“…O-Of course!”
I hadn’t figured out how to present the method in a beautiful and noble way, but the emperor stared at me, urging me to speak.
“Then…”
My hesitation seemed to frustrate him, and his mocking tone followed.
There was no way I would be ashamed in front of such rude words.
After all, it wasn’t like I was saying anything that couldn’t be said.
“No, hearing that makes it feel like I can say it. Thank you for giving me the courage, Your Majesty.”
At my bold response, he let out a snort of laughter.
I took a deep breath, then looked directly at the emperor.
“The method I found is for you to spend the night with a woman.”
“What?”
One of his eyebrows instantly arched. His expression clearly said he was not pleased.
“The request form I saw stated that your insomnia is caused by a drug addiction. While I’m not sure which drug exactly, after spending the night with me, you fell into a deep sleep.”
That was the evidence that I had been recognized as a solver in Medderland.
So, the fact that he had slept peacefully was undeniably true.
“So, you want me to embrace a woman?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“W-Well, anyone… No, why are you asking me?”
“Really, this is ridiculous.”
The smile that had been on his face vanished instantly.
My instincts screamed that something was wrong.
At that moment, the emperor stood up.
He began to approach me with the intensity of someone preparing to hunt.
“Um… You can talk about it from over there…”
I slowly backed away, but it seemed that he didn’t like even that.
His already fierce expression became even more menacing.
“You forced me to take that medicine before. And now you’re telling me this?”
“Th-That wasn’t my will! I fell into someone else’s trap too!”
It seemed he wasn’t even listening.
His face, filled with rage, sent a shiver down my spine.
Then, with a thud, I bumped into the bookshelf behind me.
“Meh…!”
When I turned back, the emperor was standing right in front of me, blocking my way.
The distance was so close now that I didn’t know where to look.
The intense gaze bearing down on me from above was overwhelmingly intimidating.
“You want me to embrace any woman? Do you think that’s what I want?”
He clenched his teeth, and his sharp fangs were exposed.
His massive body and huge hands now seemed more threatening than ever.
“Heh, heek…!”
I had thought that coming to the land of wolves, Hamilton, and becoming familiar with the carnivorous beastkin would prepare me for situations like this.
But apparently, I was wrong.
‘What if he bites me with those teeth?’
It was a primal fear, like how a mouse is terrified of a cat.
But backing down wasn’t an option.
If I did, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.
I wouldn’t be able to see my family again, and I’d end up locked away in some dark dungeon.
“Whether you want it or not, the reason I came to you was to find the way for Your Majesty to fall into a deep sleep!”
I gathered every last bit of courage I had.
When the words finally left my mouth, what came back was a scornful rebuke.
“That’s a very irresponsible thing to say.”
I could feel the boiling anger in his gaze, mixed with the hatred that had been bubbling up since earlier.
He stared at me for a moment, his brows furrowing.
“Then how about I let you pick which woman I should sleep with?”
“Pardon? Me?”
“Or maybe you want to continue what we started the last time?”
What he meant by “the last time” was the night we spent together.
The memory of that time, where we both acted like beasts and explored each other’s desires, flashed through my mind, causing a wave of shame to rise.
“Ah, well, that was… so good. Please, more.”
“Even the street prostitutes wouldn’t act like this. How is it that every movement you make is so vulgar?”
I couldn’t even hide the redness in my face.
The emperor looked at me with a sly smile.
“Shouldn’t you show that much determination if you want a real solution?”
I couldn’t understand why the conversation had taken such a turn.
I had brought a solution, a method, and I was telling him about it—so why was he getting angry?
‘Could it be because of that?’
One thing crossed my mind.
Earlier, when I had suggested he embrace a woman, he had questioned whether that’s what he wanted.
That reaction implied he might not be interested in women at all.
Contrary to Lord Walton’s expectations, what if the emperor and Samuel, the advisor, had a… special relationship?
‘That explains a lot.’
I remembered the time Samuel had carefully wiped the bloodstains off the emperor’s face after he had been covered in it.
It wasn’t something one would do unless they were very close.
Also, when Samuel had seen me talking to the emperor, there was that hint of jealousy in his demeanor.
“Lady Mayhen?”
“Ah, I just introduced myself while I was away.”
“When did you develop such a habit of doing useless things?”
“Useless? I’d call it the virtue of being a proper member of society.”
‘If he’s angry because of this, I can understand. There’s someone he loves… and I’ve just blurted something out carelessly.’
I was still afraid of the emperor.
Every time I spoke, he only grew angry, so now I was even worried about speaking at all.
But even if it was just to calm his rage, I felt I had to say this much.
“Now that I think about it… it doesn’t necessarily have to be a woman.”
“What?”
“Depending on preference, even a man would be fine, right? I think I was too narrow-minded in my solution.”
But instead of calming him, my words only made the emperor angrier.
He was so furious I could see the tension in his clenched jaw.
“Are you mocking me now with your wordplay?”
“Huh? I was being serious…?”
I forced a smile, trying to prove my innocence.
But when our eyes met, I flinched and looked away.
The way he glared at me was terrifying, as if he could devour me whole.
“S-so, does this mean I’ve proven my usefulness?”
Just as I tried to subtly slip out of his grasp, the emperor pulled me even closer.
“No, not yet. How do we know this is the perfect solution?”
“Huh…?”
“So let’s test it right here. It’s not like last time was any different.”
Now that I thought about it, this very office was where I had fed him the elephant aphrodisiac.
Unwanted memories of that day flooded my mind.
“But Your Majesty doesn’t even like me!”
Not when he had someone he truly loved.
Yet the emperor’s face remained indifferent, as if he were looking at a stone on the roadside.
“So?”
“So? Of course, that kind of thing should be with someone you lo—”
“Did we sleep together last time because we were in love?”
“Well, no, but…!”
“Then there’s no reason we can’t do it right here.”
“What…?”
The emperor grabbed my wrist.
His large hands wrapped around both of mine like shackles, leaving me unable to move.
He lifted my hands toward the bookshelf, his grip tightening as if to prevent any escape.
“Since there’s no strong drug like last time, I can’t be sure if I’ll perform properly.”
His chilling words didn’t sound like a joke at all.
I froze as he pressed his lips against the nape of my neck, his hot breath scorching my skin.
The sensation was familiar yet sent a tingling heat to my lower stomach.
His movements, once gentle, turned rough in an instant—like a beast sweeping over its prey before biting down hard.
“Hah…!”
The sharp pain forced out a gasp I’d been holding in.
Only then did my scattered thoughts return.
If this continues… I might really end up repeating that day with the emperor!
No matter how much I wanted to prove my usefulness, I didn’t want to do that in my right mind.
And surely, even for the emperor, once was enough.
“W-wait a second…!”
“Oh?”
“This isn’t right…! Why not find someone else instead of me…?!”
“It wouldn’t matter who I brought. So stay still.”
He was completely unreasonable.
When I struggled to free my shackled hands, he glared at me with a twisted expression.
“Ah, maybe you don’t like the location? Fine, I’ll change it for you.”
In one swift motion, the emperor hoisted me over his shoulder.
His heavy footsteps led us to the bedroom adjacent to the office.
Then he threw me onto the bed like a ragdoll.
“Eek…!”
Before I could steady myself, his massive frame loomed over me.
He growled like a wild animal, his words rough.
“You’re not seriously waiting for me to undress you myself, are you?”