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Chapter 89…………………………………..
Let’s Do It Right Now
“Your Majesty, the Lady of the House of Belarus has arrived.”
The emperor was sitting in the audience chamber, flicking his fingers against the table. Lea had sent a letter saying she intended to visit after receiving the marriage proposal.
His lips curved into a satisfied smile at the news of her visit.
“Bring her in at once.”
No sooner had Ilei spoken than the door to the reception room opened.
“Your Majesty.”
Lea approached and bowed politely. Unlike when they had met as an apothecary, dressed in a gown and behaving with decorum, she looked every bit the noble lady.
The emperor’s eyes flickered with interest as he looked at her.
“It’s been quite a while, Lady of Belarus.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I had been planning to invite you to the palace anyway, but you came here first. It seems our hearts are aligned.”
Though his tone was gentle, his gaze was sharp.
Caught in the emperor’s penetrating stare, Lea’s hand tremblingly clutched the folds of her skirt.
A snake of a man.
Today, his blonde hair reflected in the sunlight looked particularly cold and unwelcoming. Lea approached the chair opposite him and sat down.
Cups and refreshments were already prepared, as if anticipating her arrival.
I didn’t come here to enjoy tea leisurely.
Lea glanced at the table and spoke.
“I have a request for Your Majesty.”
“A request, you say…”
At her words, Ilei picked up his cup and fixed his gaze on her. Even without hearing her next words, he knew what they would be.
She’s probably here to ask me to withdraw the marriage proposal.
Ilei smiled leisurely.
A few days ago, the empress dowager’s attendant had arrived at the estate. The attendant only left a brief message: “It’s time. Prepare the Rose Palace.”
The Rose Palace.
It had long been the residence of the empress. From that single line, Ilei inferred the dowager’s wish to see Lea become empress.
Well, if she is the daughter of the House of Belarus, she is more than suitable for the position.
More than suitable—she exceeded expectations. Moreover, Ilei had no intention of simply handing Belarus to Akhia’s control.
“Yes, Your Majesty, I…”
“What kind of tea do you like?”
Before Lea could finish, the emperor took a sip of the tea in front of him and asked.
“…Pardon?”
Suddenly asking about tea, Lea furrowed her brows in slight confusion.
But ignoring the emperor’s question wasn’t an option, so she answered promptly.
“I like jasmine.”
“Ah! By chance or by fate.”
With a small sigh, Ilei set his cup on the table and met her gaze.
“Jasmine happens to be my favorite tea as well.”
“I see. I came to give Your Highness my answer…”
But Ilei, apparently uninterested in her intended words, asked another question.
“Then, what is your favorite color?”
Hah.
Lea swallowed a sigh at the emperor’s deliberate evasion. Judging by his playful smile, it was obvious he was asking a different question on purpose.
“I like red.”
Originally, she had liked green, but over time she had been drawn to a red reminiscent of Akhia’s eyes. A faint smile touched her lips at the thought of Akhia.
“Of course. I like red most of all too.”
“…?”
“Whenever I see red, I think of you.”
Since when has he been interested in me?
Lea had to swallow a laugh at the emperor’s calm lie, delivered without changing a single expression.
“No matter how I think about it, we’d be perfect for each other.”
Lea was exasperated at his audacity. The emperor, seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment, smiled leisurely.
“Our marriage wouldn’t be bad for you either. I’ll make you the noblest woman in the empire.”
To another woman, this might have sounded exciting—the promise of becoming empress. But to Lea, it was empty words.
“I came to ask Your Majesty to withdraw the proposal.”
Lea’s eyes shone with resolve. Facing her, Ilei slowly set down his cup.
“Don’t act hastily. Think calmly. Act wisely. Consider what you must do right now.”
The playful glint in Ilei’s eyes darkened instantly. Yet even under the emperor’s threatening gaze, Lea did not flinch.
“My answer remains the same.”
“Are you certain you won’t regret it?”
At the word regret, Lea clenched her hands under the table. Despite the emperor’s piercing stare, she did not tremble.
“Perhaps you and your family could be at risk?”
It’s fine.
She felt reassured, as if Akhia were by her side. Soon, she would become the Duchess of Haiden. And she would fulfill the man’s long-held wish.
Lea’s unwavering eyes met the emperor’s.
“Belarus is a loyal lion. I cannot be Your Majesty’s partner, but as long as Croatia stands, I will remain the eternal lion of the royal family.”
Of course, this royal family would not last into Ilei’s era.
Lea gave a faint smile and stood, her gesture free of lingering hesitation, as if she had said everything she needed to say.
“Then, I will take my leave.”
Lea, bowing politely, left the reception room.
—Clack.
As the door shut, Ilei leaned back in his chair.
A loyal lion, huh…
The symbol of the House of Belarus was a lion. He hadn’t expected to hear that from a young woman just entering noble society.
“Interesting woman.”
As he murmured to himself, the wall behind him began to move.
—Creak.
With a chilling sound, the wall opened like a door, and unfamiliar footsteps echoed through the room. Ilei continued speaking as the presence approached.
“You heard that, didn’t you? The lady’s will is quite stubborn.”
The hem of a luxurious golden dress brushed against the floor. From within, none other than the Empress Dowager appeared.
She walked with noble grace and sat in the chair opposite Ilei. When an attendant approached to refill the cup, she poured freshly brewed tea.
“True to the blood of Belarus, stubborn indeed.”
She glanced at Ilei and smiled quietly.
“She does not realize it gnaws at her lifespan.”
At Ilei’s words, the dowager clicked her tongue softly.
“And what do you intend to do now? Although I am the emperor, the other party is Belarus. There are many ways to reject a proposal.”
After sipping her tea, she set it down quietly, leaning back in her chair as she asked Ilei about his plans.
The dowager’s ears still rang with Lea’s voice from beyond the wall—a young girl speaking her mind to the emperor without fear. When she mentioned Belarus’ lion, it was as if the deceased duchess had been reborn.
Truly, a tenacious connection with Belarus.
Ariel, with a temperament like the late duchess, had once stirred his temper, and now her granddaughter appeared.
“What can one do?”
A cruel smile spread across the dowager’s face.
The first time is difficult; will the second be too?
She looked at Ilei, seated in the noblest place, a seat stained with the sacrifices and blood of others. Should someone else try to claim it, it would be stopped by another sacrifice. Waiting for his reply, she spoke.
“Just as two suns cannot rise in the same sky, if one cannot share the same ship, the other must be sunk.”
Her gaze flashed menacingly.
❀ ❀ ❀
Something feels wrong.
Lea, returning to her estate from the palace, was uneasy. An indescribable sense of foreboding crawled along her spine.
Would he give up on me so easily?
The prestige of the House of Belarus she had seen at the banquet exceeded her expectations. So many had gathered for the old duke returning to the capital after twenty years.
Even among those introduced by her grandfather, many were familiar faces, including commoners like herself.
The emperor’s sudden proposal must be to keep Akhia in check.
As she thought this, her fist clenched the folds of her skirt. At the banquet, many must have sensed her unusual closeness with Akhia. She was likely to face political risks like this in the future.
Rumors about me and the duke must have spread widely…
Perhaps the emperor’s proposal was a signal of the upcoming crisis.
As she gazed out the window, deep in thought, the carriage gradually slowed as it arrived at the estate.
Perhaps waiting for her, Dmitri and Akhia greeted her the moment she entered.
They seemed to have remained in the reception room exactly as they were when she left for the palace. She had thought it odd when Dmitri mentioned being there instead of in his office.
I didn’t expect the duke to still be here.
“Lea, are you alright? Was nothing amiss?”
Dmitri’s concerned gaze swept over her.
“Yes. I’m fine. Nothing happened. But…”
Lea looked at Akhia, standing behind Dmitri.
“You haven’t returned home yet?”
Before she left for the palace, Akhia had come to the Belarus estate to see her off. She had assumed he had gone back, but he must have stayed out of concern for her.
“How could I go back after sending you alone?”
Lea nodded, understanding his stubbornness. On the way home, she thought that perhaps Akhia might indeed have stayed behind to wait for her.
She smiled faintly, realizing she could now predict his thoughts.
When did I come to know this man so well?
Lea faced the two of them and said,
“Perfect timing.”
Amid the serious atmosphere, her decisive voice rang out.
Perfect timing for what?
Akhia furrowed his brows at her unexpected words. Lea passed Dmitri and stood before Akhia, taking his hand in hers.
“Duke.”
What could she be about to say, looking at him with such resolute eyes?
Akhia, caught off guard, only nodded, unable to respond.
Lea slowly opened her mouth.
“Let’s do it right now.”
