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chapter 28
She tried to answer in a composed voice, but the edge of her words trembled slightly.
It was only then that Lucretia realized her body was shivering again.
She had been warmed by another’s body while speaking with the Emperor, but now she was free of that heat. And more importantly…
Lucretia glanced down at her disheveled outer skirt lying on the stone floor, and her cheeks flushed crimson.
She was almost in her undergarments. Her bare shoulders felt suddenly cold.
At that moment, a large hand grabbed Lucretia’s shoulder and pulled her close.
“You’re surprisingly high-maintenance,” the Emperor said.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Flustered, Lucretia stammered. Once again, she found herself in the Emperor’s arms.
Earlier, her mind had been too clouded to think clearly, but now she was almost fully sober. Even the hallucination-inducing powder from her skirt seemed to have no effect on her—perhaps she was naturally resistant, like with El Nash leaves and roots.
The Emperor’s arms were impossibly wide and warm. The unfamiliar sensation made her heart race.
To make matters worse, he pressed his chin atop her head as he held her tightly.
With their bodies pressed together without a gap, Lucretia didn’t know what to do and fumbled helplessly.
“Y-Your… Majesty… what are you doing…?”
“I’m keeping you warm,” he replied.
The answer was absurdly simple, as if asking was pointless.
“Is it… not working?”
Curious, the Emperor lifted Lucretia’s chin and faced her burning-red cheeks. He smiled faintly.
“Seems like it is,” he said.
It’s not the warmth…
It was shame…
Lucretia couldn’t bring herself to say the real reason and just fumbled with her lips.
She hadn’t noticed the Emperor’s scent before, but now it lingered at the tip of her nose.
She wanted to escape—she felt she had to—but she couldn’t push the Emperor away. So she stayed quietly trapped in his embrace.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Lucretia whispered helplessly.
She felt a heavy, solid weight at her back, near her waist. Even someone foolish would notice.
Even though she was naive about such matters, she couldn’t ignore her body’s reaction. Her face felt like it was literally on fire. As the Emperor had said, she felt no chill at all now.
She tried to wriggle away from this embarrassing closeness, but his arms were too firm to budge.
“Wiggling like that… are you trying to provoke me?”
Startled, Lucretia froze completely. The Emperor spoke almost mockingly.
“Decide—will you be my loyal subject or a temptress? Pick one.”
Lucretia’s lips parted weakly.
Had he really interpreted her movement as seduction? To avoid further misunderstanding, she stiffened her body.
From above her head came a soft, low chuckle.
Then another cough escaped her lips.
“Cough… cough… I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’m not usually so sensitive to the cold…”
She muttered awkwardly, as if making an excuse. She hadn’t expected a reply, but one came.
“It’s the miasma lingering around here,” the Emperor said.
“Huh?”
“That’s why your body weakened.”
“Oh…”
She remembered hearing that, because of the annual hunt, the Rensia region was saturated with the lingering miasma left behind by sealed demons. And now, it was only a short time since Serilda had been hunted—surely another thick wave of miasma had settled.
Serilda. The thought struck her: the Emperor had fought that fearsome demon only a few hours ago.
“Your Majesty… are you all right?”
At the small question, the Emperor’s chest rose slightly in a light laugh.
“And who’s worrying about whom? I’m not affected by mere low-rank demons.”
A strange statement. Serilda, hunted today, wasn’t a low-rank demon at all—she was one of the Twelve Demons.
He just called Serilda a low-rank…
Indeed, the Emperor was formidable… but it still felt odd to call one of the Twelve Demons a low-rank. Objectively, Serilda was top-tier. Unless he meant relative to something else…
A gust of wind blew from outside the cave. It carried the metallic scent of blood from when Serilda had died, and the lingering miasma swirled with it.
This time, without a protective barrier, the stench felt far more nauseating.
“Ugh…”
Shivering, Lucretia felt the Emperor tighten his embrace, as if shielding her. Strangely, though the scent remained, her nausea was much less, as if the barrier atop the cliff had protected her before.
For a while, the Emperor remained still, only his steady breathing audible above her head.
Gradually, her shivering from the cold subsided in his arms.
…
…
In the quiet, only Lucretia’s heart raced.
The faint smell of blood clung to the Emperor’s scent. His strong arms encircled her waist.
Even if the hallucinogen had some lingering effect, her heart thudded violently, and her neck tingled.
Normally, she should feel anxious or fearful, unsure of what the silent Emperor was thinking—but instead, her heart felt as if it were inflating with each beat.
Stay still… just stay still, she begged her heart. She couldn’t risk transmitting this to the Emperor and causing misunderstanding.
What could Your Majesty be thinking right now…
He gave her warmth, held her as if protecting her from the miasma. He was acting as if she were truly his own.
Has my persuasion… finally reached him?
She hoped it had, she had to believe it had. Closing her eyes, Lucretia resolved:
I will find evidence, no matter what.
She hoped not to ruin this small budding trust.
The hunt festival ended successfully.
Once again, attendees claimed this year had been more spectacular than any before.
Even with envoys from many nations, the event had proceeded without a hitch, and the atmosphere was remarkably pleasant.
Most impressive was the demon resealed this year.
“Serilda appeared?”
“After eighty years, right?”
“I thought the last sealing was perfect since she hadn’t appeared in so long!”
Praises for the Emperor, who had resealed Serilda without a single casualty, followed.
“All the knights returned safely, they say?”
“I heard His Majesty acted alone, both as bait and to finish the job—blindfolded, no less!”
“Is that even possible? The Emperor’s skill seems beyond human comprehension.”
“For the demons, perhaps the true demon is His Majesty himself.”
“Hohoho! Indeed.”
The citizens of the Empire beamed with pride. With such a mighty Emperor, they felt confident this would be a peaceful golden age.
“Serilda, huh… that means the color for this year is green?”
“Yes, the Empire will be bathed in green! Just imagining it feels fresh and beautiful.”
Serilda, the third of the Twelve Demons, symbolized green. Since she appeared only once in eighty years, green had not been fashionable for a long time. The court buzzed with excitement at the prospect of a fresh hue.
“What green gemstones exist?”
“Of course, the Queen of Greens—Emerald.”
“Don’t forget Peridot and Green Sapphire!”
The nobles summoned jewelers, eager for new luxury items. But before they could fully enjoy themselves, shocking news arrived.
“What do you mean, no Emeralds?”
“Last year there was plenty in stock!”
No jeweler had any emeralds. Nobles, eager to flaunt the ‘Queen of Greens,’ grew anxious.
“Even if not emeralds… Peridot? Zircon? Nothing at all?”
“Even low-quality items, just sell something!”
The nobles practically begged the jewelers. Falling behind the trend was terrifying.
Yet, no jeweler had stock.
“Everything’s sold out. Not a single piece left. Truly.”
“No, I wouldn’t hide goods from long-time clients! If I knew, I wouldn’t have sold everything… people tempted me to sell at double or triple the price…”
It wasn’t just jewels. Green fabrics skyrocketed in price. Merchants repeated that suppliers were blocked.
The nobles despaired. Leading fashion, yet blocked by lack of stock.
Jewels could be recut, but smaller stones were unsatisfying. The real issue was dresses—last year’s designs couldn’t be reused in a constantly shifting social season.
“Ahh! The sleeves are monstrously puffed! How can anyone wear this?”
“But it looked fine last year… maybe we can have it altered!”
As the nobles sighed in despair, a merchant group appeared like a comet.
“We have Emeralds, Peridot, and the finest green fabrics made from Dodo leaves! Available now at reasonable prices!”
The prices were far from reasonable—five or six times last year’s. Yet, desperate nobles snapped up the stock. Despite the outrageous profit, the Terarocia guild from the distant west drew crowds daily.
