Chapter 41

“It’s good to see you acting as a faithful spy, but you still lack alertness.”

His low voice hovered over her ears. His peculiar way of speaking and his message finally helped her think of one person.

“Your Majesty!”

“This place has lots of places for hiding, and there are few people at dawn. If you come out without a security guard, you should be aware of your back, not your front. Staying wary of danger at all times is one of the basic virtues of a spy.”

‘Well, you are one hundred times, one thousand times more dangerous to me!’

Marianne wanted to scream, but barely held it back. She stared at the tall emperor with his narrowed round eyes. Looking down on her with a black robe covering his body, the emperor was like a messenger from hell.

“Why didn’t you make it obvious you were here?”

“I did it. But you didn’t notice it.”

“Why did you approach me right behind me and snatch the note from me? When you covered my mouth, I thought I was being kidnapped.”

“Well, I was wondering what you were focusing on so much. I didn’t want to cover your mouth, but I couldn’t help it because you could scream. I didn’t want your faithful knight to wake up and come running to me.”

“You’ve just scolded me, saying I was wandering around without my bodyguard, right?”

“That’s because…”

Eckart cleared his throat and said, “Anyway, it’s dangerous to let yourself be caught off guard just like you did. That doesn’t mean you have to worry too much. I care a lot about the security of this mansion. I can guarantee you nothing serious will happen in this place.”

“Thank you, but I hope you can take care of my heart rather than this mansion.”

Eckart frowned at her reply. But he said in a softer tone now, “Were you surprised a lot?”

“Absolutely!”

Mariane put her hands on her waist and shrugged her shoulders. She was going to complain to him more openly.

“I’m sorry. I apologize.”

Eckart apologized too quickly.

She slipped her hands from her waist furtively.

She could find more fault with him by asking, “Do you think your apologies are good enough?” but she felt a prick in her heart.

Although she forgot it most of the time, Eckart was the legitimate emperor of Aslan. He was the only monarch of the empire and the master of the vast land of Aslan. Accordingly, the apology by Eckart of the Frei family’s lineage, blessed by the blessing of Airius, was special at any time and in any situation.

“Got it. Please don’t do it to me next time.”

That’s all she could say to respond to his special apology.

Eckart looked at Marianne with a dumbfounded look, then shook his head with a long sigh.

Although she didn’t want him to feel sorry, it was the first time she saw his reaction like that. Fortunately, there was no intention or trick in his reaction, and he offered his sincerest apologies.

Eckart turned his attention to the note he was holding.

“…Is this a secret letter from Ober?”

“Well, I don’t think Ober actually wrote it. But its contents seems to reflect his will.”

“Who is that maid? A spy from Ober? I think I heard something like Anne in the middle of your dialogue with that maid.”

“Maid? Did you see me with Eve? How long have you been here?”

When Marianne asked with her green eyes open wide, Eckart responded suspiciously.

“From the moment you raised the maid in person.”

Oh my gosh… How come you have been watching us without being caught at all? You’re really scary!”

Marianne wrapped her body with both arms as if she felt goosebumps.

“If I can add a little more, I don’t think you showed that much mercy on that maid, though her legs showed that she looked uncomfortable. Excessive care makes them more uncomfortable.”

“Well, I just helped her stand up just once.”

“Think about your social status and the maid’s social status Besides, if she were Ober’s spy, don’t you think it’s better to avoid direct physical contact with her?”

“He’s just a maid. She ran errands for Ober, but she was clumsy and young.”

“I think I told you last time that it’s not a good habit to trust people easily.”

“That maid is really… Wait a minute, Your Majesty. Are you worried about me now?”

“What?”

Eckart was embarrassed at her sudden question.

“I can’t beat you in terms of mercy. I know you’re paying lots of attention to the security of the mansion where I’ve been taken as a hostage, and now you are expressing concern about my safety simply because I showed some mercy to that maid.”

Is it because he died once and survived?

Marianne was not afraid to have a go at the emperor.

“Marianne!”

But she didn’t want to die again, so she quickly responded to his call.

“She’s really okay. And it’s not that bad to be kind to her because she is on Ober’s side. If you listened to me before, you’d know. Oh, didn’t I tell you about it? She fell from a tree today. It’s great to walk like that.”

“Fell from a tree? What are you talking about?”

“Well, I don’t think I told you about it before. The fact is…”

Marian briefed him about what happened during the day and her dialogue with Eve.

While she was explaining, pointing to a nearby tree, he let out a sigh and narrowed his brows.

“She is not good enough for Ober to pick and use.”

That was his conclusion after listening to her.

“I agree.”

“That means there’s a middle-level manager.”

“As far as I know, none of Ober’s aides are named Anne.”

“Maybe it’s an alias.”

“You may be right. It’s a dangerous mission anyway.”

Marianne nodded with a serious expression.

Eckart glanced over the note and returned it to Marianne.

“The snake is a symbol of the Chester family. He seems to have compared you to a lily. He seems to want you to open your mansion for a large event where he can easily meet you. What are you going to do?”

“I thought about it all while eating dinner. Don’t you think a party is good for that purpose?”

“Party?”

“Yeah. A big party such as a ball or celebration party. If people gather, it can meet Ober’s needs, and at the same time, it’s a good opportunity to get to know others. In fact, it bothers me that I came back too quickly from the marquise’s recent tea party.”

Eckart touched his slender jawline and thought. His blue eyes, obliquely lit by the moonlight, slowly closed and then opened.

“If you want it, you can hold a party.”

“Thank you. If I hold a party, I’d like to ask you a favor…”

“Shush.”

Eckart suddenly beckoned her to be quiet. Marianne shook her head, closing her lips suddenly.

The garden was quickly silent. A bird fluttered and flew over their heads.

Eckart frowned after finding a bird hovering in the sky.

“Looks like there are unwelcome guests here.”

Unwelcome guests?

Before Marianne asked who they were, Eckart turned back and leaned back against a big tree. And he swung his robe largely around her shoulders. He pulled her with his tight arms. She staggered at his pull. When she belatedly came to her senses, she found her cheeks touching his chest. She struggled while pulling herself away from him.

“Your Excellency, what are you doing…”

“Be patient for a moment.”

Eckart bowed and whispered as if to comfort her. She shut up because of the strange atmosphere. Supporting her with his left arm, he hid his body by extending his black robe with his right hand as wide as possible.

Soon, they faintly heard someone approaching them from afar.

The two listened, holding their breath. The sound of leather shoes stepping on the ground with a constant stride and the sound of rubbing iron were alternately heard.

“Oh. Once they turn around the corner, they will appear before us. Who is on sentry duty next?” said one.

“Elric and Caiden,” answered the other.

“Elric seemed to have drank a lot yesterday. He might not want to work today.”

“Poor guy. How come he drank like that when he was supposed to be on duty today? He brought trouble onto himself.”

Given their conversation, the unwelcome guests seemed to be the members of the Eluang Knights making the rounds of the mansion.

Marianne raised her head slightly, feeling more relaxed than before. It was dark and stuffy inside his robe. Only a slight gap above the head allowed her to breathe in and out.

Squeezing down the hood, Eckart turned his eyes and tracked the path of the two knights.

His breathing out passed Marianne’s crown, swept her forehead, and slipped down to her cheeks that got chilly in the night breeze.

‘It’s the first time I’ve seen his face up close.’

She looked at him as if she had been possessed by the moonlight. When she breathed out quietly, it bumped into his tight chest, and then it got mixed with his breath before being sucked into his breath.

‘I know why the young ladies in the capital call the emperor the Blue Iron Wall…’

That’s what Cordelli told her about the emperor, which suddenly crossed her mind.

His nickname befitted his handsome look.