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Chapter 8
The banquet continued long into the night.
Faces flushed red with drink as nobles gulped down wine as though it were water, laughing loudly.
The endless stream of dishes coming from the kitchens gradually shifted toward rich, greasy foods meant to accompany alcohol.
The conversations became bolder.
The politeness that had once colored every sentence slowly washed away like the tide.
“I’d love to visit the Empire someday.”
“Just make sure you don’t wear red. I’d hate for you to find yourself in an awkward situation.”
“Hahaha! Of course! Of course!”
“If you come, I’ll personally show you around!”
“Then I’ll look forward to it!”
For now, everyone was still behaving themselves.
Soon enough…
The whole place would descend into chaos.
They’ve held out longer than I expected.
With a slight nod, Kallis rose from his seat.
The moment he stood, every eye nearby turned toward him.
Even the King, who had been carrying on a quiet conversation with Richella, paused to look over.
“The fatigue from the journey has not yet left me. I shall retire early.”
“Is the food not to Your Majesty’s liking? Or perhaps—”
“No. I am merely tired. Thank you for your hospitality.”
The king asked hurriedly.
Kallis answered in a tone that sounded anything but grateful.
After giving Richella a small glance, he quietly left the banquet hall alone.
Most of the guests were already drunk.
He had attracted attention when he first arrived, but now his quiet departure barely registered.
Baron Bellen, who had been chatting with a group of noblewomen, spotted the Emperor leaving alone and hurried after him.
Only after stepping outside did Kallis finally release the sigh he had been holding in.
“It’s warm.”
Perhaps it was simply because the banquet hall had been so crowded.
Sweat had formed on his forehead.
He removed his jacket and held it out.
Like a shadow, Elvin appeared at his side and accepted it without a word.
“Are you feeling unwell, Your Majesty?”
“Only tired. That’s the third time I’ve said it.”
He loosened the top button of his shirt.
“Your Majesty!”
“And that’s the fourth. Baron, I’m merely tired. There is nothing wrong with me.”
The grand hall behind them remained filled with light, music, and laughter.
The corridor outside, however, was silent.
Only a few dim lamps illuminated the palace servants’ path.
Beyond them, darkness stretched into the distance.
In truth…
It was already well past the hour when most people should have been asleep.
Kallis slowly surveyed the dark hallway.
“I shall escort Your Majesty back to Cinnia Palace.”
“Elvin can manage that. Baron, you may return. Elvin, you do know the way back to Cinnia Palace?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. Simply give me one hour.”
“It took twenty minutes to get here, yet somehow the return journey requires three times as long. Your talent is remarkable.”
This was exactly the sort of moment when Baron Bellen ought to volunteer as guide.
Unfortunately…
He didn’t know the way either.
As he stood there awkwardly, someone happened to walk past.
His eyes lit up immediately.
“You there!”
He was certain he’d heard her name earlier.
What had it been?
The woman looked over, uncertain whether she had really been called.
She cautiously approached.
As she stepped into the light, the color of her hair finally reminded him.
“Brown!”
Kallis also turned toward her.
A young woman with curly brown hair stood there, stray strands glowing beneath the dim light.
She wore such plain clothing that it was difficult to guess her status from her appearance alone.
The moment their eyes met, she quickly lowered her gaze.
She looked familiar.
Ah… the maid from Cinnia Palace earlier today.
Kallis recognized her immediately.
The instant he had met those pale green eyes that almost seemed transparent, time itself had slipped away from him.
He had nearly asked her to escort him to his chambers without even realizing it.
How could he forget?
Her hair had been neatly pinned up beneath her maid’s uniform during the day, making her difficult to recognize.
But those shining eyes were exactly the same.
“She is the maid I encountered while investigating Elliot Dark,” Baron Bellen explained.
“Your Majesty, she told me she manages Cinnia Palace. She is the perfect guide. Please allow her to escort you back and save your humble servant from the shame of failing in his duty.”
Harriet’s eyes trembled.
Without her consent, she had suddenly become the Emperor’s guide.
I don’t want to!
She screamed internally.
But nothing escaped her lips.
No one could simply tell the Emperor they refused.
If only he would decide he didn’t need a guide after all…
“That one.”
Kallis looked directly at her.
“State your identity.”
…Is he suffering from old age already?
Instead of saying he didn’t need her—as Baron Bellen had already explained exactly who she was—he was asking her to identify herself all over again.
Harriet unconsciously tightened her grip on the notebook and pen she carried.
The banquet isn’t even over yet!
Why couldn’t he stay inside drinking and eating?
She bitterly regretted herself from ten minutes earlier.
The instant Grace had fallen asleep, inspiration for the next chapter had struck.
She had grabbed her notebook and pen and rushed outside.
Cinnia Palace, where she normally wrote, was currently occupied by the Emperor and heavily guarded.
Impossible.
The maids’ quarters were equally unsuitable.
Someone might see her.
She had wandered wherever her feet carried her in search of a quiet place with enough light to write.
Then she’d looked up.
And found the Emperor.
People often said fortune and misfortune walked hand in hand.
At this point, Harriet couldn’t even imagine what future good fortune was supposed to balance this disaster.
I should’ve stayed in my room today…
But what was I supposed to do?
The inspiration came!
If I didn’t write it down now, it’d disappear!
As Harriet silently cried tears of blood inside…
Kallis began walking toward the speechless maid.
“Your Majesty!”
Baron Bellen nearly panicked.
No matter that she was merely a palace servant.
She was still someone wandering the palace at night with unknown intentions.
Yet Kallis continued walking without hesitation.
On the way, he picked up one of the corridor lamps.
When he reached Harriet, he raised it until it was level with her face.
The warm light illuminated her.
At the same time…
It illuminated him.
Unlike the simple travel clothes he had worn earlier that day, he now wore a perfectly tailored formal suit.
Under the golden light, his already handsome features seemed even more refined.
It was as though the flowers themselves fled from the light in shame.
Only Harriet remained standing beneath the same glow.
She looked directly into his eyes.
Her lips stayed tightly shut.
Still…
She offered no answer.
Kallis spoke almost automatically.
“In the Empire, we do not trust those who refuse to identify themselves.”
“Especially anyone who remains silent before the Emperor.”
“They are generally assumed to harbor ill intentions.”
In the Empire…
The Emperor was Heaven itself.
Anyone who could not honestly declare their identity before him was considered someone unworthy beneath that heaven.
A faintly mocking smile touched Kallis’s lips.
“So?”
“Are you an assassin?”
“Your Majesty.”
Elvin called out, trying to stop him.
“Hm.”
“I’ve come this close, yet you’re still frozen?”
With his free hand, Kallis tapped his own chest.
“Your heart is here.”
“Your Majesty!”
As he lowered the lamp slightly, even more light fell across Harriet’s face.
Dark shadows gathered beneath her eyes.
“Why do you still refuse to answer?”
She simply stared up at him.
Why wasn’t she answering?
Because those sparkling eyes Kallis had admired…
…were actually half-asleep.
Harriet had barely slept for more than a week.
Her exhausted mind struggled just to process what he was saying.
“So…”
“May I interpret your silence however I please?”
Wait…
What exactly did His Majesty just say?
He asked whether I was an assassin.
Then he said my heart was here…
Why was he tapping his own chest? Was he trying to show something off?
Only after replaying the entire exchange in her head…
…did Harriet finally understand the situation.
Her pen slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.
Has His Majesty the Emperor… actually gone insane?
Even in the middle of her panic, the moment she grasped what was happening, her mouth calmly answered.
“I am Harriet Brown, a maid assigned to Cinnia Palace.”
Calm down, Harriet Brown.
Baron Bellen already introduced you as the maid in charge of Cinnia Palace.
If His Majesty truly suspected you, he never would’ve walked this close.
…
There was one thing Harriet absolutely could not allow Kallis to see.
She desperately struggled to hide her trembling nerves.
No matter what…
He must never see my notebook.
