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Chapter – 10
His voice, though filled with the words of love, was drier than parched sand.
“Even if you loved me so deeply that you saw no one else but me, it would still be a problem.”
Her voice, equally heavy with affection, was just as dry.
Asilly retraced her memories — yes, this was something she had heard before, in the dream.
“You said the Emperor ordered it — your marriage.”
“That’s right.”
“And that imperial order is tied to that man… the Crown Prince.”
At the mention of the Crown Prince, Asilly’s expression turned strangely complex — something beyond words.
In the dream, when they had talked, that man, the Crown Prince, had only been a figure in a dream — or rather, a character in a book.
He might have been the protagonist, but to Asilly, he was just part of the dream.
But now… not anymore.
She swallowed down a mouthful of still-hot coffee. Her throat burned, but that was nothing compared to the heat bubbling up inside her chest.
“Asilly.”
“I’m fine. Anyway, let’s go back to what we were saying. You loving me alone won’t be enough to convince the Emperor.”
Asilly’s mind was spinning fast — not idly, but properly this time.
Bits and pieces of what she faintly remembered from the novel began to link together with what Ludwig had said in the dream.
If Ludwig was the villain, then the Crown Prince was the protagonist.
No matter how hard the villain tried to harm the protagonist, everything always turned out in the latter’s favor — because he was the main character, the one who simply could not die.
He was destined to become the next Emperor, the one who stood above all others, yet chased ideals rather than reality — a typical trait of a heroic protagonist.
Novel. Protagonist. Villain.
And then — herself.
Asilly quietly organized her thoughts. She couldn’t just blurt all that out to Ludwig right now.
Even if, one day, the chance came when she could tell him everything — that he was, in truth, a character in a novel — would that really be a kindness?
There’s an old saying: “Knowledge can be a curse.”
Some truths, she thought, were better left buried.
She pushed aside the wandering thoughts.
“If you only use love as your excuse, the Emperor won’t sit still. Some woman of unknown background suddenly standing confidently beside a Grand Duke? He’ll summon you immediately — worried his foolish son might copy you.”
“And likely try to eliminate you.”
“I didn’t think that far, but yeah… that’s pretty likely.”
She didn’t need to know what kind of man the Emperor was in the story — anyone could guess.
A man who ruled over a vast empire, standing alone above all others — the kind who would do anything to keep that power and pass it down through his own bloodline.
If anyone wanted to understand how far such people would go, all they had to do was open any history book back in Asilly’s world.
As her face tensed in thought, Ludwig took her hand.
He looked directly into her blue eyes and slowly pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
“To make sure that doesn’t happen— I will…”
The warmth of his breath brushed across her skin, and the fine hairs on her neck stood on end.
“Protect you.”
A shiver ran through her shoulders. With her free hand, she pushed firmly against his solid shoulder.
“You’re giving me goosebumps.”
He let himself be pushed away easily, tilting his head slightly. His face, still calm and expressionless, made her frown in disbelief.
“You’re… a natural, aren’t you?”
“A natural?”
“Yeah. You totally are.”
The word natural came up three times before he frowned faintly.
“Asilly. Is that a word from your world? I don’t understand its meaning.”
“Well, a ‘natural’ means…”
She started casually, then stopped — speechless.
He was absolutely a natural, but how was she supposed to explain what that meant? No word quite captured it.
After opening and closing her mouth several times, she finally spoke uncertainly.
“Someone who… naturally attracts others without even realizing it? Like, born that way?”
“A question isn’t an answer.”
“No, I mean… uh…”
A villain who’s also a natural flirt without knowing it — how was she supposed to explain that?
“So if that’s what it means, Asilly… you’re saying I’m one?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Definitely. You’re totally a natural.”
This time, Ludwig was the one left speechless.
Born to attract others without even being aware of it…
“That’s the first time anyone’s said that to me.”
“Of course it is. Who’d dare say something like that to the villain— I mean, to the Grand Duke?”
Her quick recovery made Ludwig chuckle softly as he brushed her hair behind her ear.
“You’re right. Only you.”
“There you go again. You natural.”
She squinted at him, about to say more — when a knock came from the door. It sounded slower than before, almost hesitant.
Knock.
Knock, knock.
Asilly quickly checked herself.
Wait — she wasn’t wearing any pants yet!
She scrambled to pull on the trousers Ludwig had handed her and nodded.
Okay, clothes on.
Ludwig called out, “Come in.”
But the door didn’t open.
Asilly, fighting the urge to laugh, pressed her face into Ludwig’s chest to hide her shaking shoulders.
He could feel her muffled laughter and frowned slightly before repeating, “Come in.”
The door creaked open — very slowly. Sebastian entered, head bowed, arms full of neatly folded clothes.
He immediately dropped to a bow before Asilly.
“Please forgive my earlier rudeness.”
Seeing him bent so deeply, she couldn’t keep laughing anymore.
Straightening her back, Asilly drew herself up, tucking in her chin and lifting her posture.
The clothes were still far too big, her hair a mess — but just that shift in bearing completely changed the air around her.
“Raise your head.”
Sebastian lifted his gaze — and met an endless blue lake.
“I forgive your rudeness. I know it wasn’t intentional.”
Her voice carried all the generosity of a kind mentor forgiving a junior’s first mistake.
Then, she squeezed out what little elegance might be hiding somewhere inside her — though where a normal Korean office worker was supposed to find noble grace was a mystery.
Desperation breeds creativity.
She suddenly remembered an old historical drama — all those royal ladies who had carried themselves with such poise and dignity.
I can do this. I’m the Queen Mother.
She mentally channeled the actress who had played that role.
The result was that she ended up staring somewhere past Sebastian, looking grandly detached — but from the outside, she actually did seem graceful.
Of course, that illusion lasted all of ten seconds. As her back began to ache from holding the posture, she rubbed at her twitching eye and said,
“Now, show me what you’ve prepared.”
Sebastian bowed again and presented a row of dresses, similar in design to yesterday’s.
Asilly’s eyes darted among them, trying to find one that looked the least complicated and heavy.
“That one,” Ludwig said.
Sebastian blinked in surprise — the voice hadn’t come from Asilly but from Ludwig.
The two of them exchanged perfectly calm glances.
Why that one?
Looks easiest to take off.
“Alright, that one.”
Asilly nodded without hesitation, choosing the dress Ludwig had indicated.
She almost began unbuttoning her shirt right there before she caught herself.
Not here, idiot.
Right then, Ludwig leaned down and pressed his lips lightly to her cheek.
“Just close your eyes and stay still.”
Only then did she remember — she wasn’t going to change alone.
There were probably people waiting outside just for that. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“I don’t have to say anything, right?”
“Right.”
With his reassurance, her racing heart finally calmed.
“Alright. I’ll be back.”
Holding up her oversized trousers like a long skirt, Asilly slipped out the door.
When she returned, fully dressed and trying her best to exude poise, she stood before Ludwig’s study.
Knock knock.
The door opened — and four sets of eyes turned toward her at once.
Asilly froze. She had expected Ludwig to be alone.
Ludwig rose from his seat as soon as he saw her hesitate.
The three aides standing before his desk, holding documents, all flinched in unison.
“Come here,” he said, extending his hand.
Her heels were so high it felt like her ankles might snap — but as a veteran office worker who had survived years of business attire, Asilly walked toward him without faltering.
“Let’s sit down first,” she muttered.
Just because she could handle high heels didn’t mean they didn’t hurt. Her feet were already screaming.
She hadn’t noticed it when putting them on, but each step now felt like torture.
“My feet are going to break.”
Ludwig took her hand gently, shifting his stance to subtly support her weight.
“Everyone, sit.”
The three aides, who had been staring wide-eyed at the affectionate scene, jolted back to reality and scrambled to their seats.
The most senior aide recovered first, settling opposite Ludwig and Asilly. The other two followed, while Sebastian placed teacups before each person — coffee for Asilly.
As she reached eagerly for the steaming cup, Ludwig caught her hand.
The last one she’d drunk had been cooled — this one wasn’t. With her sensitive skin, even the steam could burn.
“It’s still hot. Don’t—”
“Hiccup.”
Before he could finish, a loud hiccup sounded from across the room.
“Hic— hiccup, hiccup!”
