Time passed quickly. A month seemed to pass, then two, and before she knew it, the banquet where Ian would be recognized as Crown Prince was just around the corner.
“I guess today is the last day.”
Every time Ivan spoke, his body rose and fell slightly. Amelia, who was stretched out on Ivan's body, could feel the vibrations.
"What?"
“This is how I sneak into your room.”
Amelia chuckled at Ivan's words. He wasn't wrong. Starting tomorrow, Harry, the knight who had completed three months of training, would be guarding Amelia. Even if Ivan used the royal palace's secret passage to visit Amelia, he had to be careful not to sense any presence.
“Of course, being so careful will only last for a short time...”
As Ivan spoke, he wrapped his index finger around the ends of Amelia's loose black hair. Despite repeated movements, the silky, smooth hair, far from tangled, simply unraveled.
“How many days are left until Ian’s birthday?”
“Ten days.”
“It’s quite a new feeling that it’s already been a year since that tiny thing was born.”
Ivan exhaled leisurely at Amelia's words. No matter what, the fact that his own child was turning one didn't seem all that unpleasant to him. Of course, it wasn't simply Ian turning one.
“Do the newly brought commoner knights still distrust me?”
“Rather than distrust...”
“Rather than distrust?”
“They dislike you.”
“I guess today is the last day.”
Every time Ivan spoke, his body rose and fell slightly. Amelia, who was stretched out on Ivan's body, could feel the vibrations.
"What?"
“This is how I sneak into your room.”
Amelia chuckled at Ivan's words. He wasn't wrong. Starting tomorrow, Harry, the knight who had completed three months of training, would be guarding Amelia. Even if Ivan used the royal palace's secret passage to visit Amelia, he had to be careful not to sense any presence.
“Of course, being so careful will only last for a short time...”
As Ivan spoke, he wrapped his index finger around the ends of Amelia's loose black hair. Despite repeated movements, the silky, smooth hair, far from tangled, simply unraveled.
“How many days are left until Ian’s birthday?”
“Ten days.”
“It’s quite a new feeling that it’s already been a year since that tiny thing was born.”
Ivan exhaled leisurely at Amelia's words. No matter what, the fact that his own child was turning one didn't seem all that unpleasant to him. Of course, it wasn't simply Ian turning one.
“Do the newly brought commoner knights still distrust me?”
“Rather than distrust...”
“Rather than distrust?”
“They dislike you.”
Ivan let out a brief chuckle at Amelia's words.
“They don’t like it? Who pays their salary?”
Those who didn't know who the real owner was looked dumbfounded. Amelia nodded absentmindedly, resting her head on Ivan's chest, in response to Ivan's question.
“Because I’m telling them what you told me to do.”
Ivan invited the common knights to the palace and instructed Amelia to bond with them, feigning pity and showing them how Ivan had treated them and how he had refused to keep them. He also instructed Amelia to turn the minor conflict that had occurred after the game into the most serious conflict in the world.
“If you whisper to the knight you appointed as your escort what I said, at least those who entered the palace will not betray Duke Russell.”
Ivan feared that his proposal might change the minds of the Duke of Russell's men. So he decided to pretend to be the Emperor, to give them hope, and to play along.
Ivan was a man who rarely did anything unworthy. This time was no different. He made sure those outside the palace trusted and followed him, while those inside were guided solely by his calculations.
He was as accustomed to manipulating and trampling on people's hearts as the Duke of Russell or Aaron, as rulers often do.
“His Majesty has promised you glory, so you must be so enthusiastic.”
Amelia followed his words faithfully.
“His Majesty came to see you when God heard and conveyed your sorrow and resentment.”
“...”
“Even if His Majesty thinks otherwise, God is protecting you, so your wish will come true.”
He visited Harry, who was undergoing formal training under the 2nd Division's knights, and expressed her unease, whispering that Ivan's true feelings might not be what they were after. Harry, who had been appointed as Amelia's escort, quickly spread the word to his fellow trainees. Since most of them were private soldiers of the Duke of Russell or other noble families, they quickly spread the anxiety around them. Even the few common knights began to gradually become distrustful and dissatisfied with Ivan.
“As you said, the Russell family has been manipulating and swaying the opinions of the people of the empire in this way.”
It was a familiar process, a familiar method. Ivan was essentially returning the favor, just as they had done.
“In the meantime, the Emperor has tried to leave them several times, so they are even more distrustful.”
Even Ivan's swordsmanship and arts instructors, and even the knights of other divisions who could be considered his comrades, despised the new arrivals. It was Ivan's order. Meanwhile, Ivan continued to act as if he were making a fool of himself. He conducted background checks on those he brought into the palace, always leaving traces behind so that someone could trace his movements.
“If there’s even one thing he doesn’t like about you, he plans to kick you out right away.”
Those who were private soldiers of the noble families thought that the Emperor was digging up their past and trying to harm them.
“There’s nothing you can do about the higher-ups.”
Their anxiety made even the common knights, who had nothing to do with it, feel hostile towards Ivan.
“The Priestess is truly different.”
Meanwhile, Amelia showered the common knights with immense attention and praise. She also protected them from the contempt they faced. She often carried Ian out, allowing them to see his precious face. The common knights beamed with pride at the sight of the child's bashful smile.
"Well done. Then, no matter what you declare there, they'll believe you."
And their hearts were wide open with loyalty to Amelia, who never forgot and cared for them, even though everyone else had turned away and looked down on them. They were now more loyal to the Priestess than to the Emperor, as if the fact that she was about to leave didn't matter. Had they known, they would have sensed something was amiss, but they were unaccustomed to such political maneuvering.
“I don’t really like having it among men, but...”
As Ivan spoke, he gently stroked Amelia from her ear to her chin. Unlike Amelia, Ivan's fingertips had a few calluses, but his touch was never rough. It was the same even when he played over her body, as if he were playing a musical instrument.
“Do you think they are men?”
“She's not a woman, is she?”
Ivan was naturally accustomed to women. His status and looks had attracted many women, but he had no particular interest, so he shouldn't have been accustomed to them. However, there was no awkwardness in Ivan's interactions with Amelia. Even though he had been so unprepared and unguarded when they first met, she had already won his heart.
So, it was just a natural thing. Amelia believed so. Then, whether she had feelings for him or not, he would be the most gentlemanly and beautiful husband to the woman he'd taken in. Previously, the mere thought of it would have made her feel bitter, but now, it was nothing.
“Ivan.”
“...”
“On the day Ian is crowned Crown Prince, will Lady Clarke also attend the banquet?”
Amelia, who had been playing with her fingers on Ivan's firm chest as if playing an instrument, asked. Ivan's upper body, which had been peacefully rising and falling, stopped moving. His leisurely breathing had stopped. The figure that had once resembled a lion satiated with its prey was gone.
"Why?"
"Just."
Amelia gave a curt, almost indifferent reply.
“I won’t invite her if you don’t want to.”
“There’s no need to go that far.”
“...”
“Once everything is over, when will you have your wedding?”
“Why do you ask that?”
Instead of answering, Ivan asked Amelia a question, as if he were trying to pinpoint her intentions. As if he hoped her intentions weren't good.
“Lady Clarke, she seemed like a good woman.”
But Amelia had no reason to be jealous of Jane Clarke. It meant nothing.
“I think she could be a good mother to Ian, too.”
A void she could never fill. If it remained empty, then and now, she hoped someone good would fill it as soon as possible. Amelia's desire was that simple and clear.
“...”
Ivan knew that too. Amelia's words were valid, and he had no reason to feel offended. In fact, he should have been thankful that Amelia knew the subject.
Even though he knew it, Ivan's feelings of being dragged to the floor by Amelia never returned. They groped each other's bodies until the very last moment, sharing their warmth as they deeply intertwined. There was no corner of Amelia's body that Ivan's lips hadn't touched.
But. At this moment, when the scent of love and the passion of their bodies mingling still linger in the air, when will he marry another woman?
How can that be said so easily?
“Well, it doesn’t matter to me, no matter when.”
When Ivan didn't respond, Amelia trailed off, seemingly embarrassed. Even that didn't appeal to Ivan.
How could it be something that has nothing to do with anything?
Ivan swallowed, along with his saliva, the words he couldn't understand and couldn't bring himself to ask. He knew he couldn't ask.
“Aren’t you jealous?”
Ivan lifted Amelia's face with his hand, met her gaze, and asked her a question. Amelia rested her chin on Ivan's chest, blinked her clear eyes, and smiled faintly. It seemed to imply that such a thing was unnecessary.
“...”
He felt speechless. Essentially, Ivan couldn't blame Amelia. He had no right to blame her, having no ties to her on the surface. Even if Ivan had no intention of abandoning Amelia, he wouldn't have given her the right to remain by his side. Naturally, it was not the case.
So you're putting me down.
Then, suddenly, he realizes why Amelia is slowly abandoning him. He should have been offended by this insignificant woman who dared to show jealousy without knowing the situation, but instead, he finds himself indignant at her lack of jealousy.
He felt his blood run cold.
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