IBLMS 10

Chapter 10

From outside came the sound of carriage wheels and the low murmur of people talking. Just as Daevin had said, it seemed the Emperor had arrived.

“Alright, let’s go greet him.”

I slipped my hand out of his grasp and turned, but Daevin called out to me urgently.

“Lady Anise, please promise me something.”

When I looked back, he spoke with undisguised anxiety.

“Until this situation is resolved and it’s safe again, promise me you won’t trust just anyone.”

Hearing him refer to Lana as “just anyone” again made something surge up inside me, and I snapped back.

“Then should I stop trusting you too, Daevin?”

My aggressive question widened his eyes. He looked at me, clearly flustered. I could see his gaze tremble, but stubbornly, I glared back at him.

After a moment, he slowly nodded.

“…Yes. If I seem suspicious, then don’t trust me either.”

That answer only made my anger flare up even more.

“Fine! Then I won’t trust you either from now on!”

I spun around and stormed out of the office.

Fuming, I stomped down the hallway. I could hear Daevin following behind me, but I didn’t turn back.

How could he say that? How could he be so cold to Lana!

My chest ached for her. As a fan of the original story, I just couldn’t accept this situation.

Then again… it was like this in the original, too. Daevin would always save Lana at critical moments, but most of the time he seemed consumed by revenge and oddly cold toward her. Some readers even refused to accept him as the male lead because of that.

A tsundere male lead might be charming on paper—but seeing it in real life? Not charming at all.

For some reason, I felt miserable, like I might cry.

The moment I transmigrated, my life was already in danger. The only reason I’d been able to feel even a little at ease was because the protagonists were by my side. I knew how much they had done for Anise over seven years in the original story. They were people I could trust.

But now I was being told not to trust Lana—or even Daevin?

I wasn’t strong enough to survive all of this alone without trusting anyone.

When I reached the grand staircase leading from the second floor to the first-floor hall, I saw a knight in a uniform embroidered with the imperial crest. He was glancing around awkwardly, clearly flustered that no one had come to greet him. When our eyes met, he quickly greeted me.

“Ah, Count Miller. Greetings.”

I composed my expression and smiled politely.

But… who is he?

From behind me, Daevin whispered quietly,

“Joshua Loretta. The second son of the Loretta Count family and vice-captain of the Imperial Knights. He serves as His Majesty’s escort—I’ve seen him a few times before.”

I see.

I approached Joshua with a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sir Joshua. Has His Majesty arrived?”

“Yes, he is outside. However…”

Seeing only Daevin and me in such a vast estate clearly unsettled him.

“Oh, all the servants have quit… Could you escort His Majesty to the first-floor drawing room?”

“Ah, yes. Then I will bring His Majesty inside.”

Joshua immediately went back outside. Soon, I heard the sounds of horses shifting and knights talking among themselves—something about what to do since there was no stable hand.

…Well, I’m sure they’ll figure it out.

Thinking about meeting the Emperor made my chest tighten with nerves. I clasped my hands together tightly.

Is the Emperor allied with those trying to kill Anise… or not?

Soon, the Imperial Knights filed into the hall and lined up. Then, the Emperor appeared.

The moment I saw the man dressed in exquisite, luxurious clothing, I knew.

Black hair. Blue eyes. A face so pale it almost looked bloodless.

Adrian Logrant—the final boss of the original story.

The Emperor walked straight toward me, frowning deeply. Startled, I watched him approach.

Weren’t he and Anise supposed to be close? Then why that expression…?

…What am I even supposed to say to him?

Thankfully, before I could panic further, he spoke first in an irritated tone.

“I know you’re busy, yet you called me all the way here. I must return quickly, so let’s go inside first.”

With that, he passed me and headed toward the drawing room, as if he were more familiar with the estate than I was. I followed him, placing a hand briefly over my racing heart.

He sat in a cushioned chair by the window, glanced at me, and gestured toward the seat across from him.

“Sit.”

You’d think he owned this place.

Though slightly dumbfounded, I sat down without showing it.

As soon as I did, he let out a sigh and brushed his hair back.

“So. I heard all your staff have quit?”

Joshua must have already briefed him.

I nodded.

“And I heard about the assassins arrested yesterday. What exactly is going on, Count Miller?”

Count Miller?

Do fiancés address each other like that? Or was it because he’s the Emperor?

I studied him carefully. He looked completely unaware of everything that had happened to me.

Was he pretending… or did he really not know?

Perhaps sensing my scrutiny, he frowned and pressed further.

“What about the incident in the city yesterday? I understand Smith is your financial manager—why was his office in ruins, and who were those assassins captured there?”

Was he feigning ignorance… or truly clueless?

“…As you’ve already heard, they were assassins who came to kill me.”

At my answer, he frowned as if struggling to believe it.

“I heard from an officer named Thomas that you claimed there had been multiple attempts on your life. Is that true?”

“It is.”

I answered without hesitation, but he still looked doubtful.

“If that’s true, why didn’t you inform me earlier?”

“I no longer had the means to send letters. As you can see, all the staff have quit.”

His eyebrow twitched.

“You used to barge into the palace over the slightest matter. Why not come and tell me in person?”

That felt… strange.

His tone made it sound like Anise visiting the palace was something frequent—natural, even.

“…With all the threats, it was difficult to leave the estate.”

Not entirely a lie.

Before going to Smith’s office yesterday, I’d stayed inside the estate the whole time.

Still, the Emperor stared at me silently for a long moment, as if something didn’t sit right with him. Under that gaze, I swallowed nervously.

Then, he spoke again—making an unexpected request.

“Talking has made me thirsty. Do you not even offer water to a guest who has come all this way?”

I flinched.

Of course—no one in the Empire would fail to serve the Emperor.

But the memory of the poisoned cups in the kitchen flashed through my mind. I couldn’t serve him water in those.

For a moment, I considered telling him about the poisoned cups—but that would drag Lana into it as well.

So instead, I made an excuse.

“…There are no servants at the estate right now. I ask for your understanding.”

“Then your guard knight can fetch it from the kitchen.”

He gestured toward Daevin behind me, fixing me with his piercing blue gaze.

My heart dropped.

Send Daevin to the kitchen?

That would leave me alone in a room full of Imperial Knights—and the Emperor, whose allegiance I still couldn’t be sure of.

“…Daevin is not familiar with kitchen work. Since it is for Your Majesty, I will go myself.”

As I started to stand, the Emperor let out a quiet laugh.

“Count… are you, perhaps, wary of me?”