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Chapter 05
I hurriedly looked around to at least throw on the navy shawl I had taken off earlier, but it was nowhere to be seen—perhaps the maids had already put everything away.
While I was flustered, Yulion had already entered the room.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh? Ah, I’m still…”
Not fully dressed.
Well, not exactly undressed, but it was an embarrassing state to be seen in.
Yulion and I were in a contract marriage, so there was no plan for a first night or anything like that.
However, since the maids and attendants were listening, I couldn’t say it properly.
Yulion stared at me for a moment as I only moved my lips without speaking, then he took off the robe he was wearing.
“You look cold. At least wear this.”
In an instant, his robe was draped over my shoulders.
A soft warmth spread through me.
I didn’t refuse and say I was fine.
“Thank you.”
It seemed Yulion had also just bathed, as the tips of his hair were still wet.
Still, he was better dressed than I was. Even after giving me his robe, he was wearing proper, smooth sleepwear underneath.
“You may all leave.”
At Yulion’s command, the attendants and maids left the room.
With a click, the door shut, and he strode over and sat on the bed.
“You’ll probably be curious, so I’ll tell you—Hemion Martin is safe.”
Since the wedding ceremony had immediately continued into the reception, there had been no way to know about Hemion, who was under protection in the Crown Prince’s palace.
I had been about to ask anyway, so I thanked him for telling me first.
“Thank you for letting me know. May I bring her to my palace tomorrow?”
“Do as you wish.”
At Yulion’s easy permission, I let out a sigh of relief.
Although I had given her the antidote, there were still many additional medicines she needed to take.
Her condition had been so severe that leaving it as it was could lead to other complications.
As I was thinking about various things, Yulion pointed to the space beside him.
“Aren’t you going to lie down?”
“…Pardon?”
“Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“Ah, no. I will.”
This is awkward.
So unbearably awkward that it felt like my body might twist.
Whether he knew how I felt or not, Yulion slipped under the blanket with a completely indifferent expression.
I carefully approached, lifted the blanket, and lay down beside him.
‘Good thing the bed is big.’
As long as we didn’t stretch out our arms, we probably wouldn’t touch.
Wrapped in the cozy blanket, I began to feel drowsy.
“Rohiriel.”
If Yulion hadn’t suddenly called my name, I would have fallen asleep instantly.
I turned over once and answered.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“…That bruise—it seems to have gotten worse.”
Reflexively, I pulled the blanket up to my neck.
“It always looks worse as time passes.”
“How do you know that so well?”
“That’s just common knowledge…”
“Not that.”
Yulion’s voice grew serious.
He took a deep breath and slowly continued.
“I mean the Bihwa.”
Just his voice alone felt pressuring.
As I was choosing my words, he spoke again.
“There are not many people in the Empire who can recognize Bihwa poisoning at a glance and even quickly create an antidote.”
Yulion’s doubt was justified.
Bihwa was indeed known as a particularly tricky poison.
I fiddled with the edge of the pillow and answered.
“That may be true in the Empire.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you know, my mother was a princess of the Yallon Kingdom. She was very knowledgeable in medicine.”
Yulion listened without moving.
I pulled the blanket a little tighter.
“The Yallon Kingdom was weak and fell, but when it came to medicine, it was superior to anywhere else on the continent. In the Empire, though, people tend to look down on it as the knowledge of a fallen nation.”
“I’ve heard of it. There are a few physicians from Yallon in the Imperial Medical Hall, and they are quite skilled.”
“Then that makes things easier. I grew up learning many things from my mother since I was young. So…”
Naturally, the conversation turned to my childhood.
I wondered if he might find it boring, so I only shared simple things.
As I shifted slightly, something warm brushed against my fingertips.
It felt like Yulion, who had been still the whole time, flinched—or maybe not.
It was truly the perfect first night of two people bound on the same ship.
“Your Highness, please wake up.”
“Mm…”
“It’s almost lunchtime.”
I couldn’t open my eyes at all.
Was it because I had overexerted myself yesterday?
In my hazy state, Jenid’s words slowly began to register.
“What?”
My sleepiness vanished instantly.
To wake up at lunchtime on the very first day of becoming Crown Princess…
As I tried to get up, my body felt incredibly heavy.
When I frowned deeply, Jenid lowered her brows and asked,
“Is something uncomfortable? Should I call a physician?”
“No. More importantly, where is Yulion?”
“He said he had urgent business this morning and went to his office.”
“I see. Then please prepare me. I need to eat and also pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
After that, if the situation allowed, I planned to stop by the imperial garden as well.
The purpose of becoming Crown Princess—if I could find and pick even a few leaves of Aferium to cure my illness, it would be a successful day.
After finishing my meal, I was about to head outside the palace when a knight came running from afar in a hurry.
“Your Highness!”
He was a knight with striking blond hair tied in a low tail.
As he approached, catching his breath, he broke into a bright smile.
His orange-tinted eyes, which almost looked red, curved gently.
“I have come under the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince to serve as your close guard starting today.”
“Yulion?”
“Yes. One person like me is better than several knights.”
He said that without a hint of hesitation, praising himself openly.
Then he naturally took a position behind me.
“You may call me Ares comfortably, Your Highness!”
He was full of energy in both action and voice.
As I started walking, I asked,
“Did you just arrive?”
“N-no. I came this morning and have been waiting outside.”
As he said that, Ares seemed to subtly avoid my gaze.
‘Then where did he just come from?’
Did he have something to hide?
Perhaps Yulion, who still didn’t fully trust me, had sent him partly to keep watch.
“I see. I look forward to working with you, Sir Ares.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Without pressing further, I left the palace.
The Tishurit Palace, where the Empress resided, was even larger than the Garnet Palace of the Crown Princess.
It was more than twice the size, with several gardens, so it took quite a while to reach the audience chamber.
When I arrived, the head maid of Tishurit Palace greeted me.
Her gaze was sharp, clearly filled with hostility toward me.
“Her Majesty the Empress bids you enter further inside.”
By “inside,” she meant the bedroom where the Emperor lay.
Originally, the Emperor should have stayed in the Sun Palace, but since the Empress personally cared for him at all times, he had long since been moved to Tishurit Palace.
Though the Emperor was barely conscious and couldn’t converse, I still had to greet him formally.
“Please enter.”
The door leading inside opened at her guidance.
Just as I was about to step forward, I hesitated.
‘Why is the room like this…?’
The entire bedroom was extremely dark.
The windows that should have let in sunlight were all covered with blackout curtains, and only a few dim lights were on.
There was even a translucent curtain drawn across the middle of the room, making it impossible to properly see the bed even with the door open.
“You’ve come.”
A presence was felt from behind the curtain.
Following proper etiquette, I slightly lifted the hem of my dress and bowed.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesties.”
For a moment, silence lingered.
Then, with a rustling sound, the Empress’s voice came.
“Come closer.”
At the same time, the curtain was drawn aside.
A red-haired woman looked down at me with an indifferent gaze.
The current Empress, Psirias Sertizian.
Once, before the Emperor collapsed, she had reigned at the pinnacle of high society.
Now, though she refrained from all external activities to care for the Emperor, her beauty and noble aura remained unchanged.
“I hear there was quite a commotion starting from the wedding day.”
She was referring to Hemion Martin’s Bihwa poisoning.
Since the Empress had been inside the palace at the time, she must have heard the details later from a maid.
Keeping my gaze lowered, I answered,
“I apologize. Thanks to Your Majesty’s understanding, we were able to complete the ceremony safely.”
“I heard you made the antidote?”
“Yes. Fortunately, I had learned it from my mother in the past.”
“Your mother… I see. I have a general idea.”
As someone who once dominated high society, the Empress knew about my mother as well.
She fell silent for a moment, then let out a languid breath.
“Crown Princess.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I will speak frankly.”
“Please do.”
Her voice carried clear annoyance.
Given her reputation for having both a fiery and straightforward personality, I actually preferred skipping trivial conversation.
The Empress took out a small pouch from her bosom and tossed it toward me.
“As you know, I do not like the House of Cassian.”
“…Yes.”
“I also dislike the rumors surrounding you.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“But since you have now been brought into the family, I will try to treat you without prejudice.”
That was unexpected.
The House of Cassian and the Empress’s natal family, the House of Biante, were sworn enemies.
I had thought I would be lucky if she didn’t openly despise or reprimand me—this was better than expected.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. But this is…?”
“It is the seal of the Crown Princess. Managing the Crown Prince’s palace is now your responsibility. I’ve had to oversee it until now, and it has been quite exhausting.”
As if truly tired, the Empress pressed at the corners of her eyes and frowned.
After a moment, she let out a sigh and opened her eyes again.
“Anyway, you will have quite a lot to do. First—”
She trailed off mid-sentence, closing her eyes again and taking a deep breath.
At that, the head maid standing beside her skillfully presented something.
“Your Majesty.”
“Mm, yes.”
Receiving a small bottle, the Empress immediately dropped the liquid inside into her eyes.
Blink, blink—after moving her eyes a few times, her expression relaxed again.
However, the way she looked at me felt strangely off.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. Are you unwell?”
“I’ve shown you something unsightly. As one ages, ailments appear here and there.”
She cleared her throat awkwardly.
But her claim of aging didn’t quite make sense.
The Empress had married the current Emperor at sixteen and given birth to Yulion at seventeen.
Yulion was a year older than me.
Which meant—the Empress was not yet even forty.
It was far too early to speak of old age.
To observe her condition a bit more, I continued carefully,
“Your Majesty, you still appear so healthy…”
“Caring for a patient makes one’s body age faster than their years.”
I was certain.
There was no focus in the Empress’s golden eyes as she looked at me.
Just earlier, her gaze had been clear—but after applying the medicine, it had suddenly changed.
‘I need to confirm this.’
It felt too unsettling to just let it pass without saying anything.
As far as I knew, there was no eye medicine that caused one’s gaze to become unfocused like that.
Such a symptom could only come from either a drug that didn’t suit the individual’s constitution, or misuse of medication.
After hesitating over how to say it, I carefully opened my mouth.
