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The Emperor on a Time Limit
Chapter 1
Prologue
In the Emperor’s office.
Behind an antique desk that looked like a piece of art, the Emperor of the Ruu Sephon Empire leaned back comfortably in his chair, staring directly at her.
Dahlia tightly clenched both hands and kept glancing at the hourglass on the desk.
The time she had was only five minutes. Her mind was frantically rushing, but her lips refused to move.
Sizzle. The sound of the sand dropping was as loud as thunder.
The Emperor, who had also looked at the hourglass following her gaze, offered a bright smile.
Ugh. He’s too dazzling.
She simply could not get used to the Emperor’s handsome appearance.
Dahlia quickly lowered her eyes and forced her lips open.
“Your… Your Majesty.”
“I don’t want to.”
Dahlia lifted her gaze and opened her eyes wide.
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“That is true.”
The Emperor gave a slight nod, as if telling her to speak now.
“Please marry me.”
“Excellent. That proposal has power.”
“Proposal? No! Not me! I just mean, please hold a royal wedding with anyone at all!” Dahlia declined with a surprised expression.
The Emperor’s eyes curved as he smiled, making the beauty mark under his eye stand out.
“That, I dislike even more.”
The Emperor’s gaze moved toward the hourglass, seemingly to check how much audience time was left.
Dahlia’s eyes followed his down to the hourglass as well.
Why is that thing dropping so fast!
“Why do you hate marriage so much?”
“Princess, why are you so eager to rush my marriage?”
“That is…”
“Princess, we are running out of time.”
Dahlia stopped hesitating and took a deep breath. Her heart trembled when she thought of the impact her next words would have.
Finally, she shook off her doubt and met the Emperor’s eyes. She stared straight into his clear black eyes and slowly opened her lips.
“For world peace.”
For an instant, the Emperor’s eyes seemed to waver, but then a deep sigh escaped him.
“Princess.”
His voice, calling her name languidly, was as sweet as chocolate.
“Yes.”
“Isn’t it past time for you to take your medicine?”
Dahlia looked at the Emperor with a startled expression.
“How did you know that?”
The Emperor’s smile momentarily stiffened before smoothing out.
“Princess, isn’t it time for you to grasp the meaning of my words?”
“Ah! You were speaking in a metaphorical sense!” Dahlia said with a bright smile, causing a vein on his forehead to briefly pop up and then recede.
The Emperor picked up the hourglass, as if he no longer wished to deal with her.
“Time is up.”
At that, Dahlia urgently spread her hands out.
“Could you give me five more minutes?”
“Do you think that will be possible?” the Emperor gently asked back, his eyes curving into a smile.
Dahlia tightly bit her lip and bowed her head in acceptance.
“Then, I will see you tomorrow.”
“You plan to come tomorrow too?”
“Yes. I will not give up.”
When Dahlia spoke firmly, the Emperor’s brow furrowed slightly before relaxing.
“Princess, haven’t you often been told that you waste your energy on pointless things?”
“How did you know th—”
Dahlia’s eyes widened as she asked, but then she saw one of his eyebrows twitch and giggled.
“Ah, that was a metaphor again.”
The Emperor’s eyes, watching her, wavered faintly.
Oreon, the secretary who had been watching their conversation with interest, had to press his lips together tightly to keep from laughing.
A very powerful presence had appeared before the Emperor.
Shhhwack. The sound of the room curtains being pulled back was noisy. Sunlight streamed through the window, scattering into a rainbow of colors.
Dahlia, who had been lying in bed as if she were one with it, covered her face with one hand against the bright sunlight and squinted.
A beautiful woman with a neutral expression came into her blurry vision.
It was Annie, her childhood friend and currently her exclusive maid.
“Annie, did I do something wrong?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“The sunlight is too bright. I like it dark.”
Dahlia closed her eyes again and wiggled, trying to burrow back under the covers, but a firm hand grabbed her shoulder.
“Princess. You haven’t left your room for two weeks. Mold will start to grow on you.”
“It won’t.”
“It will!”
Annie, who had so decisively prophesied mold on the Princess’s body, pulled the blanket right off.
Dahlia desperately held onto the edge of the blanket and looked up at Annie with resentful eyes.
“Do you really have to take my blanket?”
“Go outside, get some sun, and feel the breeze.”
“Is there really a need to do that? Since, eventually, everything…” Dahlia trailed off, her face looking dejected.
Worry flashed across Annie’s face at her forlorn look, but she quickly covered it up, pretending it was no big deal.
“Did you have a bad dream again?”
A dark shadow fell over Dahlia’s face.
A bad dream…
How wonderful would it be if ‘World Destruction’ was merely a dream.
“Princess, listen closely. Even if the world ends tomorrow, I will plant one strawberry tree.”
Annie clenched both hands and her eyes shone with determination.
Dahlia stared at Annie with surprised, rabbit-like eyes. She hadn’t said anything to Annie about the world ending. Did I say it in my sleep?
Dahlia cautiously studied Annie’s expression and asked.
“…But why a strawberry?”
“Because the Princess loves them.” Annie replied, as if Dahlia had asked the most obvious thing.
“Thank you, Annie. But strawberries don’t grow on trees.” Dahlia kindly corrected her grateful friend, who always put her first.
A flicker of distress quickly appeared and then vanished from Annie’s face.
“In any case, I will not put off the tree I need to plant today! So, Princess, don’t put off your walk today.”
“Annie is a maid, not a farmer.”
When Dahlia corrected her again, Annie placed her hand firmly on her hip and lowered her voice coldly.
“Prin. Cess.”
“…Fine. I’ll go out.”
Dahlia watched Annie’s reaction and finally got out of bed.
As she shuffled weakly across the room, Annie’s voice followed her from behind.
“Are you just going out like that?”
Only then did Dahlia look down at her pajamas, and her violet eyes lit up with the expression of someone who had found a good excuse.
“You’re right. A Princess has to have dignity. It wouldn’t do to go out like this, would it? If I wash and get dressed, it’ll be night, so—”
“From the beginning, no one is allowed to enter the Princess’s separate palace without the King’s permission. So you must take a walk in the garden for one hour. While you are out, I will thoroughly clean your room to make sure no mold grows.” Annie cut off the Princess’s words firmly.
“I told you there’s no mold.” Dahlia grumbled, pouting her pink lips in defiance, and walked out.
