Chapter 6 – Here I Come
‘My biggest regret was my inability to protect you.’
Her face clouded, Gloria looked at Diana sitting opposite her.
‘I thought I would never see that fair, elegant face reflected in the moonlight passing through a window again, but seeing her now, everything seemed like a dream.’
Unaware of Gloria’s sentiments, Diana spoke to Wood Walker, the guard who had come to meet them.
“I’m going out now, and I will return at 3 in the morning.”
“Don’t worry. My men have very heavy mouths.”
The middle-aged man with a still-brown beard winked at Diana to relax her. A smile began to spread across her stiff face.
‘Is that Her Majesty?’
Wood Walker thought lightly as he bowed to the hooded Emperor Gloria. There was only one person in this Imperial Palace with hair as fire-like as that flowing from under the hood. He should have been more polite, but he couldn’t make a fuss due to the Emperor’s disguise, so he said to Gloria.
“Please be sure to come back by three. I am very concerned about your Majesty’s well-being.”
Gloria’s eyes widened at Wood Walker’s sincere and guileless words. She was deeply surprised that there were people who were so concerned about her safety.
Gloria closed her eyes and, perhaps because she was happy, showed her appreciation in a soft voice.
“Of course, Thank you, Sir, for caring.”
Wood Walker’s face showed his surprise at the Emperor’s smile spreading across her face as she pushed back the hood slightly.
Giddy up!
Not noticing the officer’s reddening ears, Gloria pulled the hood down again as the wagon started moving. Diana alternately looked out the window at Wood Walker and Gloria, appearing confused as she shifted her attention.
“What’s wrong, Diana?”
The tension had lessened, but Gloria was puzzled by the Princess’ confused appearance. But it was actually she who didn’t know why Diana looked from the window to her alternately.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yeah.”
Diana held Gloria’s hand in a very serious manner. At her call, Gloria answered in a low voice, wondering at the seriousness. Princess Ludenberg said to Gloria, looking more serious than ever.
“I don’t think Love has any status, Your Majesty. The same goes for Age!”
tl-n: I’m sorry but I’m laughing so hard right now, I can’t-
“What?”
Now what could she be talking about? Gloria looked at Diana with a mystified expression. If she had seen that face, Diana would have stopped, but, unable to see Gloria’s hood-obscured reaction, she raised her hand like an actress on stage and continued:
“Where’s the status in Love? Where’s the age? Even though the Imperial Order has been decided, if Your Majesty wants to bring in a concubine, I am unconditionally in favor!”
“…”
‘What nonsense is this?’
Gloria’s lips twitched in response to Diana’s excited announcement, while finding her twinkling eyes extremely burdensome. She couldn’t understand what the hell she was thinking to say such things.
Diana’s outrageous attitude gave Gloria a headache.
‘You’re not sure about making Kaien my husband, but it’s okay if he’s a concubine? I have no intention of having anyone else other than the Duke!’
Ignorant of Gloria’s thoughts, Diana clasped her red cheeks with her hands and let out a small squeal. She seemed to be imagining more. Seeing her like that, Gloria sighed, and spoke harshly to the agitated Diana.
“That romance-like novel is the problem! All romance novels in this country should be banned!”
“You- Your Majesty!”
At the Emperor’s words, Diana exclaimed with a pallid face. Gloria turned her head toward her unwillingly to listen, and as she shifted, Diana, a self-proclaimed ‘eager reader of romance novels’ began to persuade her.
“Your Majesty! Just as there are many different people in this world Love also takes many forms. A book made of it is a Bible that spreads the feeling of love given by the Goddess.”
“Haaaa.”
Gloria sighed heavily as she saw Diana’s buttons being pressed.
Right.
‘You were the type to be hooked on strange things.’
Gloria covered her ears with her hands, as she had had a history of suffering even before her return. Diana earnestly began to explain ‘the importance of romance novels and their impact on human beings’ to Her Majesty, who didn’t want to hear it.
Gloria closed her eyes as Diana eagerly recommended the romance novel and explained the content of ‘The Marine Of The Enemy’s Especial Squad And The Foreign Count.’
No matter how much she cherished Diana, she hated the spread of romance novels.
After reviewing and organizing the official documents, Kaien frowned at receiving unexpected guests.
“Is a doctor visiting at this hour?”
The butler nodded his head to the Duke, who removed his glasses and grimaced.
“It’s a special doctor appointed by the Young Lady.”
“What a useless thing!”
Tsk. Kaien stood up, clicking his tongue. It was almost midnight.
It was quite suspicious that his sister, who lived in the Imperial Palace, visited with a doctor at such a late hour.
‘I think I’m in trouble.’
Anxiety crossed the handsome young Duke’s face.
“She’s a well-recognized doctor.”
The butler, noticing his master’s feelings, spoke to placate him, but Kaien didn’t feel relieved. It was because a ‘well-renowned doctor’ was brought in at this hour.
Kaien wanted to send the doctor back, but he couldn’t ignore his sister’s heart.
‘It’s dangerous, why are you moving about so late, Diana?’
Signs of anxiety and frustration began to appear on Kaien’s ice-cold face. Within a day, the Duchy collapsed, and within a week, all members of the family were sentenced to death. When he came to his senses, fortunately or unfortunately, he had returned to the time before Gloria and Erun’s wedding.
Upon realizing that he had returned, Kaien immediately wanted to pull Diana out of the Imperial Palace and send her to the countryside, and he attempted to leave politics.
Gloria and Erun will marry in three months, and he was almost ready to make his move.
‘As soon as I came back, I wanted to twist his neck.’
Kaien clenched his teeth remembering Erun’s brazen smile. Even though he believed he was stupid, he had never expected Erun to do such a nasty thing.
It was said that there are no people in power, only monsters, and Erun proved it quite well.
‘You were blooming purely in that monster’s den.’
Gloria suddenly came to mind from the depths of his heart. With a faint smile on her face after receiving a white lily. She was a woman who didn’t match very well with the Imperial Palace full of beasts, but she was still in Erun’s clutches.
With an engagement as a pretext.
Kaien let his mind be caught by Gloria’s sudden appearance in his thoughts. The wedding was just around the corner. And after marrying her, it was obvious what crime Erun would commit. Everything would move as the predestined future.
‘Now, I must somehow get Diana out of the Imperial Palace…’
Kaien, frustrated, ruffled his dark hair and began to think about where to shelter his precious little sister. Witnessing once the hell of his younger sister’s execution for poisoning the Emperor was enough, and he wasn’t idiotic enough to want a repeat.
‘First, let’s get rid of that doctor.’
Kaien was hard-pressed to ignore the doctor brought by his sister with the kindness of her heart and so left the room.
“I’ll meet the doctor alone, so take care of Diana.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The butler bowed with a faint smile at his Young Master’s worried voice.
Perhaps because it was late, there was no one in the hallway. Since all the employees had returned from work, the only people remaining in the mansion now were himself, Diana, and the butler.
“And a doctor without common sense.”
Recalling the doctor waiting for him in the drawing-room made Kaien grit his teeth again. The more he thought about it, the more his anger grew, why didn’t this stupid doctor stop Diana, knowing it was late. If the one and only Princess had been attacked during the night, Kaien would have destroyed the doctor as well as three generations of that person’s descendants.
And, no matter what might happen to the country, he would gather troops and raid the Imperial Palace, half-swept by Erun.
And after slitting the throat of that main culprit Erun, who reeked of nauseating and disgusting ambition, he would go after Gloria, confined in the Palace like a canary inside a cage, and he would hold—
“Crazy.”
Kaien cursed inwardly at the thought of grabbing her, like the deep blue sea embracing a red flower, and holding her tightly in his arms.
He soon gave up his thoughts of Gloria, since Diana’s protection was the most important, and his rage rose again. Kaien shook his head to erase Gloria’s image, but suddenly a new thought came to mind.
“Although, today was quite strange.”
Before arriving at the drawing-room, as he remembered Gloria’s strange behavior, Kaien frowned. Just yesterday, the Emperor sat beside the Marquis like a puppet doll, and now she acted as if she hated her fiancé.
Kaien pressed his forehead trying to organize his thoughts.
Diana was a smart Lady. It was strange that she, who knew how to distinguish between public and private affairs and knew right and wrong, brought a doctor at this late hour.
Rather, it seemed more likely that the Emperor had invaded herself.
“Undercover?”
Clank.
Kaien’s heart pounded at the possibility that passed through his head. Nevertheless, as if mocking his own mind, he opened the door with a smirk.
“No way.”
No matter how strange it was today, Gloria had rarely left the Imperial Palace. Sitting quietly on the throne spellbound by Erun’s words, moving of her own volition less likely than the sun rising from the west. Gloria was passive and acquiescent.
“I’ll have to get rid of this doctor quickly.”
Kaien muttered coldly as he stood before the drawing-room door.
Late at night, the moment Kaien pulled the doorknob thinking about how to get rid of the uninvited doctor.
“…”
As soon as he entered, Kaien balked at the appearance of the red-haired ‘Lady Doctor’ before him.
Silky red hair flowed over the white medical gown. Eyes resembling dark lapis lazuli glared below a pair of slightly raised eyebrows, revealing her dissatisfaction with Kaien.
“The Duke likes to make his guests wait too long! Had you taken any longer, I would have gone straight to your office.”
“…Your Majesty.”
Empress Gloria Blake?