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~Chapter 15~
“We meet again.”
“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The man lowered his head a little with no expression.
“So, what are you two doing here in this quiet place?”
“It’s just shady under the tree. It’s not really a secluded place since it’s open all around.”
“That’s right!”
When the man calmly corrected the facts, Dahlia quickly agreed with him.
The emperor’s eyebrows twitched sharply.
“Young Lady, that’s not the answer to my question, is it?”
“…Young Lady?”
The unfamiliar man repeated the emperor’s title and looked at her.
Meanwhile, Dahlia rolled her big eyes, trying to think of an excuse.
Should I say, “I covered his mouth because he recognized me?”
She glanced at the man beside her, who was looking down with a confused face.
Should I say, “I hid my identity to come to this empire, but how do you know me?”
Caught between the emperor and the stranger, Dahlia looked back and forth between the two, moving her lips.
At that moment, the man took his eyes off her and spoke first.
“We were talking.”
“Yes, that’s right!”
Dahlia quickly agreed with his words.
The emperor stared at her as if he couldn’t believe she said that, then turned his eyes to the man.
“Commander Loand. I thought you were quiet, but you even know how to joke.”
Dahlia looked up in surprise.
Commander Loand? Was this Loand Ophelion, the one called ‘Messenger of God’?
Once, the whole empire was buzzing with stories of the first swordmaster in Halen Empire. Even the neighboring kingdom of Poeburn heard about it.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Loand answered stiffly, and the emperor tilted his head to the side.
“How could you ‘talk’ if your mouth was covered?”
Even at the emperor’s objection, Loand stayed calm, as if it was nothing.
“We talked before my mouth was covered.”
“I see. Then why did you cover the commander’s mouth, Young Lady?”
“Um…”
Dahlia hesitated to answer, and Loand looked down at her. Their eyes met in the air.
“Young… Lady, I was rude to you. I’m sorry.”
He bowed his head and apologized awkwardly.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Anyone could misunderstand.”
“I am Loand Ophelion. May I ask your name?”
“I am Ria Herdan.”
As soon as she finished, Loand smiled faintly.
“Ria…”
“Commander, introducing yourself doesn’t mean she allows you to use her name.”
The emperor cut in with a cold voice.
“Sorry. Your name is similar to someone I know. Maybe that’s why I misunderstood more.”
Loand stared at her.
Dahlia’s purple eyes shook as if in an earthquake.
His quiet gaze seemed to be asking if she was really the princess.
It was surely their first meeting, so how could he be so sure?
Dahlia awkwardly looked away and answered,
“Ria is a common name.”
“It’s a pretty name. May I have the honor of calling you by your name, Young Lady?”
“This man, calling me ‘Young Lady’ is just too awkward!”
But why is he helping me lie even though he’s so sure about who I am?
Dahlia looked up at him with curious eyes.
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you, Miss Ria.”
His voice trembled a little, then his lips slowly lifted into a smile.
For a moment, Dahlia was drawn to his gentle smile.
“Commander Loand!”
A man came running from afar, calling Loand.
Loand glanced that way, then turned back to Dahlia.
“I think I have to go now.”
“Yes, goodbye.”
Hurry up and go.
Dahlia held back from waving, just smiling brightly to tell him to leave quickly.
Loand bowed to the emperor and walked away.
Dahlia watched him go and breathed a sigh of relief, then lifted her head when she felt a sharp gaze.
The emperor’s fierce eyes were fixed on her face.
“Why…?”
“This is the second time.”
No way! Dahlia quickly covered her eyes with her hands, and everything went dark.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re trying to count this as our second meeting, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“I wasn’t meeting Your Majesty. I was meeting that commander.”
“So?”
“Right now, I can’t see anything, so I don’t even know where Your Majesty is. So, I’ll go now.”
Dahlia, still covering her eyes, carefully stepped forward.
“Young Lady, if you walk like that, you’ll fall again.”
I know. But right now, I just need to get away from the emperor.
“It’s fine.”
“I take back what I said about it being the second time.”
“Really?”
Dahlia lowered her hands in delight.
The emperor looked at her with an absurd expression.
“How easy. Young Lady, do you not know how to say no?”
“Me?”
“You easily give up covering your eyes, you easily allow others to use your name…”
Was it just her, or was his voice getting colder?
Dahlia stepped away a bit from the emperor, who seemed to be in a bad mood.
“You said if you walked with your eyes covered, you’d fall too.”
“And your name?”
He crossed his arms and pointed his chin, as if telling her to answer.
“My name…”
I can’t say, ‘It’s the price for helping me lie.’
Dahlia tried to think up an excuse, and the emperor narrowed his eyes.
“I can even hear you thinking hard from here.”
Dahlia quietly took another step away from the emperor.
Grey watched her moving away and urged her.
“Your answer?”
“Can you give me one minute to think?”
She raised her finger and smiled bashfully.
Seeing how openly she planned to lie, Grey frowned.
Actually, even he didn’t know why he was standing there questioning her.
Whether she let people use her name or not, it was none of his business.
Whether she covered a man’s mouth or not, it wasn’t his concern.
So why was he wasting time here? Why did he feel so annoyed?
Just then, a breeze blew and Dahlia’s pink hair fluttered.
His eyes were drawn to her furrowed brow and pursed pink lips as she tried to think up an excuse.
Grey forced himself to look away, searching for a reason.
Wasn’t she bullying a man in a quiet place?
Of course, she was half the size of the man, who could cut steel with his aura.
But as emperor, it was his job to keep an eye on the delegations.
Yes, that was the reason.
There was no other reason.
