitch. After seeing your face, he doesn't look handsome anymore, so he's just a son of a bitch now.

“I have never heard anything from the Prince.”

“That’s why they say that royal weddings are full of lies.”

“Is there anything else you wanted me to hear?”

I asked calmly. His lips, which didn't seem like they would speak readily, moved again.

“It was during the last war in the Valley of Death. At that time, I was ambushed by a Southern Continent wizard who handled wyverns and was cursed.”

“A curse? What kind of...!”

At Emperor Linel's words of curse, the area of ​​my burn scar burned. I unconsciously raised and lowered my hand on my burn scar. His blue eyes, which felt cold, stared at me intently and answered.

“My body temperature is much lower than that of ordinary people. That is my curse. But the moment the Empress and I became like that without knowing it... I felt like all my frozen organs were thawed out.”

I gasped at Emperor Linel's words. It was the opposite reaction of mine. My body, which had been hot as if engulfed in flames, cooled down as soon as I touched him! Will my body temperature return to normal when we make contact? 

I wanted to tell him that I was experiencing similar symptoms to you. However, I had to hold back my words because I was only a proxy Empress, not his real wife.

“Surprised?”

“No. I am glad that Your Majesty feels at least a little bit more comfortable.”

“That was an understatement to say it was comfortable.”

Emperor Linel shook his head and spoke with conviction.

“I was fine, but I wonder what you were like... No, I’m worried.”

I felt even more embarrassed when I saw him looking at me like a shy boy. His eyes, which used to look cold, were moving around in confusion, which I found a little cute.

“Huh? What did you say?”

So I pretended not to understand and asked him back.

“Oh, was that question too tacky? The Empress would not understand.”

"Yes."

I nodded, swallowing back the laughter that was about to come out with a “Keuh” in my throat.

“This is the first time something like this has happened.”

"...Yes?"

“First time, I guess.”

He spoke with force in his voice as if he thought I hadn't heard him. I expected it, but it was still shocking to hear it directly from him.

“Your Majesty, is this really your first experience...?”

I asked the question out loud and then I realized, “Oops!” As expected, Emperor Linel’s expression suddenly crumpled and he stared at me with his eyes narrowed.

“Why, wasn’t this your first time... Empress?”

His low voice came flying fiercely.

“Or maybe it was because I wasn’t your ideal type.”

Huh? That's what I said last night... No way! 

For a moment, an ominous feeling came over me. I asked him again to confirm.

“Your Majesty, you are not my ideal type? What do you mean...”

“It’s the conversation we had yesterday. Don’t you remember?”

“!”

He smiled eerily.

“Your Majesty, by any chance yesterday...”

“Yeah, I remember.”

Emperor Linel said with a relaxed expression.

“And. How could I forget, when we met in such a place?”

Damn, I'm screwed. He remembers our meeting last night, even the random things I said!

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