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Chapter 32
But she was not allowed to enter the Emperor’s palace.
“What did you just say?”
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is not permitted to enter the Emperor’s palace.”
“Ha…! What nonsense are you talking about!”
Laviolle shouted, but the chamberlain did not move aside.
As she took one more step forward, the chamberlain spoke again.
“There is an imperial order forbidding entry of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager into the palace.”
“An imperial order? Did you just say imperial order?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Laviolle’s anger rose to her head.
It was obvious—there was no doubt in her mind—that this was an order issued to prevent her from meeting that common girl.
Imperial orders were absolute, so Laviolle could only grit her teeth and turn back.
“That fox-like woman must have whispered all sorts of nonsense into my son’s ear. Otherwise, there’s no way that talented boy would have changed like this!”
In Laviolle’s mind, Juhee had already become a wicked woman leading Rowen down the path of ruin.
“What am I going to do… I must get rid of her quickly.”
Beside Rowen should be Princess Robero.
She might be foolish, but she had a decent face and was obedient—there was no better candidate for Empress.
Above all, she had the ambition to become Empress, which Laviolle liked.
“Hmm… When is Lady Atel supposed to arrive?”
“Next week.”
“Bring it forward to this week.”
“Yes, understood.”
Lady Atel was the etiquette instructor Laviolle had selected this time.
She obeyed Laviolle as if she would die for her, so she was perfect for monitoring Juhee.
When Lady Atel entered the imperial palace, Laviolle planned to enter along with her.
After all, she was the one who had invited her, so she would be the one to introduce her.
In that case, even Rowen would not be able to stop her.
Meanwhile,
Juhee tried on the clothes sent by Madame Lilia.
Unlike typical dresses, there was no corset or complicated structure, so she could put it on by herself.
“W-what do you think?”
“It’s good.”
The maid, trembling, asked while glancing at Lou standing behind Juhee.
Juhee held back a sigh and answered briefly.
“I’ll dress myself, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Ah, th-then the makeup…”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
As if waiting for those words, the maid bowed quickly and left the room.
Lou tilted his head, looking at Juhee’s clothes with innocent, confused eyes.
“How is it? Does it look okay?”
Lou barked once.
Juhee turned back toward the mirror.
Thanks to the new clothes, she felt refreshed.
Just then, there was a knock.
“Juhee, may I come in?”
“Yes.”
The door opened carefully, and Rowen entered.
“How are the clothes? Do you like them?”
“Yes.”
Today was the day they were going to the temple.
And also the reason Rowen had come—to see Juhee in her new outfit.
He had deliberately cleared his schedule to match the arrival of the clothes.
“I’m glad you like them. If you need more, tell the maid to call Madame.”
“No, I already have too many. They’ve filled an entire room.”
Juhee shook her head.
She wasn’t exaggerating.
She had expected a lot, but not this much.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Lou tried to follow, but Juhee stopped him.
“Lou, stay here today. I’ll play with you when I come back.”
After a few whining sounds, Lou gave up and stood by the door, watching until it closed as if seeing them off.
A large carriage was waiting in front of the palace.
“Be careful getting in.”
Rowen naturally held out his hand.
Juhee, who had been about to step into the carriage alone, hesitated and placed her hand in his.
It felt awkward—she had never received such an escort before—but ignoring it would also be impolite.
Once Rowen boarded the carriage as well, it began to move with a jolt.
“As I mentioned before, the temple is at the central square. It’s not far from here.”
“Yes.”
“How is palace life treating you?”
“It’s better than I expected.”
Having limited space to move around was slightly frustrating, but she accepted it.
If she wandered around and accidentally caused trouble, it would only be Rowen who suffered.
“Rowen, when was the last time a Saint appeared in the empire?”
“I’m not sure of the exact date, but about 300 years ago. Why?”
“Just curious.”
Then the heroine should be about to appear soon.
Rowen had been about to ask about her earlier dream when the carriage stopped.
“We’ve arrived.”
There was time later—he could ask then.
Rowen smiled and got out first, offering his hand.
Since it was an unofficial visit, he wore a deep hooded robe.
A massive temple came into view.
It was pure white, untouched by time.
Inside, there was a large garden, and in the center stood a statue of a goddess.
Juhee stepped closer.
“This is the ancient goddess Iris.”
“Iris…”
Juhee looked at the statue for a moment, then turned to Rowen.
“Is there a portrait of her?”
“Yes, in the central temple. Want to see it?”
Juhee nodded, and Rowen gently took her hand again.
They crossed the garden and entered another building.
Inside, a staircase leading to the second floor appeared.
A large portrait hung on the wall.
It depicted a figure praying with hands clasped, gazing at a radiant sun.
Her golden hair cascaded down to her waist, and her eyes shimmered blue.
“The heroine…”
“Yes?”
“She’s beautiful.”
It was written that the future heroine would resemble the ancient goddess Iris exactly.
That was why people had no doubt she was a Saint.
Juhee looked away from the portrait.
“Where is the prayer room?”
“On the far end of the second floor.”
Juhee went upstairs.
Inside the prayer room, the first thing she saw was the altar.
It was said that the heroine would appear from that very altar.
She looked around carefully, but there was nothing unusual—only a few people praying quietly.
“Finished looking around?”
“Yes. I thought it would be special… but there’s nothing really here.”
As they left the prayer room, she glanced at Rowen.
“Thank you for coming with me. You must be busy.”
“Of course. Something might happen if you go around alone.”
He had been watching her the entire time, almost as if guarding her, but Juhee thought it was just concern.
Since they were already out, she wanted to see the market streets.
Rowen seemed to read her thoughts.
“It’s a bit early to go back. Want to look around the market for a while?”
“Yes.”
At his words, Juhee nodded.
The market was crowded.
One wrong step and it would be easy to get lost.
“Hold my hand tightly so you don’t get lost.”
Juhee nodded and tightened her grip.
Voices called out from everywhere, inviting people to look around.
Then suddenly, the crowd surged forward, and Rowen lost hold of her hand.
“Juhee!”
In an instant, she was swallowed by the crowd.
He pushed through people frantically, but her black hair was nowhere to be seen.
His heart pounded violently.
His eyes scanned every direction.
Grinding his teeth, Rowen said coldly,
“Alex, find her.”
At the same time, the presence that had been following them disappeared.
Rowen had instructed his personal knight to shadow them discreetly so Juhee wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
He swallowed a breath and moved.
“Damn it.”
He didn’t know why so many people had suddenly gathered.
What if he couldn’t find her?
No—he shouldn’t think like that.
Then, he saw a glimpse of black hair.
“Move!”
He shoved through the crowd, ignoring the curses thrown at him.
He grabbed her wrist and turned her around—
But it wasn’t Juhee.
“W-who are you?!”
Rowen swallowed his anger and released her.
The frightened woman quickly fled.
His anxiety only grew.
If someone else touched her…
His eyes darkened.
“Damn it… where are you?”
After running for a long time in the cold weather, sweat dripped down him.
Unknowingly, he had reached a quiet alley.
As he caught his breath, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Let go.”
That firm, low voice—it was definitely Juhee.
She wasn’t far.
And indeed, just ahead, he saw her back.
Two men were blocking her path, grabbing her wrist.
“Hey, miss. You’re alone, right? Come hang out with us.”
“Get lost.”
“You’ve got a pretty face, but such a sharp mouth.”
One of them reached out and grabbed her face.
Juhee tried to call a spirit—
But suddenly, blood splattered.
“AAAAAGH!”
The hand holding Juhee’s wrist fell to the ground.
A severed hand.
Her eyes widened as she gasped.
“Juhee.”
Rowen wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her behind him.
The man whose hand had been cut off was bleeding heavily.
The alley filled instantly with the stench of blood.
“Close your eyes.”
Juhee reflexively closed them as screams echoed.
It didn’t take long.
Within minutes, everything went silent, and Rowen pulled her tightly into his arms.
“…Thank goodness.”
Juhee blinked.
“Do you know how worried I was?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s my fault. If I had lost you, I would have searched every continent to find you.”
He held her tightly, refusing to let go.
She had been about to tell him to loosen his grip, but his body was trembling—so she stayed silent.
