“I stayed in the quarters where the courtiers stay.”
Nelly hesitated for a while as if he didn’t want to reveal his personal information in detail before answering.
“Oh, that’s right. The building where the courtiers stay is close to the West Palace, right?”
“You know the layout of the palace well?”
Nelly hesitated for a while as if he didn’t want to reveal his personal information in detail before answering.
“Oh, that’s right. The building where the courtiers stay is close to the West Palace, right?”
“You know the layout of the palace well?”
He stared at me as if he were surprised.
I quickly replied, feeling stung.
“I’ve been to the palace a few times. When my ex-husband and I were on good terms…”
“Ah... when you were on good terms.”
He narrowed his brows as he chewed on my words.
Are you suspicious?
Before he could ask more about my ex-husband, I told him the truth about why I was really here.
“Actually, I didn’t come to see him.”
“Then?”
“I have a friend at the palace. I came to see her.”
“Through the hole at this hour?”
“My husband must not know that I have been in and out of the palace. As I said, he is in a high position, so it is easy for him to find out that I have been to the palace.”
So I added that I had been using the dog hole. It was not a complete lie, so it was not too much of a pain.
“Your ex-husband committed the crime, so what if he finds out?”
“He thought I left the palace. If he found out that I was here, many people would be in trouble.”
“Why?”
“Sorry, there are many things I cannot explain.”
I put my hands together and gave him a look that said to stop asking questions.
“How complicated must the family be for a lady to use the dog hole...”
Nelly muttered with a pitiful expression, looking back and forth between the dog hole and my face.
“I do not want sympathy. I have a difficult situation, so please understand.”
“Yes, then who is the friend you came to see? You have to tell me. Oh, it is almost time for the guards to patrol.”
He took out his pocket watch from his pants pocket, checked the time, and raised one corner of his mouth.
It was a smile that said he would hand me over to the guards if I did not tell him.
“One of the concubines.”
“...Who is the concubine?”
“Her Highness Rosie.”
“Does that concubine know that you’re coming?”
“No, no. She doesn’t know at all! I’m just going to see her...”
I waved both hands to deny his words, lest Rosie get into trouble because of this.
“I told you. I have something I have to tell her.”
“What is it that you have to tell her, even at the risk of such danger?”
Oh, you persistent brat.
“I just came to see her one last time before leaving the palace. I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.”
“...Where are you planning on going?”
Nelly’s expression became very serious.
“Anywhere but this damned Lapion Empire.”
I looked around the palace and clenched my molars.
“Yes, go ahead. Turn around the back road. There shouldn’t be any guards there since they’ve already patrolled that area once.”
“Thank you! Nelly, if we’re meant to meet, let’s meet again. I’ll buy you a drink then.”
I was touched by his consideration.
I wanted to hug and leave, but I didn’t want to part ways like that, so I turned around neatly.
“Instead!”
He turned me back.
When I looked up at him, he lowered his gaze and said in an orderly manner.
“See you later.”
“What?”
“I... have something to say to you, too.”
“What?”
“Let’s meet later and talk. Where should we meet? Would it be better near Her Highness Rosie's place? Or here?”
This man was serious.
I was curious about what he would say to me, but my opinion that continuing our relationship here would not be good for either of us remained unchanged.
Wouldn’t it be better to just make a promise, go to Rosie’s place, and then just go back?
If we meet near Rosie’s place or here, it would be hard to shake him off... What should I do?
“You know what happens if I run away this time, too?”
It was like he could see right through my head.
“I’m thinking of paying a few pennies to the guards I know to stand guard in front of Rosie Mama’s place and the dog hole. So don’t think about leaving this place without meeting me.”
Have you ever seen such a meticulous guy?
Oh, right. He saved me from the dog hole, so don’t act like a slut.
I gave up on running away and thought about where to meet him.
The perfect place just popped into my head.
“There’s a place where you can avoid people’s eyes! Let’s meet there.”
“Where is that?”
He asked with a look of great anticipation.
I lifted my heel and whispered in his ear.
He looked puzzled at my words.
“Why... of all places... do you want to meet me...?”
Moiya, who arrived at Rosie’s residence in the form of a pigeon, pecked at the terrace door of her room with his beak and said,
“You insignificant meow, come here.”
“Meow? (Moiya?)”
Aoshi, who had been lying around on Rosie’s bed for free, jumped from the bed to the terrace door at Moiya’s voice. Rosie, who had been sitting on the floor reading a book out of habit, also raised her head and ran to the terrace door.
Aoshi, who had arrived in front of the terrace door before Rosie, jumped up and grabbed the terrace door handle with his front paw.
“Oh? Aoshi, have you grown a lot in the past month? Your footwork has gotten stronger, too?”
Moiya exclaimed as he entered the room.
“Meow! (Moiya! You’re alive!)”
When Aoshi hugged Moiya, Moiya also returned to his original form and hugged him back.
“I’m not alive, I haven’t eaten sausages lately, so I have no energy at all, Moiya~.”
Moiya deliberately pretended to be pitiful, tucking his chubby cheeks and belly in.
“Her Majesty? Is Her Majesty the Empress okay? Did something come up that sent you away? Where is she now? Huh?”
Rosie grabbed Moiya and shook him, asking urgently.
“Don’t worry, forget about buying me sausages, drink yourself to death, and have fun.”
Moiya pouted, feeling resentful at Zelda for coming back empty-handed last night.
“Is she... in the palace right now?”
Rosie took a deep breath and asked in a low voice with a nervous expression.
“No. She’s in the palace.”
The last thing Moiya saw was Zelda sticking her head into a small hole under the castle wall.
So her master was about to arrive here.
“Huh! Really? She came to see me? Really?”
“Huh, where is Sharon? She told me to tell Sharon too.”
“Wait, I have to tell Misha to bring Sharon.”
“She told me not to let anyone else know. Aoshi, you go. I can’t go because I can’t eat sausages.”
Moiya flew to Rosie’s bed and fell down with a thud.
Moiya, who had his eyes closed, smiled bashfully as he recalled Nana’s wrinkled face that he had met at the Empress’s Palace earlier.
“Yes, Aoshi. I’ll write you a note, so you can go. Do you know where Sharon is?”
“Meow. (Yeah, Rosie, I went there without telling you yesterday.)”
Rosie tore a piece of paper from her book and wrote a message telling Sharon to come to her residence immediately.
“Tell Sharon to bring plenty of sausages when you come. This is an order from Her Majesty the Empress!”
Moiya opened his eyes wide and shouted in a profound voice.
She happily nodded her head and wrote on a piece of paper that she wanted to bring sausages.
Even just this, the quick-witted Sharon would know that Moiya had come.
“Aoshi, come back soon.”
Rosie said, tying a thin string to the bell on Aoshi’s neck.
Aoshi nodded as if to tell her not to worry and jumped down the terrace without hesitation.
After barely parting with Nelly, I arrived safely at Rosie’s quarters.
It was much easier to get here than to deal with him.
When I arrived at the West Palace Garden, I encountered a couple of guards patrolling, but they simply passed me by, thinking I was just a servant.
When I entered Rosie’s room through the terrace door, Rosie and Sharon, who had been waiting for me, burst into tears as soon as they saw me.
After crying for a few minutes, they each examined my body, left and right, and lamented that I had lost a lot of weight.
“Why? I’ve gained more weight.”
But Rosie and Sharon ignored the truth that the person in question was telling.
So I told them the story of how I almost got caught by the guards when I got stuck in the hole.
Even so, the two of them kept talking about how half my face was gone, and how my waist was a handful, and they cried again.
After barely calming Rosie and Sharon down, I was finally able to hear about the current atmosphere in the palace and the story about the Emperor's second marriage, Princess Roxana.
After parting ways with her in front of the hole, Linel headed to the place where she had asked him to meet.
He was overcome with doubts the whole time he walked along the forest path lined with cypress trees.
He couldn't sleep today either, so he was taking a walk in the quiet backyard.
As he walked along the road, the cool breeze suddenly felt like a spring breeze.
His feet moved in the direction the spring breeze was blowing.
He felt his body getting warmer and warmer as he walked, and he heard a rustling sound under the castle wall.
At first, he thought it was an animal living in the forest.
When he pushed through the grass and entered, he was surprised to see that it was the woman he had met last night.
He doubted his eyes.
It was surprising to see her again, but the condition of her butt stuck in the hole was even more surprising.
He wondered if she had been drinking and wandering around again tonight and had crawled here.
“She’s a really unfamiliar woman.”
When Linel finally arrived at the meeting place, his curiosity about her grew.
There were several training grounds in the palace.
In particular, the training ground in the cypress forest was off-limits to ordinary knights.
Except for the upper-ranking knights and the Emperor himself, few people were allowed to enter freely.
She clearly seemed to already know that this place was a good place to avoid people’s eyes.
“What on earth is that bastard’s job title that she knows about this place?”
And since she even knew Raphael’s nickname, it seemed like he was in an important position.
How long had she been waiting?
She could be seen in the distance.
Even in the darkness, her face was shining.
She kept looking back, guarding her surroundings, but smiled brightly at him.
Linel wanted to ask her if she was smiling because she was glad that she had arrived safely, avoiding the eyes of others, or because she was happy to see him again.
He was waving at her without realizing it.
He realized it before he put his hand down.
He had been very worried that the woman would not show up, that she would disappear without saying anything.
When she stood in front of him, he deliberately asked bluntly to hide his feelings.
“Why did you ask to meet me here?”
Did you get scared because I asked you to meet me here?
I reassured him, who was nervous in front of the training ground, and led him inside.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s okay.”
He looked bewildered, but he obediently stepped into the training ground.
“It’s better not to turn on the lights.”
I said, grabbing his arm as he was about to head toward the oil lamp on the wall.
“Why?”
“There aren’t many people visiting the training grounds at this hour, but just in case.”
“But isn’t it too dark? And even if we don’t turn on the lights, if we talk here, the sound will echo and everyone will know that there are people from the entrance.”
“Oh, right. That’s right. Then it would be better to go somewhere where no one comes. Let’s go.”
I grabbed the end of his robe and started walking.
“Where are you going again?”
“Follow me and you’ll know.”
I headed toward the warehouse, recalling the day a month ago when Catherine had secretly met with Count Ethan, who was in charge of the blacksmith shop at the training grounds warehouse before leaving for the Continental Hunting Competition.
“This is... the weapons warehouse, right?”
He asked in front of the warehouse door, laughing in vain.
His eyes asked how I knew about a place like this.
“A concubine I know told me. There are court ladies who often enjoy secret meetings here.”
I couldn’t say that I had seen it with my own eyes when I was Empress, so I said it indirectly.
“Did Concubine Rosie tell you?”
“...No, another concubine.”
At that moment, Melanie, who had witnessed Catherine and Count Ethan’s secret meeting, almost blurted out.
“I guess your husband is indeed in a key position. Considering how many concubines you know.”
“Hmm... They’re all the same age, and I’ve known them all since my time as a young lady.”
He nodded in agreement, perhaps because the explanation sounded plausible.
“Nelly, you’ve never been to a place like this before, have you?”
I asked as I opened the warehouse door.
The bright full moon was shining through the window, so the warehouse wasn’t as dark as I thought.
“How could I have ended up in a place like this?”
He muttered as he looked around the warehouse, moving his head back and forth.
“But it’s strange...”
“What’s strange?”
“This place. It’s definitely my first time here, but I feel a sense of déjà vu.”
“Think about it carefully. Couldn’t he have sneaked into the warehouse with a woman when he was really drunk?”
“Never. There’s no way I would bring a woman to a shabby place like this. No matter how urgent it may be, this is not right.”
He said firmly.
“Well. A woman who follows me to a place like this just because she brought me here is not in her right mind.”
After saying that, I realized that I was not unfamiliar with the warehouse.
What is it? Strange.
I quickly replied, feeling stung.
“I’ve been to the palace a few times. When my ex-husband and I were on good terms…”
“Ah... when you were on good terms.”
He narrowed his brows as he chewed on my words.
Are you suspicious?
Before he could ask more about my ex-husband, I told him the truth about why I was really here.
“Actually, I didn’t come to see him.”
“Then?”
“I have a friend at the palace. I came to see her.”
“Through the hole at this hour?”
“My husband must not know that I have been in and out of the palace. As I said, he is in a high position, so it is easy for him to find out that I have been to the palace.”
So I added that I had been using the dog hole. It was not a complete lie, so it was not too much of a pain.
“Your ex-husband committed the crime, so what if he finds out?”
“He thought I left the palace. If he found out that I was here, many people would be in trouble.”
“Why?”
“Sorry, there are many things I cannot explain.”
I put my hands together and gave him a look that said to stop asking questions.
“How complicated must the family be for a lady to use the dog hole...”
Nelly muttered with a pitiful expression, looking back and forth between the dog hole and my face.
“I do not want sympathy. I have a difficult situation, so please understand.”
“Yes, then who is the friend you came to see? You have to tell me. Oh, it is almost time for the guards to patrol.”
He took out his pocket watch from his pants pocket, checked the time, and raised one corner of his mouth.
It was a smile that said he would hand me over to the guards if I did not tell him.
“One of the concubines.”
“...Who is the concubine?”
“Her Highness Rosie.”
“Does that concubine know that you’re coming?”
“No, no. She doesn’t know at all! I’m just going to see her...”
I waved both hands to deny his words, lest Rosie get into trouble because of this.
“I told you. I have something I have to tell her.”
“What is it that you have to tell her, even at the risk of such danger?”
Oh, you persistent brat.
“I just came to see her one last time before leaving the palace. I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.”
“...Where are you planning on going?”
Nelly’s expression became very serious.
“Anywhere but this damned Lapion Empire.”
I looked around the palace and clenched my molars.
“Yes, go ahead. Turn around the back road. There shouldn’t be any guards there since they’ve already patrolled that area once.”
“Thank you! Nelly, if we’re meant to meet, let’s meet again. I’ll buy you a drink then.”
I was touched by his consideration.
I wanted to hug and leave, but I didn’t want to part ways like that, so I turned around neatly.
“Instead!”
He turned me back.
When I looked up at him, he lowered his gaze and said in an orderly manner.
“See you later.”
“What?”
“I... have something to say to you, too.”
“What?”
“Let’s meet later and talk. Where should we meet? Would it be better near Her Highness Rosie's place? Or here?”
This man was serious.
I was curious about what he would say to me, but my opinion that continuing our relationship here would not be good for either of us remained unchanged.
Wouldn’t it be better to just make a promise, go to Rosie’s place, and then just go back?
If we meet near Rosie’s place or here, it would be hard to shake him off... What should I do?
“You know what happens if I run away this time, too?”
It was like he could see right through my head.
“I’m thinking of paying a few pennies to the guards I know to stand guard in front of Rosie Mama’s place and the dog hole. So don’t think about leaving this place without meeting me.”
Have you ever seen such a meticulous guy?
Oh, right. He saved me from the dog hole, so don’t act like a slut.
I gave up on running away and thought about where to meet him.
The perfect place just popped into my head.
“There’s a place where you can avoid people’s eyes! Let’s meet there.”
“Where is that?”
He asked with a look of great anticipation.
I lifted my heel and whispered in his ear.
He looked puzzled at my words.
“Why... of all places... do you want to meet me...?”
***
Moiya, who arrived at Rosie’s residence in the form of a pigeon, pecked at the terrace door of her room with his beak and said,
“You insignificant meow, come here.”
“Meow? (Moiya?)”
Aoshi, who had been lying around on Rosie’s bed for free, jumped from the bed to the terrace door at Moiya’s voice. Rosie, who had been sitting on the floor reading a book out of habit, also raised her head and ran to the terrace door.
Aoshi, who had arrived in front of the terrace door before Rosie, jumped up and grabbed the terrace door handle with his front paw.
“Oh? Aoshi, have you grown a lot in the past month? Your footwork has gotten stronger, too?”
Moiya exclaimed as he entered the room.
“Meow! (Moiya! You’re alive!)”
When Aoshi hugged Moiya, Moiya also returned to his original form and hugged him back.
“I’m not alive, I haven’t eaten sausages lately, so I have no energy at all, Moiya~.”
Moiya deliberately pretended to be pitiful, tucking his chubby cheeks and belly in.
“Her Majesty? Is Her Majesty the Empress okay? Did something come up that sent you away? Where is she now? Huh?”
Rosie grabbed Moiya and shook him, asking urgently.
“Don’t worry, forget about buying me sausages, drink yourself to death, and have fun.”
Moiya pouted, feeling resentful at Zelda for coming back empty-handed last night.
“Is she... in the palace right now?”
Rosie took a deep breath and asked in a low voice with a nervous expression.
“No. She’s in the palace.”
The last thing Moiya saw was Zelda sticking her head into a small hole under the castle wall.
So her master was about to arrive here.
“Huh! Really? She came to see me? Really?”
“Huh, where is Sharon? She told me to tell Sharon too.”
“Wait, I have to tell Misha to bring Sharon.”
“She told me not to let anyone else know. Aoshi, you go. I can’t go because I can’t eat sausages.”
Moiya flew to Rosie’s bed and fell down with a thud.
Moiya, who had his eyes closed, smiled bashfully as he recalled Nana’s wrinkled face that he had met at the Empress’s Palace earlier.
“Yes, Aoshi. I’ll write you a note, so you can go. Do you know where Sharon is?”
“Meow. (Yeah, Rosie, I went there without telling you yesterday.)”
Rosie tore a piece of paper from her book and wrote a message telling Sharon to come to her residence immediately.
“Tell Sharon to bring plenty of sausages when you come. This is an order from Her Majesty the Empress!”
Moiya opened his eyes wide and shouted in a profound voice.
She happily nodded her head and wrote on a piece of paper that she wanted to bring sausages.
Even just this, the quick-witted Sharon would know that Moiya had come.
“Aoshi, come back soon.”
Rosie said, tying a thin string to the bell on Aoshi’s neck.
Aoshi nodded as if to tell her not to worry and jumped down the terrace without hesitation.
***
After barely parting with Nelly, I arrived safely at Rosie’s quarters.
It was much easier to get here than to deal with him.
When I arrived at the West Palace Garden, I encountered a couple of guards patrolling, but they simply passed me by, thinking I was just a servant.
When I entered Rosie’s room through the terrace door, Rosie and Sharon, who had been waiting for me, burst into tears as soon as they saw me.
After crying for a few minutes, they each examined my body, left and right, and lamented that I had lost a lot of weight.
“Why? I’ve gained more weight.”
But Rosie and Sharon ignored the truth that the person in question was telling.
So I told them the story of how I almost got caught by the guards when I got stuck in the hole.
Even so, the two of them kept talking about how half my face was gone, and how my waist was a handful, and they cried again.
After barely calming Rosie and Sharon down, I was finally able to hear about the current atmosphere in the palace and the story about the Emperor's second marriage, Princess Roxana.
***
After parting ways with her in front of the hole, Linel headed to the place where she had asked him to meet.
He was overcome with doubts the whole time he walked along the forest path lined with cypress trees.
He couldn't sleep today either, so he was taking a walk in the quiet backyard.
As he walked along the road, the cool breeze suddenly felt like a spring breeze.
His feet moved in the direction the spring breeze was blowing.
He felt his body getting warmer and warmer as he walked, and he heard a rustling sound under the castle wall.
At first, he thought it was an animal living in the forest.
When he pushed through the grass and entered, he was surprised to see that it was the woman he had met last night.
He doubted his eyes.
It was surprising to see her again, but the condition of her butt stuck in the hole was even more surprising.
He wondered if she had been drinking and wandering around again tonight and had crawled here.
“She’s a really unfamiliar woman.”
When Linel finally arrived at the meeting place, his curiosity about her grew.
There were several training grounds in the palace.
In particular, the training ground in the cypress forest was off-limits to ordinary knights.
Except for the upper-ranking knights and the Emperor himself, few people were allowed to enter freely.
She clearly seemed to already know that this place was a good place to avoid people’s eyes.
“What on earth is that bastard’s job title that she knows about this place?”
And since she even knew Raphael’s nickname, it seemed like he was in an important position.
How long had she been waiting?
She could be seen in the distance.
Even in the darkness, her face was shining.
She kept looking back, guarding her surroundings, but smiled brightly at him.
Linel wanted to ask her if she was smiling because she was glad that she had arrived safely, avoiding the eyes of others, or because she was happy to see him again.
He was waving at her without realizing it.
He realized it before he put his hand down.
He had been very worried that the woman would not show up, that she would disappear without saying anything.
When she stood in front of him, he deliberately asked bluntly to hide his feelings.
“Why did you ask to meet me here?”
***
Did you get scared because I asked you to meet me here?
I reassured him, who was nervous in front of the training ground, and led him inside.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s okay.”
He looked bewildered, but he obediently stepped into the training ground.
“It’s better not to turn on the lights.”
I said, grabbing his arm as he was about to head toward the oil lamp on the wall.
“Why?”
“There aren’t many people visiting the training grounds at this hour, but just in case.”
“But isn’t it too dark? And even if we don’t turn on the lights, if we talk here, the sound will echo and everyone will know that there are people from the entrance.”
“Oh, right. That’s right. Then it would be better to go somewhere where no one comes. Let’s go.”
I grabbed the end of his robe and started walking.
“Where are you going again?”
“Follow me and you’ll know.”
I headed toward the warehouse, recalling the day a month ago when Catherine had secretly met with Count Ethan, who was in charge of the blacksmith shop at the training grounds warehouse before leaving for the Continental Hunting Competition.
“This is... the weapons warehouse, right?”
He asked in front of the warehouse door, laughing in vain.
His eyes asked how I knew about a place like this.
“A concubine I know told me. There are court ladies who often enjoy secret meetings here.”
I couldn’t say that I had seen it with my own eyes when I was Empress, so I said it indirectly.
“Did Concubine Rosie tell you?”
“...No, another concubine.”
At that moment, Melanie, who had witnessed Catherine and Count Ethan’s secret meeting, almost blurted out.
“I guess your husband is indeed in a key position. Considering how many concubines you know.”
“Hmm... They’re all the same age, and I’ve known them all since my time as a young lady.”
He nodded in agreement, perhaps because the explanation sounded plausible.
“Nelly, you’ve never been to a place like this before, have you?”
I asked as I opened the warehouse door.
The bright full moon was shining through the window, so the warehouse wasn’t as dark as I thought.
“How could I have ended up in a place like this?”
He muttered as he looked around the warehouse, moving his head back and forth.
“But it’s strange...”
“What’s strange?”
“This place. It’s definitely my first time here, but I feel a sense of déjà vu.”
“Think about it carefully. Couldn’t he have sneaked into the warehouse with a woman when he was really drunk?”
“Never. There’s no way I would bring a woman to a shabby place like this. No matter how urgent it may be, this is not right.”
He said firmly.
“Well. A woman who follows me to a place like this just because she brought me here is not in her right mind.”
After saying that, I realized that I was not unfamiliar with the warehouse.
What is it? Strange.
I looked around the warehouse carefully, but I had no memory of ever being in here.
All I remember was secretly watching Catherine and Count Ethan meet here through the warehouse window.
“Hey. Dazel, Dazel?”
His voice rose as he stared at the pile of straw piled up to the height of the bed in front of the window, lost in thought.
“Huh?”
“What are you thinking? How many times have I called you?”
“Did you? Sorry. By the way, didn’t you say you had something to tell me? Yes.”
I asked, sitting on a pile of straw.
His gaze wandered for a moment before he came over and sat down next to me.
When I turned my head to look at him, he looked at me too.
Oh, our faces are so close.
His face, illuminated by the full moon, was also very beautiful.
My gaze was frozen in his blue eyes, and I couldn’t look away.
He said he had something to say to me, but after a few dozen seconds of silence, he soon asked me in a serious tone,
“How was it last night?”
“...That’s all you have to say?”
“...What do you mean...?”
Nelly’s eyes darkened.
“It’s a very important matter to me.”
“Um...”
As my silence grew longer, his face gradually changed to one of hurt.
Somehow, a part of my chest felt uncomfortable, so I turned my head away.
“Don’t avoid it and answer.”
Then, his cold hand turned my face back and asked me seriously.
“Actually, I...”
At that moment, the warehouse door suddenly began to slowly open.
We stared blankly at the warehouse door, and without saying who would go first, we hugged each other and jumped down into the narrow space behind the straw.
“It’s going to be difficult if you keep calling me here.”
“It’s only been a week.”
After the warehouse door closed, a man's and a woman’s voices could be heard.
Wait, where have I heard those voices before?
“Catherine, why did you call me today?”
“Do you really have something to do? I just wanted to sit here and talk. That’s all.”
Oh my.
The man and woman who entered the warehouse were Catherine and Count Ethan.
I hadn’t been able to watch them during the Continental Hunting Competition because I was so busy, but had they been communicating since then?
I wondered what my ex-husband, the Emperor, would do if he found out.
Hmm? Something feels strange?
I felt my body squirming, so I lowered my gaze.
Nelly’s face filled my field of vision.
“!”
“!”
He was under me.
Our bodies were tightly covered, as if someone had pressed us down from above.
I tried to get off of him.
But he grabbed my shoulders and waist with both arms, so I couldn’t move.
“Let go of this.”
When I mouthed, he put his index finger to my lips and nodded toward Catherine and Count Ethan.
“Shh.”
I nodded briefly to show my understanding.
At that moment, his hand came to rest on the back of my head...
“Hmm?!?”
My lips parted.
This guy must be crazy! What if I get caught?!
I felt a cool, refreshing sensation between my parted lips.
All I remember was secretly watching Catherine and Count Ethan meet here through the warehouse window.
“Hey. Dazel, Dazel?”
His voice rose as he stared at the pile of straw piled up to the height of the bed in front of the window, lost in thought.
“Huh?”
“What are you thinking? How many times have I called you?”
“Did you? Sorry. By the way, didn’t you say you had something to tell me? Yes.”
I asked, sitting on a pile of straw.
His gaze wandered for a moment before he came over and sat down next to me.
When I turned my head to look at him, he looked at me too.
Oh, our faces are so close.
His face, illuminated by the full moon, was also very beautiful.
My gaze was frozen in his blue eyes, and I couldn’t look away.
He said he had something to say to me, but after a few dozen seconds of silence, he soon asked me in a serious tone,
“How was it last night?”
“...That’s all you have to say?”
“...What do you mean...?”
Nelly’s eyes darkened.
“It’s a very important matter to me.”
“Um...”
As my silence grew longer, his face gradually changed to one of hurt.
Somehow, a part of my chest felt uncomfortable, so I turned my head away.
“Don’t avoid it and answer.”
Then, his cold hand turned my face back and asked me seriously.
“Actually, I...”
At that moment, the warehouse door suddenly began to slowly open.
We stared blankly at the warehouse door, and without saying who would go first, we hugged each other and jumped down into the narrow space behind the straw.
“It’s going to be difficult if you keep calling me here.”
“It’s only been a week.”
After the warehouse door closed, a man's and a woman’s voices could be heard.
Wait, where have I heard those voices before?
“Catherine, why did you call me today?”
“Do you really have something to do? I just wanted to sit here and talk. That’s all.”
Oh my.
The man and woman who entered the warehouse were Catherine and Count Ethan.
I hadn’t been able to watch them during the Continental Hunting Competition because I was so busy, but had they been communicating since then?
I wondered what my ex-husband, the Emperor, would do if he found out.
Hmm? Something feels strange?
I felt my body squirming, so I lowered my gaze.
Nelly’s face filled my field of vision.
“!”
“!”
He was under me.
Our bodies were tightly covered, as if someone had pressed us down from above.
I tried to get off of him.
But he grabbed my shoulders and waist with both arms, so I couldn’t move.
“Let go of this.”
When I mouthed, he put his index finger to my lips and nodded toward Catherine and Count Ethan.
“Shh.”
I nodded briefly to show my understanding.
At that moment, his hand came to rest on the back of my head...
“Hmm?!?”
My lips parted.
This guy must be crazy! What if I get caught?!
I felt a cool, refreshing sensation between my parted lips.
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