“His… lover…?”
I didn’t know the Emperor’s exact age, but as an adult man, it seemed likely he’d already have a fiancée.
And being the Emperor of a nation, that was even more so a given.
‘Whether or not that man has a lover has nothing to do with me…’
***
“Wh-what should I do?”
I could tell that Sir Walton was surprised to see my face go pale.
“Lady Mayhen…? Is it that shocking that the Emperor has a lover?”
“It’s not exactly that… Well, maybe it is, but… It’s just that…”
My mind went blank, and I didn’t know what to say.
Should I apologize if I meet the Emperor later?
But what if that makes him even angrier?
At the very least, I had to find out who the Emperor’s lover was so I could be more careful or at least take some precaution.
“Um… Who is his lover, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“You may not have seen him, but it’s Samuel, the aide who always follows the Emperor around.”
I blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer.
“What? What did you say…? Samuel is his lover?”
This was certainly a surprise.
But perhaps it wasn’t entirely impossible.
I had knowledge from a vast collection of 19+ novels written by Cherrybell, where men could share beautiful love stories, too.
“Those two… are they really in love?”
I asked, a hint of expectation in my voice, almost as if I were meeting the protagonists of one of those novels.
I remembered the last story I’d read, where a noble knight and the duke shared a tender and tragic love.
‘Their relationship might be a little similar to that.’
As I beamed with curiosity, Sir Walton raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
“Lady Mayhen, you really are expressive. I imagine it must be fun to tease you.”
“That’s not the point. So, what’s the answer?”
I urged him for a response, and he chuckled softly before speaking.
“Well, people gossip about them, but I actually think Samuel is a pitiful victim in this.”
“Why’s that?”
“In Hamilton, there are many families that want to marry the unmarried Emperor to secure their power. But even when they tried to sneak women into his bed, nothing ever happened. Then, eventually, this happened.”
Sir Walton paused for a moment, and I fidgeted with impatience, wanting to know more.
“What happened?”
“At the royal ball, where the Emperor had never once brought a partner, he suddenly brought Samuel and danced with him in front of the nobles.”
Dancing between two men at a ball? Such a thing was unimaginable in Medderland.
I hesitated and asked, hoping for an answer to my lingering question.
“Could it be that there’s a tradition in Hamilton where men dance with each other at balls?”
“Not at all. That was probably the first time in history since the kingdom was founded. It was like the Emperor openly declared it. Because of that, the families pushing for marriage proposals all fell silent, and afterward, more families started subtly pushing their sons in front of the Emperor.”
Even hearing it directly, it was hard to believe.
Regardless of his intentions, the Emperor must have known how much people would gossip about it.
Then, a thought crossed my mind.
“Could it be that the Emperor did that… for that reason?”
“I believe so. I think there was some kind of deal between the two. But because of that, Samuel’s marriage proposals completely stopped as well.”
“Why is that?”
“Because no one knows how the backlash will play out if someone touches the Emperor’s lover.”
If that was the case, it seemed I didn’t have to feel as guilty.
But somehow, I still felt a strange sense of emptiness.
“Why do you look like that, Lady Meihen?”
It wasn’t that I was excited to witness a forbidden love so close by, but I certainly couldn’t say that out loud.
How weird would Sir Walton think I was?
“Hmm, it’s nothing…”
Suddenly, Sir Walton checked his watch, and a look of mild dismay appeared on his face.
“Ah, how did the time pass so quickly? I should be going now.”
“Did I keep you for too long? I’m sorry. Thank you for coming despite being busy. I learned a lot of new things thanks to you.”
“I hope it was helpful. I’ll come again if there’s another opportunity.”
Once Sir Walton left the room, an eerie silence fell. I had received his help, but I still hadn’t gained any solid clues regarding the Emperor’s insomnia.
‘Looks like I’ll have to wait until Perry arrives.’
As the sun in the sky began to lower, Perry returned to the room.
Her face was strangely furrowed.
“Is the herb name ‘ Sernaill’? I asked the best herbalist in Hamilon, and they said they had never even heard of it.”
“I see… Thank you for checking, Perry.”
Now that I knew it wasn’t available, even using sleeping herbs was out of the question.
All the recipes in Medderland for treating insomnia involved Sernail as a base.
That left only one option for me — something much more special.
Something like how my mother uses magic.
‘But it’s impossible to awaken my magic now.’
A deep sigh escaped me in despair.
Then, Perry, who was standing next to me, brusquely extended her hand.
“Oh, and this.”
It was a neatly wrapped white paper.
I glanced at it for a moment before looking back at Perry.
“What is this?”
“I ran into Harpone earlier. He told me to pass this to you.”
Harpone?
That was the doctor who treated me yesterday.
He had said he would bring the anti-inflammatory medicine today.
‘He might know something about the Emperor’s insomnia.’
At this moment, he was probably the one person who could help me the most.
“Perry, do you think Harpone has already left?”
“Probably not. He said he’d just stop by the captain’s office for a bit.”
I subtly glanced at Perry.
She had been emphasizing since yesterday that I shouldn’t leave this room.
But it would be such a waste to miss this opportunity.
“Umm, since last night, my legs have been hurting so much… I think something might be wrong. I think I should call Harpone.”
“Did it get worse? Let me see.”
“Well, actually…”
As Perry examined the wound, she tilted her head in confusion.
“It looks fine. There’s no sign of inflammation.”
“Now that I think about it, my stomach feels a bit off…! My body’s been strange today. Maybe I got indigestion from being so nervous during breakfast?”
At once, Perry’s gaze became filled with suspicion.
“Are you really in pain?”
“Y-yes. Of course!”
“That’s a lie. Even a five-year-old would tell a better story than that.”
“Th-there’s no way…!”
I was more shocked by her follow-up comment than the fact that I’d been caught in a lie.
When I made a wounded face, Perry snorted.
“Where’d you come up with such a weak excuse? Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Since my lie had failed, it seemed better to just be honest, as she suggested.
I decided to tell her the truth.
“Actually… there’s something I want to ask Harpone.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you, Perry.”
At that, Perry gave me a half-lidded, skeptical look.
“Is that the same answer you were going to give the captain?”
“Yes. But since you told me I shouldn’t leave this room, I didn’t want to trouble you, Perry!”
Hearing that, Perry hesitated for a moment, then looked at me and smiled slyly.
“Well, technically, you shouldn’t leave this room, but Harpone hasn’t gone far, and if I accompany you, it should be fine for just a short while…”
“Really?”
“Of course. But you’ll owe me a huge favor for this, okay?”
For a moment, a dazzling light seemed to shine behind Perry.
I looked at her with the face of someone gazing at an angel descended from heaven.
“Of course! If you ever need anything, I’ll help however I can!”
“But that horn of yours is too obvious. If others find out that an assassin who tried to kill the captain is roaming freely in the palace, there’s nothing good that’ll come of it.”
She looked around the room, then walked over to the window.
With a swift movement, she tore a piece of the fluttering white curtain.
Stunned by her sudden action, I watched as she came over with the torn fabric and wrapped it around my entire face.
“With this, no one will recognize you as a beastkin.”
But I had a feeling it would make me stand out in another way.
Was Perry thinking the same thing?
She tilted her head and stared at me as if to check my reaction.
After a moment, she seemed to reconsider, adding a final remark before heading out into the hallway.
“If anyone asks… just say your face hurts.”
I couldn’t help but feel a strange discomfort from those words.
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