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Chapter 19
I Will Be the Empress the Tyrant Emperor Obsesses Over
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A man was waiting for Gio as she quietly closed the door behind her. He silently followed her to the last room at the corner of the floor.
“I was surprised that you brought the necklace, my lady. I’ve never seen anyone entrust a necklace to someone else before.”
“Have you figured out who sent the assassin? I bet it’s obvious.”
“I’m checking on it now.”
The man politely answered as he took Gio’s clothes. Serious matters passed between them.
“Then, I will follow your instructions.”
“Good. Also, do not accept any more inn guests from now on, increase the guards, and pay attention to the meals as well.”
A smile unconsciously spread across Gio’s lips as she thought of Irina, who cared so much about food. The man was surprised by the smile but did not show it and replied that he would do as instructed.
As the man was about to leave, Gio suddenly stopped him as if she had remembered something.
“And…”
“Yes?”
“From now on, if she asks for anything or wants anything, give it to her. Whatever it is.”
At Gio’s words, the man took out a letter he had kept tucked inside his coat and handed it to her.
“What is this?”
“This is a letter you asked me to deliver to Emperor Leandro of the Maximilian Empire and Duke Percy. You insisted I send it immediately.”
The man hesitated as he looked at Gio’s stern face and asked,
“What should I do?”
Without opening the envelope, Gio handed the letters back to him.
“Burn them.”
“Both of them?”
The man was about to remind her that she had just told him to give her anything she wanted, but Gio’s words came faster.
“Both. I don’t intend to send her back.”
“Yes. I will follow your orders.”
Gio gestured for him to leave, and the man closed the door and disappeared. Gio, left alone in the room, sighed and pressed her right hand firmly against her left elbow.
“Ugh!”
Blood had seeped into her clothes from the wound on her left elbow. She rolled up her sleeve and skillfully wrapped a bandage around it by herself. Biting the end of the bandage to finish it, Gio leaned back on the chair and tilted her head.
“Good thing Irina didn’t notice.”
After dressing the wound, Gio bathed with the water brought by the man and then went to Irina’s room.
Irina’s breathing was steady. Gio furrowed her brows slightly as she stood beside the bed.
“Asleep? What am I supposed to do now?”
Gio’s face was filled with concern as she looked down at the defenseless Irina, asleep and unable to move.
“Water.”
Her throat felt parched as soon as she opened her eyes.
Squish.
As she stepped one foot onto the floor, she felt a strange warmth at her toes. Startled, she looked up and saw Gio.
“Hah… why are you sleeping here?”
Gio was still sleeping on the floor like before. She crouched down in front of him and asked, looking at his curled-up sleeping figure.
“There’s a soft bed here. You don’t need to do this anymore, Gio.”
He seemed to be in a deep sleep. Even when she pulled the blanket she had been using to cover him, Gio did not wake up. She quietly opened and closed the door without making a sound and went down to the first floor.
“Do you need anything?”
She asked the man who was giving instructions to the servants when she came down.
“No. I just wanted to look around the village because I felt restless.”
“Do you need a servant to accompany you? Shall I have the coachman brought?”
She politely declined the man’s over-kind offer and slowly walked around the village.
Since the village was near the border, there were many shops selling fabrics and groceries from various countries. She explored from one end to the other, taking note of the shops.
“Where is the pawnshop here?”
The pawnshop she found had more workers than customers.
“I want to leave this here temporarily. I’m not selling it. I’ll come back for it.”
She handed over a sapphire brooch, a gem attached to the jacket given by Leandro, to a staff member at the back of the shop.
“Please wait while I check it.”
The staff, examining the jewel, went inside, looking flustered.
The wait was not boring. The pawnshop was full of curiosities, from jewel toys displayed in glass cases to old postcards.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
The man, introducing himself as the owner, nervously led her to a quiet spot.
“How much do you need?”
“Just a reasonable amount. Not too much. I’ll come back anyway.”
The owner nodded and pulled out some currency from the Osk Empire.
“Take as much as you need. We will keep the items safe.”
She took only half of the money he offered.
“This is enough. Please keep it safe.”
After leaving the pawnshop, she first bought some snacks to get a feel for the local currency. Then, she bought a few sets of comfortable clothes, shoes, and flowers, checking the prices as she went.
“Even after buying all this, I haven’t spent much. Was that sapphire really that valuable?”
Having been confined in the forest, everything in the village looked delicious. The sweet desserts, which she could not have in the cabin, especially caught her eye.
“I’ll take one of each, from here to there.”
“Are more coming with you?”
The staff asked as they prepared the cakes for her.
“I’m alone. I’ll eat them here.”
“Shall I pack the rest, leaving only what you’ll eat now?”
“No. I’ll eat everything here.”
The staff confirmed again, surprised she would eat so much alone. She smiled gently and confirmed repeatedly. The first-floor tables were too small for all the cakes, so she went up to the balcony to eat comfortably.
“Yes, this is the taste I wanted!”
From blackberry and raspberry tarts to honey cakes shaped like bees, apple-shaped cookies filled with jam, and rich chocolate-cheese cakes, each bite melted in her mouth.
After savoring them for a while, she called a passing staff member.
“Please pack this box of cookies.”
She ordered the staff to fill a box with leaf-shaped, carrot-shaped, and heart-shaped cookies made with maple syrup. She thought Gio would be happy to receive them.
“Anyway, since I’m not paying for lodging…”
She sat on the balcony, listening absentmindedly to the lively sounds of people passing by, and spotted Gio running among the crowd.
“Gio!”
Her voice, not very loud, reached him. Gio looked around and found her.
“You were here?”
Gio sighed in relief and looked up at her. Having come up to this floor, he glanced at the table with only plates left and the box of packed cookies, then smiled.
“I was looking for you for a while.”
“I was just about to leave.”
She went down to the first floor, receiving the cookie box from Gio with the owner’s hospitality.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“Ahem.”
She cleared her throat and said,
“I… I feel like I treated you terribly in the forest, so I bought this as an apology.”
“Terribly? Like what?”
“Cabbage juice, lemon soup, ginger pie… those things.”
Gio shook his head.
“Oh? I thought you meant herb pie, herb pie, herb pie… That would have been terrible…”
“That’s why I’m apologizing now. Just take the cookies.”
‘He even saved my life.’
Gio smiled and lifted the cookie box with one hand. He picked a heart-shaped cookie, looked at it for a while, and took a big bite.
“Delicious? It’s good, right? The cakes and cookies here are really tasty. I chose well, didn’t I? Want to try something else?”
Gio’s ears turned slightly red as he reached out his hand to her.
“No. Let’s go. I came to pick you up.”
Her hesitation at his unreserved behavior made him smile.
“You’re my dog, aren’t you? When we go for walks, you have to hold the leash so you don’t run away.”
She held only his pinky finger, and Gio pushed the door while holding the cookie box. The small triangle bell above the door jingled clearly.
“Next time… next time, let’s come together.”
Outside, Gio adjusted his grip on her hand, interlocking their fingers.
“We can’t lose each other.”
He raised their clasped hands to her eyes and smiled brightly. His smile was too dazzling to scold him.
“Come here. I’ll show you around the village.”
When she went alone, she could only glance from outside, but Gio opened doors wherever her gaze lingered and asked her to bring objects to the green-doored inn at the harbor, repeating the task several times.
“Stop, Gio. The room will be filled with all the new things you bought.”
“That’s the point. Do you need anything else?”
“No. You already bought ten sets of clothes. When will you even wear them all?”
She wanted to stop him; the gifts were too much for someone who would leave once the letter’s reply came.
“They all suited you. Pink, green, black – everything looked good.”
She stopped walking at his sincere words, not teasing or mocking.
“Tell me the price. I’ll pay you back when I get home.”
Gio’s previously bright smile darkened, his expression stiffened. In a cold tone, he said,
“No, you can’t go. Stay by my side.”
