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Chapter 05
“Hah!”
Mikhail let out a disbelieving laugh and ran a hand through his hair.
His sharp, irritated motion left his neatly styled hair in disarray, but he paid it no mind.
“What in the world is she trying to do?”
He muttered in annoyance before striding past Ronwell.
“I’ll check on Lin’s condition first. Ronwell Bryce, come with me.”
His cloak billowed behind him as he crossed the office.
When Mikhail headed toward the Empress’s Palace, Ronwell hesitated before speaking.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but Lady Lin has already moved all of her belongings out of the Empress’s Palace. Allow me to guide you.”
Mikhail stopped walking.
“Moved out? What are you talking about? Lin is still the one using the Empress’s Palace.”
“Her Majesty the Empress and her maids decided to occupy the Empress’s Palace starting today and unilaterally removed Lady Lin’s belongings. Therefore…”
Ronwell lowered his head deeply, unable to continue.
“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”
Mikhail brushed past him.
“Steward, take me to Lin’s room.”
The chief steward, Robert, glanced sideways at Ronwell before stepping forward.
“This way, Your Majesty.”
The steward led Mikhail to a remote corner of the Imperial Palace, where almost no one ever passed.
The building was so small it was difficult to even call it a palace.
Inside, an eerie silence filled the air.
“It’s here.”
As the steward opened the door, Mikhail frowned.
Heavy curtains, far too thick for the season, blocked the large windows.
A table and sofa with plain designs devoid of any elegance.
A faded carpet that clearly showed its age.
Bare walls without a single painting.
Most of all, what displeased Mikhail was the old wardrobe sitting in one corner of the room and the equally worn bed that matched it.
Tilting his head slightly, he asked the steward,
“Why has Lin been placed in a room like this?”
The steward bowed deeply.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. The Imperial Physician warned us that a sudden change in surroundings might be harmful to Lady Lin’s condition. Therefore, we searched for a room that resembled the one she had previously been using as closely as possible.”
Looking around the room, Mikhail’s irritation exploded.
“Do you call that an explanation?!”
The moment he shouted, he bit his own lip.
No one knew better than Mikhail how frugal Lin was.
No matter what he gave her, she always refused, insisting it was more than she deserved.
At first, he had suspected she was only pretending to be modest to win his favor.
Now, however, he knew better than anyone that she had been sincere.
And that realization only made him angrier.
He had known exactly what kind of person she was.
So why hadn’t he taken better care of her?
“Even if Lin refused, the chief steward should have persuaded her!”
Though he was scolding the innocent steward, Mikhail could barely endure the shame he felt toward himself.
I was the only person Lin had to rely on…
Filled with guilt, he took a step toward the bed.
Then he stopped dead.
A strange woman was lying there.
Mikhail instinctively took a step back, his guard rising.
“Who… is this?”
“Lady Lin.”
Even after hearing Ronwell’s answer, Mikhail couldn’t believe it.
This is Lin?
The Lin he remembered had black hair.
But the hair spread across the pillow was a faded silver, as though all its color had been washed away.
The ivory complexion he remembered was now far paler than before.
Based on appearances alone, he couldn’t believe the unconscious woman before him was Lin.
He abruptly turned toward Ronwell again.
“Is this truly Lin?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With trembling hands, Mikhail gently lifted the unconscious woman’s hand.
He remembered that two days ago she had cut the index finger of her left hand while reviewing documents.
There was still a small wound there that had not yet healed.
Startled, Mikhail immediately let go of her hand.
It really is her.
He had known that Lin had deliberately tried to resemble Eunsoo so that she wouldn’t confuse Eunsoo’s child.
But he had never imagined that hidden beneath that disguise was someone so breathtakingly beautiful.
Mikhail was startled by his own agitation.
He was the only surviving member of the Imperial Family after the late Emperor’s bloody purge.
The nobles had constantly urged him to take an Empress, Imperial Consorts, and concubines, insisting that the Creras Imperial bloodline could not be allowed to end.
Though they claimed to be concerned about the future of the Imperial Family, they merely wished to become relatives of the only surviving imperial and seize political power.
They had dressed up their daughters as beautifully as possible and sent them into the palace.
They had plotted against him.
They had openly flirted with him.
Yet never once had any of them stirred his heart.
What is this…?
Pressing a hand against his wildly beating heart, Mikhail looked down at her.
The more he looked, the more mysterious her beauty became.
Lin hid even a face like this for the sake of that child…
And what have I ever done for her?
Clenching his fist tightly, Mikhail turned his head halfway.
“Hasn’t the Imperial Physician arrived yet?”
The steward answered quietly.
“He is waiting outside, Your Majesty.”
Turning around, Mikhail saw that the Imperial Physician was indeed entering through the open door.
“Hushidon, Imperial Physician, greets Your Majesty, the Light of Creras.”
The physician bowed respectfully.
Mikhail didn’t even look at him.
His eyes remained fixed on Lin.
“How is the patient?”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. In order to make an accurate diagnosis, I must first know what she usually eats and what symptoms she has been experiencing. Is there anyone here familiar with her daily life?”
Silence fell.
No one knew what she ate.
No one knew what symptoms had been tormenting her.
Frowning in frustration, Mikhail spoke.
“Answer based on what you’ve observed so far.”
The physician hesitated before replying.
“Her breathing is irregular, and her complexion is extremely pale. My initial assumption is that she suffers from malnutrition, resulting in anemia.”
“Malnutrition? Anemia? You’re saying that could make someone cough up blood?”
Pressed by Mikhail’s questioning, the physician lowered his head and cautiously answered.
“I cannot be certain. However, while her breathing is relatively normal, her pulse is abnormally rapid, and her skin has a faint bluish tint. I suspect… there may be a problem with the flow of mana inside her body.”
“The flow of mana?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. However, my knowledge of magic is limited. I cannot give a more definitive answer. If there is a physician who specializes in this field, I recommend consulting them.”
Only then did Mikhail remember what she had told him when they first met.
“There is a slight problem with the flow of my mana, so I take medicine.”
Creras valued military strength far more than magical ability.
Few people sought treatment for illnesses involving mana circulation.
As a result, physicians who had actually studied mana disorders were exceedingly rare.
Only someone of the Imperial Physician’s caliber could even recognize such a condition.
Biting his lip, Mikhail turned around.
“Ronwell! Bring that physician. The one Lin used to visit. You remember where he is, don’t you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I know where.”
Ronwell bowed deeply.
“Then bring him here immediately!”
At the Emperor’s command, Ronwell dashed away like the wind.
As I forced my heavy eyelids open, a white ceiling came into view.
The room was bright, even though no lamps were lit.
Is it daytime?
Blink.
Blink.
Slowly blinking a few more times, I turned my head.
Brilliant white light poured in from the side, stabbing at my eyes.
It was so bright that I instinctively pulled a hand from beneath the blanket to shield them.
Even then, the glare remained.
“So bright…”
I barely managed to move my dry lips.
The moment the words left my mouth, I heard the sound of curtains sliding.
The sunlight stabbing my eyes immediately softened.
Or at least, it felt that way.
What?
Lowering my hand, I opened my eyes.
A voice reached me.
“You’re awake?”
Reflexively, I turned toward the sound.
Someone was standing beside the half-open window beneath curtains fluttering in the breeze.
Dark blue hair the color of the deep sea.
Gracefully curved eyes.
Lips lazily curled into a faint smile.
A long elegant neck.
One long arm draped over the back of a chair.
The man smiling faintly with sleepy-looking eyes was someone I knew very well.
He wasn’t particularly underdressed.
Yet somehow he exuded an irresistibly sensual, dangerously alluring, almost decadent aura.
He was so beautiful that he looked like he’d stepped straight out of a movie scene.
I stared blankly for a moment.
Then I remembered that I was in the middle of the Imperial Palace of Creras and immediately sat bolt upright.
“Kasian? How did you get in here?”
Even as I spoke to him, my eyes darted toward the door.
I wanted to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
“I think I know what you’re imagining, but I didn’t sneak in. The Emperor sent for me.”
“Mikhail sent for you? Why?”
“He said one of my patients collapsed and ordered me to come examine her.”
“What time is it?”
Kasian glanced quietly out the window before standing and walking toward me.
“Morning. I’ve been looking after you for twelve whole hours since yesterday. And the first thing you do is accuse me of breaking in.”
I had been worried I’d been unconscious for days.
Thankfully, not even a full day had passed.
“What is it with you? Your expression keeps changing. Were you even listening to me?”
As he spoke, Kasian’s face suddenly appeared right in front of mine.
Startled, I stared at him with wide eyes.
Beneath his slightly tilted head, his pale blue eyes looked hazy, as though he were half asleep.
Kasian had always been like this.
There was something strangely captivating about him.
His face always looked bored, as though everything in the world was a nuisance.
His movements were slow and lazy.
Yet whenever he spoke, every word was perfectly clear.
“By the way, Evi.”
“You called the Emperor by his name. Since when did the two of you become so close?”
His voice was flat.
But his eyes and the subtle inflection of his words almost sounded… jealous.
Enough that, if we had been lovers, anyone would have assumed he was jealous.
I’d been friends with Kasian for over ten years.
Even now, I still couldn’t get used to this face of his.
Why did looking at him always make my heart flutter?
Puffing out my lips, I turned my head away and pushed his face back with one hand.
“It just slipped out. You know how it is. When the king isn’t around, everyone talks behind his back. Calling him by name isn’t a big deal. You’re not going to report me, are you? You’re not even from this country.”
It wasn’t really an excuse.
I’d spent countless hours playing the game, calling him “Mikhail.”
The name had simply come out without thinking.
Kasian sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned in close again.
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“But then why is the Emperor so worried about you?”
His voice remained perfectly level.
Yet for some reason, his gaze was intensely persistent.
Whenever Kasian looked at me like that, my stomach twisted into knots.
Avoiding his unwavering eyes, I turned my head and thought about it.
He seemed the same as always.
So why did he feel even stranger today?
There had to be some reason.
As I pondered, I suddenly realized what had caught Kasian’s interest.
Could it be… Kasian is interested in Mikhail?
