🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 15
I Will Be the Empress the Tyrant Emperor Obsesses Over
Seeing me hesitate, Gio let out a big sigh. He brushed his soft brown hair back with his fingers. Then, lifting only his eyes slightly, he fixed his gaze on me and said,
“Whatever. I don’t care.”
“You’re not angry, right?”
“I’m not angry.”
“Then stop standing here and go upstairs to rest. It makes me uneasy.”
I tried to grab his arm and lift him up, but Gio didn’t budge.
“I’m staying here to sleep.”
“Why are you being so stubborn again? I apologized. And you said you’re not angry, right?”
This was becoming a cycle of pushing and pulling. Still, Gio didn’t easily give in.
“I don’t want to let go. I’m staying close.”
“What? Staying close to… what?”
His soft brown eyes looked straight into mine.
“You.”
He lifted his chin to point at me, his face devoid of any trace of a smile.
“Me?”
I was so surprised that a small shriek escaped my lips as I pointed at myself with my index finger. Even at my outburst, Gio nodded twice calmly.
“Yes, you. I’m going to sleep staying close to you.”
“Then why? Why do you have to do that?”
He answered my flustered gesturing with a simple, firm reply.
“I found you.”
“Gio… I haven’t understood a word you’ve said since earlier.”
At my words, Gio’s mouth curved upward in a pleasing smile, making his already soft face look even brighter.
“I said I found the master I’ll follow for the rest of my life.”
* * *
“Is this a duck, a dog, or a chick?”
Ever since I woke up, Gio had been following me everywhere, and I shouted in frustration.
“Go do your business. Why are you following only me?”
I scolded, glared, and even threatened him, but Gio would just smirk and momentarily look away. Before long, he would resume trailing behind me as if nothing happened.
“Annoying.”
Like a duck that imprints the first thing it sees after hatching as its mother, he stuck beside me even while I ate. The constant closeness was exhausting.
“Is this a new prank? Just a little patience, a little…”
Soon, I planned to follow the stream downstream. Following the water would eventually lead to human habitation, where I could request someone to send a letter. Once they knew I was safe, someone from the Percival family would come to fetch me. Then I could safely wait for them.
“The problem is that big dog…”
No matter how much a person changes, how could he flip so completely?
I hadn’t noticed when we simply shared space without touching each other. But seeing him so clingy, he seemed like a desperate four-year-old boy craving affection.
“I have to escape without Gio noticing.”
Of course, there were some conveniences.
“Go to the garden and pick cucumbers and carrots.”
“Go wash these by the stream.”
“Gio, catch a rabbit.”
“Bark.”
“Hand.”
‘He even does this?’
It felt like having a loyal, obedient servant. His flaws were fussing over food, rough speech, and not wanting to leave my side.
“I’ll be back soon. You go to the other side and gather the ingredients I asked for.”
I was about to make a cream to keep bugs away on our journey.
“Since the bushes are thick and the area is unmaintained, there will likely be many pests along the way.”
I grabbed lemon leaves and peppermint, which insects hate, tossing them into a basket. While collecting them, I found familiar greens I used to eat often: shepherd’s purse and wild chives.
“Yes, this is it!”
Seeing familiar ingredients sparked a brilliant idea in my mind. I harvested wild chives until my knees ached. Gio, who came to find me, crouched down beside me.
“You’re here?”
“What are you doing?”
“This is wild chives. They’re edible. I’ll make something tasty.”
“I’ll help.”
“Really? Then just pull these out like this.”
With Gio’s help, the basket quickly filled. My legs were numb from sitting so long, but Gio stood first and helped me up, holding my arm. I followed him briskly as he walked ahead with the basket.
“Just wash these, right?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
Gio took care of the washing while I heated a pot and blanched the greens, then made a simple vegetable pie.
“Ta-da!”
Gio sniffed it and took a step back. Seeing his face stiffen, I pouted and asked,
“You don’t like it?”
“What is this?”
I smiled proudly and lifted my chin.
“Try it.”
“No.”
Even with a kind smile and offering it, Gio refused seriously.
“Just one bite. Please.”
I intended to bring it along on our journey if it tasted good. There might be fruit along the way, but it was best to prepare extra food.
After continuous urging, Gio reluctantly picked up a fork. He poked a small piece but seemed unable to bring it to his mouth, so he began firing questions at me.
“What’s it called?”
“Hmm, a name?”
I tilted my head; I hadn’t thought about naming it.
“It’s just a pie, a vegetable pie. Like a carrot cake. Similar idea.”
“That’s completely different. That’s orange and looks delicious. This is…”
Gio put the fork down.
“This is green. A dark green. Did such food even exist?”
His third rejection made me stubbornly hand the fork back to him.
“Even if it looks like this, it’s really healthy. You know vegetables are good for you, right? The name is…”
As I hesitated, Gio’s face turned pale, seeming uneasy just by looking at the pie. If I delayed further, he might run away.
“It’s a greens pie! In my kingdom, there’s a dish called bibimbap, and I adapted it for this pie.”
“That thing earlier? You put those green leaves into a pie?”
“Yes.”
Suspicious Gio asked again.
“You’ve eaten it too, right?”
“Uh… yes.”
It wasn’t a lie. I had eaten the ingredients separately before. I nodded, but suspicion lingered on Gio’s face.
“Before, the color was okay. This one!”
“You just don’t know. In my friend’s country, there’s a dish called quiche, where you bake ingredients in a pie.”
“So what? What do you want me to do?”
“Try it and tell me what you think.”
Gio sighed heavily, then finally brought the fork to his mouth. It was the first time I’d seen him so tense.
“How is it?”
After seeing him chew three times, I asked immediately.
“I used healthy ingredients, so it has to taste good, right?”
I poked his side, asking again.
“It’s good, right? Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. Say something.”
I shook him back and forth, and he ran out, covering his mouth with his hands.
“Ptooey!”
The sound of spitting the pie echoed all the way to the kitchen.
After a long while, Gio returned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, looking determined, his eyes slightly red.
“Irina.”
Pale Gio raised his trembling arm, grabbed my shoulder, and spoke firmly, word by word:
“Never! Again! Don’t ever make! This kind of thing! By struggling!”
“Was it really that bad?”
“This is…”
Gio pointed at the pie with his finger, emphasizing each word.
“Food trash!”
I wanted to protest, but seeing Gio sweating, I had no words. He drank water greedily, glanced at my dejected expression, scratched the back of his head, and said:
“Irina, hire a proper chef first. This isn’t cooking.”
“…”
“You have other talents. Right! You’re good at ointments. Sell ointments to hire a chef.”
His tone was cautious, but his words were cutting. Gio, who had completely turned my stomach inside out, poured himself another glass of water.
Fearing he might get angry if we stayed together, I took the remaining ingredients I had set aside for bug cream and went to the stream.
“Two hours to find ingredients, one hour to prep, two hours to cook. I hope it tastes good.”
I sighed in disappointment. Crushing peppermint released a scent reminiscent of musk. Suddenly, Leandro came to mind.
“Really… isn’t he coming for me? Has he forgotten me?”
I wanted to see his sharp eyes curve like a crescent.
“If he doesn’t come, I’ll go.”
I wondered what expression Leandro would have when we met.
‘Would he be happy? Would we kiss again immediately? What would he say with those soft lips? Would he tell me he waited and searched for me?’
Thoughts tangled endlessly. Smiling, I rubbed the peppermint leaves. The thought of seeing Leandro made all the preparation effortless and enjoyable.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
I was shaking off crushed peppermint into the basket and adding lemon leaves to the stream when I noticed the water was red. The deeper red water flowed past, and I lifted my head.
Looking upstream, I saw a large hand covering my eyes faster than I could react.
“Gio?”
“Shh, stay still.”
