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Chapter 17
Roabellin had already created an alias, Yulli, along with identification, but that was the name she used when her face was altered with magic.
‘If I use that name with my real face, it might cause problems later.’
After thinking for a very brief moment, Roabellin decided to use a clipped version of her middle name, “Cartagena.”
“It’s Hena.”
“Hm. Hena.”
Kaisertern, however, did not miss the tiny hesitation as she gave her name.
‘Not her real name. One suspicious point added.’
At that moment, someone suddenly grabbed Roabellin’s arm, stopping her in her tracks. Startled, she let out a small scream.
“Kya!”
“Pretty lady, take a look at this.”
It was a street vendor trying to sell something.
“No, I don’t want it. Let go of me.”
She had lost count of how many times this had happened. Walking through the festival full of couples, Roabellin had been separated from Kaisertern, and the merchants assumed she was alone, grabbing at her wrist and arm repeatedly. Kaisertern had shooed them away a few times.
But as the streets grew more crowded, people coming from the opposite direction began bumping into her shoulders or arms. When a man walking distractedly collided with her, she almost stumbled.
“Ugh…!”
Kaisertern wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Her slender shoulder fit perfectly against his strong arm.
“It’ll be easier to walk this way.”
“Ah, th-thank… you.”
Roabellin was a little surprised by the sudden physical contact, but she didn’t dislike it. In fact, her heart felt like it was beating faster.
‘Why don’t I mind…? Ah. I really like handsome men.’
Kaisertern was rationalizing to himself as well.
‘I’m just protecting Hena because it’s hard for her to walk in the crowd. There’s no other intention.’
But he forgot that he had never had this kind of physical contact with a woman before.
The “Kai effect” worked immediately. People seemed to only bump into women who looked small and fragile. Now that the tall, strong Kaisertern was shielding Roabellin, the crowd miraculously cleared, and no one bumped into her anymore.
‘Wow, this is really convenient.’
Roabellin, surprised at first when he wrapped his arm around her, was astonished again at how much easier it made walking.
‘Hmm, since it’s come to this… why not…?’
Pretending to be jostled by the crowd, she lightly rested her head against his broad shoulders and chest. There was no particular reason—she was just curious what it felt like to touch a muscular body.
‘Wow….’
Touching his firm and warm chest, she felt a strange mix of comfort and excitement.
She didn’t notice that Kaisertern’s face had stiffened. Thanks to the noisy street, she also didn’t hear the pounding of his heart.
The briefly flustered expression on Kaisertern’s face soon returned to his usual blank look. Pretending to ignore his heart’s honest reaction, he tightened his arm around her shoulders slightly.
“There are a lot of people. Be careful.”
He added a casual excuse.
Walking while half-carrying her under the pretense of the crowd, Kaisertern began explaining various things about the Visent Festival. Roabellin, listening with interest, noticed that every inn had a “fully booked” sign posted and remarked casually.
“Looks like a lot of tourists come during the festival. I barely managed to find a place to stay when I came last week…”
Kaisertern replied matter-of-factly.
“That’s true. But even if you’re not a tourist, the inns are full. There are couples everywhere.”
Roabellin’s eyes widened at his words.
“So not only tourists stay at the inns?”
Looking at her, Kaisertern gave her a look as if she were asking something obvious.
“It is a festival for lovers, isn’t it?”
“Then why would local couples, who aren’t tourists, stay at inns?”
Roabellin had been raised as a noblewoman. Even after her family was annihilated, she had been cared for by the household staff and had grown up well-mannered. No one in her family had ever taught her about these customs. Despite her confident decision to pursue the emperor’s child, her sex education had been learned only from books.
Kaisertern looked at her with an incredulous expression.
“Hena, are you an adult?”
“Eh? Yes, I just turned twenty recently. But why?”
“Hmm…”
He hesitated for a moment.
“I am an adult. You can tell me.”
“……Couples staying at an inn together are there to share love. Do I really need to explain what that means?”
Roabellin didn’t know, but Kaisertern thought he had explained quite directly and politely. He quietly observed her face, hoping she had understood at least this much.
Her insistence that she was a commoner felt strange to him. Was it because she didn’t know about this, or was it because an inexplicable elegance radiated from her entire being?
“Ah…!”
Roabellin, looking at him with innocent eyes, began to blush.
‘You idiot, you should have realized sooner! Making me listen to all that!!’
Watching her expressions in real time, Kaisertern found her reactions cute and wanted to tease her a little more.
“You didn’t understand well, huh? Hmm, is the expression ‘sharing love’ too abstract?”
“Yes… yes?”
“Hmm… would it be easier if I said men and women engage in sexual relations?”
As he spoke, he leaned his handsome, seductive face closer to hers. The proximity took her breath away; she couldn’t think of anything.
Watching her lips move slightly with a flushed, red face, he gazed at her for a few seconds as if unconcerned yet tempting, then pulled back and smiled faintly.
‘Smiling makes him even more handsome…’
She realized suddenly.
“He’s deliberately teasing me…!!!”
“Hahaha!!”
Kaisertern laughed heartily and suddenly remembered something.
‘When was the last time I laughed this hard…?’
He couldn’t even remember. It felt like years had passed. Thinking of that, he wanted to know this special woman even more.
Feeling his strong attraction toward her, he didn’t even feel the urge to deny it.
From a distance, a pair of eyes watched them. A priest of Aventador, he had come to Visentium on business at a temple in Prahenfelt.
‘Of all times, it has to be during the festival—so crowded.’
Walking through the bustling streets, he spotted a young platinum-blonde woman strolling with a tall man ahead.
‘Platinum hair is rare in Aventador, but occasionally seen here in Prahenfelt.’
Though her face was hidden, even her silhouette suggested she was beautiful. Watching her walk away, he recalled someone.
‘There’s no way she could be alive. I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but… when we went there that day, everything was already over…’
The middle-aged priest’s eyes traced memories of a night several years ago. In his mind’s eye flickered the image of a great castle burning in flames.
The fact that Hena had only given her first name meant she claimed to be a commoner. But after observing her speech and behavior all day, Kaisertern concluded that something was inconsistent.
Hena’s actions and speech were elegant. Normally, among commoners, one might speak informally even upon first meeting. But she did not hastily drop her formalities, even though Kaisertern had spoken casually from the start.
Another detail was her skin. Unlike ordinary commoners, her skin was pale, flawless, and delicate. Her fine hands were particularly noticeable.
‘Hands that have never done rough work…’
Although he was the emperor, he had often observed commoners’ lives outside the palace and could detect this. Their appearance and behavior were clearly different from those of royals or nobles.
Kaisertern casually made her an offer.
“Hena, aren’t you hungry? I know a delicious restaurant. Shall we go there?”
“If it’s you treating me, sir, I’ll be happy with anything!”
The promise of a meal immediately caught Roabellin’s attention.
“Alright. This way.”
Kaisertern led her to one of the finest restaurants in Visentium. A single meal there was equivalent to two weeks’ wages for an average commoner.
The restaurant staff took their outerwear and pulled out their chairs. Roabellin naturally received their service as if she were used to being waited on.
“What would you like to order?”
“Hm. Let’s do a full course.”
Kaisertern selected a course menu without explaining what dishes would be served to Roabellin.
“Why? I’m curious. What did you order?”
“Part of the fun is eating while wondering what will come.”
“Hmm… wouldn’t it be fun to wait in anticipation if you knew what would come?”
As they engaged in light conversation, the dishes arrived in order. Kaisertern’s eyes occasionally glanced at Roabellin. She unfolded her napkin and naturally picked up the fork, knife, and spoon suitable for each dish.
But Kaisertern seemed uninterested in such details, continuing their casual conversation.
“How does it taste?”
“Really delicious!”
“Try this too.”
He offered her a dish from the table. Her face brightened as she smelled the aroma.
“Oh, the truffle scent is strong. I really like this aroma.”
Truffles were extremely expensive, so most commoners had never seen them, let alone tasted them. Roabellin had casually mentioned it because she fondly remembered eating them at the ducal estate during her childhood.
‘It’s been a while… reminds me of my childhood.’
She briefly recalled the happy times of her early life with her family, while Kaisertern continued his meal, lost in thought.
‘It’s certain. She’s not a commoner.’
