Chapter 33

Episode 33: Strange Coincidence

I turned around, wrapping my heated face with both hands.

Since when was he there? Was he just passing by again?

The sound of him approaching rang in the small space. As the sound of his steps got closer, my heart pounded harder. I was ashamed that a grown-up lady looked like a child. In addition, the fact that the opponent is Raymond makes it more embarrassing.

“Chloe.”

Behind my back, his deep voice scratched my ear. I closed my eyes tightly and turned around.

“Good night, Your Majesty.”

“…yes.”

I carefully straightened my bent back and saw Raymond standing in front of me with a hardened face.

“Hmm, I just…….”

He peeked at me with a slight cough.

“I was checking the guards of the Imperial Palace.”

“Yes…”

Even though I didn’t ask, Raymond’s appearance telling me why he was here made me disappointed for no reason.

Even if I didn’t say so, I don’t think he would have walked here to see me.… Very little, only hope a little.

Chloe Garnet was a woman who knew her place. Kailos said that’s the most attractive thing about me. Chloe Garnet, who knows fractions, never had any hasty expectations.

“Is it okay staying with Daria? Last time she seemed to be bothering you quite a bit.”

“The Empress is very nice to me. It’s all thanks to His Majesty.”

“Well…”

Raymond’s forehead slightly frowned.

“Don’t trust her too much. She’s a woman who somehow tries to get more from me by using you. She’s a woman who’s been studying how to coax me for a long time.… So I mean, I don’t want you to give your heart too much.”

Once again, I felt that the gaze on Daria from those around me was very strict.  Still, Daria gave Raymond a pretty good rating.

“Besides, there was a commotion today when Princess Caroline returned.”

“Oh, yes….”

Raymond’s gaze, looking at my face and body with a heavy expression, made my back straight. Raymond, who had been looking at me for a while, asked in a doubtful voice.

“Did you get hurt?”

“Not at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

Only then did his hard face loosen, and a sound of laughter resembling a small wind leaked out.

Complicated and subtle emotions rose again at his little laugh. I suddenly asked him, who was smiling softly.

“Were you worried about me?”

“What?”

And I regretted asking him right away. Because the calm smile that was prevalent on his face disappeared in an instant.

“I, I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Contrary to my bold question, I immediately became timid and bowed my head. The sound of his sigh falling above my head made me even more terrified.

“Ugh…”

I thought I could hear a small groan, but soon I felt his thick palms sweeping down my hair.

“What can I do to make you feel less intimidated?”

“…….”

“You don’t have to look at my mood and read my mind everyday. Don’t shrink, not only in front of me but also anyone else.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I don’t want you to be sorry.”

A rough but delicate touch lifted my face. I felt like my body was going to burn as I encountered his red eyes.

“But if it’s hard for you, I won’t force you. I just want you to be happy.”

His lips curved, drawing a beautiful smile. Thump, thump. At that moment, my heart beat again. It wasn’t fear, I wasn’t even surprised.

It was a subtly different feeling from the guilt I always had when thinking of him.

Suddenly, I thought of that. Was there anyone in Chloe Garnet’s short life who wished for her happiness this much? Except for my mother, whom I faintly remember, there was definitely no one.

“How can Your Majesty wish for my happiness so much?”

“I told you. I’m taking responsibility.”

If I asked once again, only the same conversation would be repeated.

Daria told me that he was the sweetest and most responsible man of all and I agreed with that.

Maybe Raymond is just taking responsibility for me, just as he did for his wife, who had to marry without love. So no more delusions, silly Chloe.

“You always cried when I saw you in the Duchy, but now you seem to show more smiles from time to time, so it’s good to see you smile.”

A low laughter warmly wrapped around me. I stared blankly at his smiling face.

Not as good as Lord France, but I heard Raymond is also popular with the ladies of the capital, despite having his frightening atmosphere and pressure, with his very good appearance.

It’s actually what I liked…… Although I never recognized him because of the opposite appearance of my ideal type, Kailos.

“Please smile more from now on. No, I’m sure you’ll laugh more.”

He said, grasping my hair with one hand.

“I’m going to make it like that.”

When I heard that, I blushed and stepped back. Then Raymond, who was looking at his empty fingertips in the air for a while, smiled softly.

“……we’re not supposed to get involved with each other.”

“That’s right. That’s why I’m trying my best, but until you’re safe enough to smile without worrying, I’m going to use Daria to tie you up here.”

“…….”

I closed my lips and looked down at the tip of his feet.

“Then, I will go back to look at the palace’s security.”

Raymond said so and moved away. This time, he disappeared to a place other than the dead end.

I raised my head only after his appearance was completely invisible. The subtle palpitations still remained in my heart.

Then suddenly, I looked up at the sky, I saw the splendid building of the Empress Palace. I could see my room with the lights off. I took a step, thinking it was a strange coincidence.

* * *

Daria, who had been confined to the Empress’ Palace for a while, only drawing pictures, suddenly declared that she would start outside activities. Daria’s reason for her declaration—who did not appear at the New Year’s ball—was all because of me.

‘You need to show off your existence to prevent the Grand Duke Ludwig from touching you carelessly.’

Daria told me again that there was no need to be sorry or grateful at all. Along with saying that she has already decided to receive the corresponding price from Raymond.

At this point, I wondered what price Raymond had promised.

“Are you nervous already?”

Daria, who was sitting in front of the wide dressing table, as I was grooming her hair, asked with a grin.

“Yes, a little…”

I nodded, trying to hide my nervousness as much as possible.

The opera house I will go to with Daria today is a favorite place for noble women in the capital.  A long time ago, I heard that Kailos often went to places like that with the girls he met.

Kailos taught me a lot about how to treat a man, but he never taught me how to treat a woman.

Even ‘treating’ men was a sexual approach, and I couldn’t learn how to communicate as human beings. Teaching those things to me, who was the bait to seduce the emperor in the first place, was just an unnecessary waste.

In addition, I, who grew up alone in Ludwig’s Castle, had never had much conversation with anyone other than Kailos. Therefore, I was a little afraid of encountering many people.

“Don’t worry too much. Above all, I’m coming with you.”

Seeing her arrogantly tilt the tip of her chin slightly, my tension eased a little, so I could laugh along with her. Well, what am I afraid of when the most noble woman in the empire goes with me?

“It’s such an honor, Empress.”

Then, Vesti, who was sitting next to me with her arms folded, pouted her lips.

“What honor?”

Despite my advice, until the end Vesti did not apologize to Daria for what happened that day. However, both Daria and Vesti acted as if nothing had happened, so I remember being embarrassed.

“Until when are you going to prepare? You’ll be late at this rate.”

“If you keep complaining, I’ll leave you behind, Vesti.”

At Daria’s threat, Vesti closed her lips, but she couldn’t hide the displeasure that filled her face. Still, Vesti, who stubbornly insists on going together, was cute, so I smiled a little.

‘Opera House? Sounds fun! I want to go, too!’

‘Vesti, do you like opera?’

“No, that’s not it. Elizabeth Rosaline will come there, too. Aren’t you curious how stupidly she’ll react when sees you?’

According to Vesti, Marquis Rosaline seemed to hate me much more than I thought.

Well, in retrospect, it was Kailos who killed my mind, but it was her who killed my body. She is a woman who hates me so much that she wants to kill me.

“Don’t worry too much, Chloe. Our family is better off than their family and if she does something, you can hide behind Daria.”

Vesti held my hand tightly, fearing that I would be afraid to encounter Marquis Rosaline.

At that, I remembered Daria pointing to Vesti, saying, ‘She says everything she says because she has no thoughts and an empty head, but apart from that, she’s a cute cousin.’

Vesti didn’t seem to be a bad person. So it was even more regrettable that she didn’t get along with Daria.

“The carriage has arrived.”

The Imperial Palace servant approached and informed us that it was time to leave. Daria took the lead, while Vesti and I followed. It was an outing that I had never experienced before, even when I was with Kailos and after leaving him and coming to the Imperial Palace.