Chapter 9
“It’s cold out there, Your Majesty.”
As soon as she came downstairs, a servant followed close behind her, handing her a robe.
“Thanks.”
It was a warm gesture, but why did she feel so left out? All of the servants in Belcansus were overprotective of Chesney. Take her attire, for example. She walked around wearing only a thin shirt, but as soon as she wanted to go out for a walk, they followed her like this and packed her coat. And if she stumbled, they’d run out from somewhere and catch her, and if she fell, they would make a fuss and call Bobbi or Cerulian.
Thanks to them, Chesney had to repeatedly say ‘I’m fine’ hundreds of times. But aside from then, she never faced anyone. In particular, there were times when she couldn’t even see Cerulian once in a day.
Though there may be lots of people in this vast palace, for the most part, she didn’t bump into anyone. Were they all avoiding her? From the conversation she had heard in the carriage, Chesney assumed that Bobbi and Cerulian didn’t want to become close with her.
Of course, the reason being she had hidden the fact that she was the illegitimate child of Duke Atelian, and it was also clear that they had hated her when they already noticed that Chesney was deceiving them. It was all her fault. It was because of this sense of guilt and loneliness that Chesney’s insides were charred.
“I’m going to read a book around here. Since no one’s here, please don’t watch from afar or anything today.”
Unable to shake off the feeling of being watched, she eventually called in the servants and firmly removed them.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Having become so free, she went deeper in the woods, to rest in Tiger Forest situated behind the royal palace.
“Ah-ha…”
Now she could finally breathe. Thanks to the fresh air, Chesney could break out of the feeling of wanting to cry. What did they say, people are animals of adaptation? Chesney, who shivered even in Topu and Paicah, located far south of the capital Kaupoon, where the royal palace was located, had adapted to the cold here in just a few days.
Of course, she wasn’t ready yet to enjoy lakeside activities in such cold weather like the people of Belcansus. Whenever her body temperature dropped to a certain degree, she shivered frantically. It’s okay, I haven’t even been here for a week yet. There is still plenty of time to get used to it, as long as I don’t get a divorce, she thought.
Chesney felt like doom as she was reminded of her husband, White. The fresh scent of the forest she’d felt a while ago now made her feel empty inside. What’s going to happen if her husband never comes back? She opened her book, forcing herself to shake off the endless concerns. What would happen to her?
Amidst the quiet of the forest, her peace was shattered by a sound.
Crunch. Then, there was the sound of someone’s footstep.
Chesney, who was about to start reading, stood up from the tree stump where she’d been sitting and turned her head quickly toward the sound.
Her heart rammed against her chest, ominous fear creeping in as she laid her eyes on a man dressed in a clean black suit.
“White…?”
She sprang up as the man with snow-like white hair approached. It appeared she was mistaken, however. No, it’s not my husband.
While she felt embarrassed, the man quickly narrowed his distance and looked at her. Chesney, who looked up at him with her head tilted back, could see that his eyes were blue, not the same gray as her husband’s.
But why was he… The only thing about the man standing in front of her that resembled White was his white hair. Aside from the color of his eyes, his attitude, mood, clothing, and voice were all different. Despite that, she couldn’t help but overlap her husband’s face over his.
“It was exactly like that!”
His blue eyes were so dark and deep that it looked like it was painted with a very thick painting.
“It was exactly like that…?”
Through the rumors in the House of Atelian, it was said that there had been a rebellion in Belcansus a few years ago and the emperor’s power had been replaced. Chesney tried to guess who this man was. And hurriedly crouching, she backed up. If her assumption was correct, she would never have friendly conversations with Emperor White as his wife.
She heard a soft laughter, followed by the words, “You’re cute.” The stranger had smirked, and drew nearer Chesney, whose back touched the tree and could no longer step back. Reaching out and placing his hand on the tree, he wrapped her in his other arm.
“I don’t know about Belcansus’s past. But if you’re the former emperor…”
“What if I were the former emperor?”
“Threatening me like this…” Chesney shut her eyes as his face fell closer. She tried to sound threatening, but her attempt was futile for the man. Was there anyone around to help her? Tiger Forest was so quiet as she had sent all the servants away.
At the same time, his large hand caressed her cheek; his lips touched her forehead.
“Can’t I come to meet my mate?” The unfamiliar man’s voice pierced her ears.