It was a familiar voice. She didn’t hear it often, but it was definitely a voice she had heard before. She turned around and looked at the other person.
“Emperor… Your Majesty?”
“What are you doing in a place like this at night?”
Patrizia wiped her tears out of embarrassment. She had shed tears in front of the one person who she didn’t want to show the most in the world. For some reason, her pride dropped, and she opened her eyes wide and looked at the Emperor approaching her.
“…What is Your Majesty doing here?”
“I have asked first.”
“…”
Needlessly obstinate. She just tried to make something up.
“Just… I liked the moonlight, so I was basking in it.”
“Tears on the cheeks, still remain.”
Patrizia’s face blushed at being called out and wiped away her tears. Anyways, those useless eyes sure were good. In an embarrassed voice, she tried to make excuses for him.
“It is saliva.”
“…”
He showed he was taken aback, and she became more embarrassed. ‘Damn it, I dug my own grave.’ She sighed, but something was abruptly pushed out in front of her. He had handed out his handkerchief. She refused it with an expression of unwillingness.
“I am fine.”
There was a saying that if someone did things they hadn’t done before, it was their time to die, and this shouldn’t be true. The man in front of her had to be alive until she had at least produced the imperial heir.
Despite her blatant rejection, Lucio continued to push out with a handkerchief. Patrizia accepted the handkerchief without refusing until the end, as she realized that would not be polite of her. Patrizia, who was almost done wiping her cheeks dry, suddenly felt a rise of retaliation and blew her nose with a handkerchief.
In a very strong way at that.
Patrizia, who felt amused watching Lucio being taken aback in front of her, chuckled inwardly and then talked to him.
“I will wash it and return it back to you, so you don’t have to use it to make that face as if you’re going to die.”
“… It is a precious handkerchief. You must return it.”
A precious handkerchief. Maybe he had received it from Rosemond. She asked him begrudgingly.
“Did Lady Phelps give this to you?”
“… No.”
If one gave a denying answer, then one had to tell her about who had given this handkerchief to him, but that just didn’t happen. She thought he was a very unkind person, and carefully folded the handkerchief that was now wet from her runny nose. Well, whoever gave him the handkerchief, she had used it, so she had to quickly clean it and return it back to him.
“Thank you.”
“You, have you cried?”
“…”
Look at him brazenly asking, when he had seen it all. She exercised the right to remain silent, hiding her feelings about how absurd this was. Eventually, silence passed on for a long time, until she couldn’t stand the awkwardness and decided to leave first. To be honest, this atmosphere and this situation were uncomfortable right now.
As she turned to her side and tried to go out of the garden, by chance, she saw Lucio’s face reflected in the moonlight. And Patrizia was shocked when she saw it.
‘Originally was… his face that pale?’
A face that looked more tired than usual. And then she saw the sweat on his forehead. It was enough to arouse her curiosity, but she, unfortunately, was not interested in his circumstances or stories. She was too exhausted, busy, and had no mind to show interest in such a thing.
So she was able to turn around and walk away without regret. That is, until he caught her.
“…Do not go.”
“…”
An empty laugh escaped. Did he just tell me not to go right now? Why? For what reason? She finally turned around. His expression continued to not look good. He seemed to be very troubled by something.
“Your complexion is not good, Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Go to Lady Phelps. Is she not the woman Your Majesty loves so much?”
“…”
“Whether it be comfort or something else, she will not hesitate and definitely serve you better.
Patrizia, who said these words coldly, turned around without hesitation. There was no mercy or mind to give him. As she had said before, she was too exhausted to provide such goodwill.
How long did she run like that? Raindrops began to fall, drop by drop, and then began to worsen. Patrizia took off the shawl she was wearing and put it on her head and started running.
While she ran like that for a long time, she momentarily remembered Lucio, who Patrizia had left in the garden. She frowned, making a crease on her forehead.
He should have left right? However, to say this, the surroundings were too silent. The path towards the Central Palace was solely by the way she was taking.
She put on a steadfast face as she continued to run on, but this was for just a moment.
Patrizia bit her lips without realizing it. Don’t give any mind, Patrizia thought. He has nothing to do with her. She began to run again with a determined look, but this was only brief. Patrizia’s feet finally stopped.
Raindrops slowly began to wet Patrizia with her stopped body. She spits out a little bit of curse words.
“Screw it.”
Can she not be bothered? It would have been better if she had not seen it. It was obvious he was getting hit by this rain right now. She was frustrated back and forth with an insane look and eventually turned to where he was. Internally she constantly reprimanded herself, ‘insane woman, care about yourself, why would you care that far about that man?’ But it was inevitable. Patrizia wasn’t strong enough to pretend she didn’t know the man who would be facing the rain alone.
“Haaa. Haaa”
When she finally reached the pretty long distance by reaching the original lake shore, she found Lucio standing and staring blankly near the lake shore. She had no idea why he was standing there like a man who had given up on the whole world with such a lost expression, but the situation was not good enough to directly ask him.
She walked over to him, splashing the water as she walked with her heels. Only then did he lift his gaze and look at her. His eyes were empty and that’s why she was frustrated at the moment, but she still asked him without showing any of that.