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Chapter : 14 – First, Take Off Your Clothes
So… how on earth was I supposed to explain this situation?
“I’m sorry.”
Lowering my gaze, I looked at the man kneeling on the floor.
He stood with the moonlit window behind him.
Silver hair softly reflecting the moonlight.
A white mask covering half his face.
Golden eyes that gleamed mysteriously even in the dark.
Yes.
This was the very intruder who had covered my mouth just minutes ago.
“I’m sorry. I truly am.”
With his hands tightly clasped together, he repeatedly bowed, apologizing over and over again.
Each time he lowered his head, the earring hanging from his ear glinted faintly.
I stared down at him, sprawled beneath my bed, with wide eyes.
Though I was now free from the intruder’s grip,
my startled heart still pounded violently.
“What in the world is going on…?”
“I know. It’s late, and I suddenly broke in and even covered your mouth. You must have been terribly frightened.”
What is this guy?
His innocent gaze and polite manner made my tension ease on its own.
I even felt a hint of curiosity.
If he truly meant to harm me, there was no reason for him to act like this.
“Why did you do it?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, why did you do something you knew was wrong? What forced you to go this far?”
The man bowed his head deeply.
“That’s… because I had no choice. There were unavoidable circumstances.”
“Unavoidable enough to sneak all the way into the Empress’s Palace?”
“This is the Empress’s Palace?!”
His face went completely pale.
“Don’t tell me… you didn’t even know where you were?”
“I was in such a desperate situation. I ran without thinking, so I didn’t have the presence of mind to check where I’d ended up.”
Judging by how flustered he looked, it didn’t seem like a lie.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
If he reacted that strongly just to the words Empress’s Palace…
wouldn’t he faint if he knew this was the Empress’s bedroom?
“Could this place be…?”
My doubt quickly turned into certainty.
“This isn’t the room of someone very important, is it?”
Yeah. He’d definitely pass out.
He clearly had no idea that I was the Empress.
“Don’t worry. This place is safe.”
I subtly changed the subject.
If he learned the truth and actually fainted, that would be a problem in its own way.
“Huh? Ah—yes. I see. That’s a relief.”
He let out a deep sigh of relief.
Oh dear.
It’s a bit early to relax, you know?
This happens to be the room of the highest-ranking person in the Empress’s Palace.
And that would be me—the Empress. Hahaha.
It’s fine. Anyone would be shocked. I get it.
This is a secret, but even I still get surprised sometimes when I look in the mirror.
“So what exactly were you trying to do in the imperial palace?”
“There was something I absolutely had to see.”
“And what was it that you wanted to see so badly?”
“It’s something you can only see inside the imperial palace… and only on a dark night like this.”
His careful tone made my ears perk up.
“A person? Perhaps a lover you wanted to meet?”
Oh my goodness! Could it be?!
My eyes sparkled.
A beloved person within the imperial palace.
A woman far above his station.
Yet his feelings for her only grew stronger, until he could no longer contain them—
leading him to risk his life, sneaking in and out of the palace for a forbidden love…!
“Flowers.”
“…Flowers?”
“Yes. Flowers.”
Unfortunately.
The wings of my imagination snapped cleanly in half—along with a single blossom.
“You broke into the imperial palace… for flowers?”
“……”
Judging by his expression, I’d hit the mark.
Good grief.
“Do you even realize what kind of place the imperial palace is? How could you think of doing something so dangerous?”
Thinking back to the recent incident made me shudder.
The cold eyes of the knight commander, who had mercilessly swung his sword at an intruder, were still vivid in my mind.
Did this man even realize he could die such a pointless death—over flowers?
“This hasn’t happened often, has it?”
“I did find it strange. Normally the security isn’t this tight…”
Wait.
Doesn’t that mean he comes here regularly?
A repeat offender?
I pressed my fingers to my forehead and sighed.
I’d asked half as a joke, but ended up catching a big fish.
“I’ve never had bad intentions. I’ve never done anything wrong. I always just looked at the flowers quietly and left.”
“If your only goal was to see flowers, there was no need to come all the way into the imperial palace.”
Especially if he didn’t even intend to pick them—just look.
At my question, he smiled shyly.
“There are rare flowers that can only be seen here.”
“So you’ve been risking your life to enter the palace just to look at flowers?”
“Yes.”
“How often?”
“…For about three years.”
Three years?!
“Well… I’ll be damned. It’s a miracle you weren’t caught.”
“Yes. I managed without incident until now. But tonight, the security was unusually strict.”
Of course it was.
Just a few days ago, a group of intruders had scaled the palace walls.
And they’d targeted none other than the Empress’s Palace, which had put His Majesty the Emperor in a foul mood.
On top of that, tomorrow was the birthday banquet of that particularly temperamental emperor.
Naturally, security was tighter than usual.
“There’s been a lot of unrest in the palace lately. Still, how did you manage to avoid the knights?”
“I’m familiar with the palace layout. Even so, with the heightened security, sneaking around was difficult.”
His clumsy way of speaking.
His bashful gestures.
I decided to believe his story about coming only to see flowers.
Anyone with malicious intent wouldn’t come up with such an absurd excuse.
“Alright. Then how do you plan on getting out?”
“I’ll hide in a secluded spot for a while, and when security loosens, I’ll sneak out the same way I came in.”
I glanced at his outfit.
“In that getup?”
“Is there something wrong with it?”
Oh, there’s plenty wrong.
For starters, you’re dressed head to toe in black.
“If you go out like that, the knights will chase you again.”
“Is there some sort of mark on my clothes?”
“No, but… your outfit looks very similar to the intruders from before. Matching outfits—no, similar clothes.”
“Th-that happened?”
“Yes. So leaving the palace dressed like that will be difficult. And security won’t loosen anytime soon. Starting tomorrow, there’ll be a week-long celebration for His Majesty’s birthday.”
“Th-then what should I do?”
The man was visibly shaken.
What should I do with this innocent soul?
It wasn’t even my problem.
Should I just call the knights?
Regardless of his reasons, breaking into the palace was a crime.
But I soon shook my head.
According to Helena’s memories, the laws here were far stricter than those of my previous world.
If I called the knights, this man would almost certainly be executed.
I didn’t want someone this pure—who only wanted to see flowers—to die.
There had to be a better way.
As I pondered deeply, a good idea suddenly came to me.
I smiled brightly at him.
“I’ll help you get out safely.”
“Really?”
“Of course. But in exchange, can you do anything I ask?”
“Anything…?”
His golden eyes wavered.
After hesitating for a moment, he slowly nodded, as if he’d made up his mind.
“If you’ll help me, I’ll do anything.”
What on earth was he imagining?
He even looked strangely resolute.
“Then first…”
The smile on my lips deepened.
“Take off your clothes.”
“…!”
* * *
“Y-Your Majesty the Empress!”
The knights guarding the palace’s main gate hurriedly bowed when they spotted me.
I gave them a light nod in return.
“You’re working hard.”
“It’s quite late, Your Majesty. What brings you here?”
“I wanted to get some fresh air.”
“Ah, I see.”
“And the person behind you is…?”
One of the knights glanced behind me.
“Oh, she’s my maid.”
I took a step forward, blocking their view.
Though I kept a calm expression, my insides were burning with anxiety.
Please don’t notice.
The unusually tall “maid” looked suspicious no matter how you saw it.
“I see.”
Fortunately, the knights didn’t seem suspicious.
Perhaps they let it slide simply because I was the Empress.
“Do you not have any escorts with you? We can accompany you to your destination.”
“I’m just taking a short walk. I’d like to be alone—would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”
“Understood.”
The knights bowed and withdrew.
Only after their presence completely faded did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
Haah… I thought we’d been caught for sure.
Anyway, mission accomplished.
I even felt an odd sense of achievement.
With a satisfied smile, I turned around.
A very tall maid.
The soft blue dress suited him remarkably well.
The only slightly unusual detail was the white mask, barely concealed by long hair.
“Well? I told you, didn’t I? Everyone really thought you were a maid.”
There was no response.
His face had gone stiff.
“…Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“That you were… the Empress.”
His voice trembled uneasily.
“Is that really important? What mattered was getting out safely.”
I smiled gently, then added in a stern tone,
“I understand wanting to see flowers, but you must never do something so reckless again.”
His golden eyes shook.
Don’t tell me he’s still considering it after all this?
No, this won’t do. I need a firm promise.
“Come on. Promise me.”
I held out my little finger.
The man raised an eyebrow as he looked down at it.
“What is this?”
Ah. I guess this culture doesn’t exist here.
I took his right hand and explained,
“You hook fingers like this and make a promise. Once you do, you must never break it.”
“Ah.”
He let out a small sound of realization and nodded.
“Then it’s a promise.”
“Yes. A promise.”
“If something like this happens again, I won’t be able to help you.”
“It won’t happen again.”
He carefully lifted the finger linked with mine.
“Because… we promised.”
* * *
Did he make it home safely?
As I returned to the Empress’s Palace, I found myself lost in thought.
Well, I escorted him to the main gate. He should be fine on his own after that.
Sneaking into the palace just to see flowers…
In a way, he was impressive.
We’d probably never meet again.
Ugh, I should hurry back and rest too.
Today had been exhausting.
Just as I quickened my pace—
“Ah! Perfect timing. I was just in a bind.”
A low, unfamiliar voice caught my ankle.
When I turned around, I saw a dark figure beneath the wisteria blossoms.
From the long shadows—
A hidden figure slowly emerged.
A strange man with dark crimson hair.
…And who is this guy now?
