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Chapter 20
“Forget the Emperor—what about me?”
The alcohol was still lingering, but even so, Roabellin could tell that he was confessing to her.
‘With you… today is the last day. I can only be your lover for one day.’
She couldn’t bring herself to say that. Lowering her gaze, she deliberately pretended not to fully understand his words and replied cheerfully instead.
“Haha, unlike His Majesty the Emperor, um… Kai isn’t impotent then! I guess someone’s already proven that for you?”
Realizing that she was deliberately dodging the question, Kaisertene silently swallowed a sip of his cocktail.
‘Proof, huh… Fine. I’ll let you prove it yourself.’
As Roabellin kept sipping her drink, the intoxication returned. The sweet taste made it easy to keep drinking without realizing how drunk she was becoming.
“Uh….”
As she swayed slightly in her seat, Kaisertene quickly reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist. In an instant, she ended up held against his firm arm.
Even in her dazed state, she liked how big and warm his chest felt, so Roabellin leaned her spinning head against him. She could hear his heart pounding loudly.
‘I thought he was just teasing me… but Kai’s heart is racing so hard too.’
For some reason, the sound of his heartbeat felt like it was speaking his true feelings.
Roabellin felt happy, yet at the same time, a little sad. He was such a good person, and yet she couldn’t honestly reveal her own feelings or approach him openly.
After leaving the bar, the two walked through the streets and noticed another crowd gathered around an event.
“For the first-place couple! A pair of couple rings made of platinum and moonstone! For the second-place couple, a moonstone necklace!”
Moonstone was a gem symbolizing the moon and lovers.
‘They’ve tied the festival’s meaning and the prizes together nicely.’
As Kaisertene reflected on the symbolism, Roabellin—still riding her buzz—spoke excitedly.
“Wow, let’s try that! I want moonstone!”
“…Not even diamonds?”
Thinking she really did want everything, Kaisertene casually looked over the crowd to see what the event was. But once he understood what kind of event it was, he unexpectedly showed interest.
“Fine. Let’s participate.”
Only after being led onto the stage by the wrist did Roabellin realize what was going on—and froze in shock. It was a game where lovers passed a single piece of candy back and forth between their mouths until it was gone.
The host shouted enthusiastically,
“Speed matters, but we’ll also be doing a qualitative evaluation of how deep~ and passionate the kiss is! The scores will be combined!”
‘What?! That means they want us to deep-kiss on stage?!’
Roabellin stared at Kaisertene with wide eyes, but he looked completely calm. She was the only one panicking, hopping in place in confusion.
“In front of all these people? Something this embarrassing? I can’t do it!”
Her head cleared instantly, and she tried to step off the stage—but Kaisertene firmly held her wrist and remained standing there. It didn’t hurt, but the strength of his grip made it impossible to pull away.
“So you’d be fine if it weren’t in front of others?”
The corner of Kaisertene’s lips curved slightly as he spoke.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant—”
“Think of it as practice. For when you do it with the Emperor.”
The moment she thought his voice sounded oddly sulky, Kaisertene kept hold of her wrist with one hand and pulled her slim waist toward him with the other, pressing her body firmly against his.
“Hah….”
As Roabellin froze at the sudden closeness, he took the candy handed over by the host and placed it into her mouth.
She instinctively bit down on the candy—and then Kaisertene’s hand slid from her wrist to the back of her neck as he leaned down toward her.
The moment his large, strong hands wrapped around her, Roabellin tensed without realizing it. But it was strange. She felt afraid, yet she didn’t dislike him coming closer. No—if she were honest, her body trembled with half fear, half anticipation.
‘Why is my body shaking like this…? Wait, am I actually looking forward to it?!’
Faced with the sudden opportunity for her first kiss, her mind was a complete mess. Her body felt stiff with tension.
Sensing her trembling, Kaisertene murmured softly near her ear,
“Don’t worry. Relax your body. Just follow what I do.”
His pleasant, low voice echoed by her ear, sending a ticklish, oddly thrilling shiver through her.
‘Since when did someone speaking softly near my ear feel this… strange?’
As she tried to pout out of sheer embarrassment—
“What, have you done this kind of thing a lot—mmph.”
Kaisertene sealed her lips with his.
‘This is my first kiss…!’
She wanted to protest that this wasn’t how a first kiss was supposed to happen—but he didn’t give her lips any room to speak.
With his hand firmly wrapped around her waist, Roabellin couldn’t move.
Kaisertene explored her lips slowly and carefully. Soon, their lips entwined softly.
His gentle, practiced movements gradually eased her tension. With her eyes closed, she even forgot that they were on a stage. Still, since it was her first kiss, she felt awkward, clinging to his strong arms as he held her.
After lingering on her lips, Kaisertene parted them, and his tongue slipped inside, searching for the candy she’d been holding in her mouth.
The sudden depth of contact made Roabellin dizzy. A sharp sensation ran through her whole body, and strangely, her lower abdomen tightened. But that unfamiliar feeling soon turned into something sweet and pleasant.
“Mmm… ah….”
Her breathing gradually grew ragged. Her mind went hazy, and without realizing it, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. As if he’d been waiting for that, Kaisertene pulled her tightly into his arms.
Her soft body fit perfectly against his broad chest, making him feel unbearably fond of her. His own breathing grew rough as well.
Bit by bit, the world faded away until only the two of them remained. Nothing existed except each other.
Their kiss must have been quite intense—because in the end, Roabellin won the necklace she’d wanted as a prize. But neither of them cared about that anymore. They both knew it: that they wanted each other, and that their feelings were mutual.
They walked quietly for a while, fingers naturally interlaced. Kaisertene wanted to end this already-special day in the most special way possible.
‘A place that’s special to me…’
After thinking silently for a moment, Kaisertene spoke casually while looking ahead.
“Want to go see the moon?”
Caught off guard, Roabellin widened her eyes.
“Huh? What moon?”
“Isn’t this festival about celebrating the overlap of the two moons? It’ll happen soon.”
Hearing that it was the festival’s highlight, Roabellin immediately brightened.
“Oh! Then we have to see it! Where’s the best place?”
When the question he’d been waiting for came, Kaisertene answered without hesitation.
“A place where buildings won’t block the view, and bright lights won’t interfere. I know a spot.”
“Okay! Let’s go!”
Holding Roabellin’s hand tightly, Kaisertene led her toward a hill path somewhere in Vicentium.
They were almost at the top when a few raindrops began to fall—then suddenly, a heavy downpour followed.
“Ah…!”
Kaisertene quickly grabbed Roabellin’s hand and ran. They arrived soon enough, but both were already soaked through.
“With rain like this, we won’t be able to see the moon. For now—come inside.”
The place they arrived at was one of Kaisertene’s villas within the city.
It had originally belonged to his late mother since her maiden days.
For a high noble’s villa, it was small and modest—but perched atop a quiet city hill, it had a calm, atmospheric charm. Even now, palace servants maintained it regularly, keeping the garden and interior immaculate.
The garden was in full bloom with red roses. At the end of a small path stood the front door of a lovely two-story house that looked straight out of a fairy tale. The two ran straight to the door.
“Hah… haa… wow, I’m out of breath. This place is beautiful and cozy. Is this your house, Kai?”
As she gasped for breath after running uphill, Kaisertene opened the door and replied,
“It was my mother’s villa. I come here sometimes when I want some peace and quiet.”
“Oh…”
Roabellin was reminded of her own late mother. The memory of the day she’d lost her surfaced naturally, making her body tremble.
Kaisertene wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her inside.
“You’re shaking. Are you cold?”
“No—no, I’m fine.”
“I see. Come this way.”
The interior was warm and inviting. Finished with fine wood, it felt like a mountain lodge, yet carried a subtle elegance.
“There’s a fireplace, a soft sofa… It feels warm and comforting.”
But at the same time, Kaisertene was thinking something else.
‘A cabin with a fireplace. Two people soaked by rain… It’s strange, but this feels like déjà vu—like that day.’
