INTEC 22

Chapter 22

His lips tasted of sweet, bittersweet wine. As Roabellin felt Kaisertarn’s lips exploring hers, her mind grew hazy.

Was she really drunk? Tonight, it felt like anything would be all right.

Before she knew it, Roabellin had looped one arm around Kaisertarn’s neck, while her other hand rested against his chest. Beneath the thin gown, she could feel his firm chest muscles.

Their kiss gradually deepened. When their lips finally parted for a brief moment, Roabellin let out the breath she had been holding.

“Haah…”

Kaisertarn, gazing down at her with unsteady eyes, rose from his seat and lightly scooped her up in his arms.

His eyes shimmered with a deep golden light. She could guess what he was about to do—and honestly, she was looking forward to it. Avoiding his gaze, Roabellin only flushed red.

As Kaisertarn looked down at her reddened face, he lowered his voice further and whispered by her ear.

“A moment ago, didn’t you say you’d ‘see how I do today’? I intend to give it my all tonight.”

That wasn’t what Roabellin had meant, but she didn’t deny his words. She simply looked at him with a dazed expression.

Carrying Roabellin in his arms, Kaisertarn entered the bedroom. He gently laid her down on the wide bed and covered her smaller body with his own.

Before she could even feel awkward about having a man lying over her for the first time in her life, his lips descended upon hers once more.

Kaisertarn gave her no time to hesitate or retreat. The tongue that had lightly knocked at her lips soon parted them and slipped inside. Their soft, moist lips entwined, tangled together in searing warmth.

“Mmm…”

A sweet sound escaped Roabellin’s lips. Her mind had already been hazy, and now waves of ecstasy washed over her, leaving no room for other thoughts. The sensation that began at her lips quickly spread throughout her entire body.

The sound of the rain covered the noises the two of them made throughout the night. And so, the rainy night deepened.

At dawn, Roabellin quietly left the villa. If she waited until morning to say goodbye, she felt certain he would try to stop her.

I don’t have the confidence to push him away coldly. And I have to leave anyway… This is the best choice.

After checking behind her one last time, she muffled her footsteps and ran down the hill. Perhaps because she had overexerted herself for so long the night before, her legs felt weak and unsteady.

Once she had gone far enough from the house at the bottom of the hill, Roabellin cast a spell and changed her face.

Brown hair, blue eyes—her features had been subtly adjusted. Though traces of her original face remained, it would be hard to see her as the same person. After checking her transformed appearance in a small hand mirror, Roabellin let out a quiet sigh.

Phew… One happy day is enough. I have nothing left to regret now.

When she reached the inn, Roabellin immediately packed her belongings and left. She planned to leave the lodging Kai knew about first, then move to a different inn once morning came.

The festival is over now, so there should be vacant rooms.

Even though she had changed her face with magic, she kept her head lowered in fear that he might somehow recognize her and chase after her.

She tried not to think about him, but she couldn’t help it—he kept coming to mind.

Is Kai awake now? What expression did he make when he realized I was gone? Is he disappointed? I’m sorry I ran away like this without even saying goodbye, Kai…

The rain that had fallen all night finally stopped, and morning sunlight streamed in. The light gently settled on his eyelids, waking him.

“Mmm… Hena…”

Still with his eyes closed, Kaisertarn called for Hena beside him. Then he realized that his arm, stretched out to the side, held nothing.

His eyes flew open.

“Hena??”

He called out more loudly, but the entire house remained silent. There was no sign of anyone inside. A strange feeling brushed across his mind.

Where did she go? Did she go to wash up?

Kaisertarn got out of bed. Though he sensed no presence, he couldn’t believe it until he confirmed it with his own eyes.

He went down to the first-floor living room, looking around, and then spotted a single note on the sofa table.

“Kai, goodbye. Even if it was only for one night, I was truly happy to be loved by a wonderful man like you. We won’t be able to meet again, but I’ll treasure the memory of this happy day for the rest of my life. Thank you.”

“Th-this… what is this?”

The situation was so unexpected that Kaisertarn felt not just empty, but utterly dumbfounded.

Last night had been Roabellin’s first night—but it had been Kaisertarn’s as well, and he had never intended to end things as a one-night affair.

According to his original beliefs, the woman who would one day become his Empress should have been his first. He never wanted to become like his father, who had fathered his first child with a concubine. As a child, both he and his mother had been the greatest victims of such a father. That was one of the reasons he had kept women at a distance until now.

But over the two days he spent with Hena, he became certain that this woman could be his first. He never wanted to let her go, and that was why he had wanted to hold her as soon as possible.

It might have been cowardly, but he feared she might leave, and so he had wanted to claim her body first. That was why he had committed such a reckless deviation for the first time in his life.

Of course, meticulous as he was, he had even planned a proper course of action while estimating her status. His thoughts the previous night had been this:

She’s probably a noble, so there shouldn’t be any issue with the marriage itself. If Hena comes from a minor house, internal and external opposition to making her Empress right away would be severe… In that case, I could bring her into the palace as a concubine first, restore her family’s standing, and gradually raise her to Empress.

Firmly believing Hena to be a noblewoman, he had even considered the possibility that her family held a low title.

In his haste, he had decided to take Hena first, then reveal his identity to her in the morning—and immediately bring her to the palace. But now…

For the woman who received the Emperor’s first favor to run away—this will go down in imperial history as well.

Kaisertarn sighed and roughly ran a hand through his hair. Even to himself, he found his current state strange—he was not someone easily shaken by emotion.

Yet the mere thought of never seeing Hena again weighed heavily on him, anxiety and fear swelling inside his chest.

And it’s not just that. There’s also the possibility that Hena is now carrying an imperial heir. This isn’t only my personal desire—we must find her, even for the sake of the imperial family.

Biting down on his lip, he rose from his seat.

Then, using a magical device, he urgently contacted Hail, the head attendant.

“Immediately seal all gates leading out of Vicentium, and deploy all knights belonging to the imperial palace to quietly search for one woman. Platinum-blonde hair, pale violet eyes, a slender build, and an extraordinary beauty that stands out no matter where she is. Eighteen years old, average height. Find her as quickly as possible and bring her to the Imperial Palace—no, she’s an honored guest, so treat her with care and escort her properly.”

Hail, who had struggled to cover for the Emperor’s absence overnight, was flustered by the sudden emergency order delivered early in the morning. But he was in no position to argue, and his response was the only one possible.

“Y-yes. Understood.”

“Hoo…”

After issuing his rapid-fire orders and cutting the magical connection, Kaisertarn let out a long sigh, roughly pushing his hair back.

Something’s off… I didn’t even sense her leaving the bed.

He was a light sleeper, and more than anything, he was extremely sensitive to people’s presence. It was impossible for him to miss it under normal circumstances.

In truth, Roabellin had hidden sleep incense in the pocket of her gown the night before. It was a precaution to ensure he wouldn’t wake when she fled.

After their heated time had passed and the two of them—no, after Kaisertarn had fallen asleep—she had held the sleep incense beneath his nose. It was non-toxic, merely inducing deep sleep.

So there was no way Kaisertarn could have noticed anything.

Where on earth did she go?

He dropped heavily onto the sofa, and suddenly remembered something she had said the day before.

“I’m going to try seducing His Majesty the Emperor.”

Even thinking about it again felt absurd, and a hollow laugh escaped him.

Ha… then does that mean she really intends to come to me?

Kaisertarn was the Emperor of a vast empire. Naturally, not just anyone could approach him. One had to pass through countless gates and countless people.

I don’t even plan to select concubines—how does she intend to reach me?

If she were a noble lady, perhaps she meant using her family’s influence to send word to the Emperor, as so many nobles had attempted before.

Was someone repeatedly recommending Hena to me, and I simply ignored it?

As Kaisertarn searched his memory, he broadened the range of possibilities.

If not that, then perhaps—

Did she mean she would enter as a maid?

Believing Hena to be a noblewoman, Kaisertarn never once considered the possibility that she might enter as something as lowly as a laundry maid.

If she would come to me even that way, I’d be grateful—but realistically… If Hena were the daughter of a family powerful enough to place her in the palace, let alone the Emperor’s quarters, she would have already been there.

Because Kaisertarn was the only imperial family member residing in the palace, the number of palace maids was small to begin with. Since he became Emperor, there had been almost no changes among them—largely because he had no interest in such matters.

I have no idea how she plans to come. She didn’t seem to be speaking lightly—she looked quite resolute. And if she’s already conceived and then overexerts herself in that condition…!

As the image of her suffering flashed through his mind, his heart began to race with urgency.