CH 117

Is a housewarming party… like this? (9) – unedited

“I’m second?! Then first. Who is the first?”

I asked a little too much, and I thought it was a fake performance. But the Emperor didn’t seem to notice at all. His face showed a man who had lost his mischief and became pensive in unresolved love.

“An unreachable woman.”

“Is there a woman in the world that Your Majesty cannot seduce?”

“I never said it was out of love.”

Oh, I went too far.

“Then it must be like a Master!”

“I never said no.”

What the hell are you saying now? Ah. Control your face, control your face.

Splash–

The lake swells again. The small stone that was still in the Emperor’s hand floated in the air and was caught again in his hand.

“Then is it a one-sided love?”

“Since her heart is not connected to mine, it can be regarded like that.”

“Who is it?”

What does the Emperor think of the saint? I wanted to take out a notebook and write down the lines. I leaned my upper body closer to the Emperor, with the goal of remembering his words without making a single mistake, thinking that I had to memorize it well.

Answering my question, the Emperor saidwithout hesitation.

“Beautiful.”

“Ah— beautiful… No, that’s not it. Is that all?”

“What more do I have to say?”

The fact that the Saint is beautiful is an answer that can be heard from anyone. Even if you grab hold of any kid passing by and ask, you’ll get the same answer. Not these obvious things, but words to express your love!

“Well, at least if you see something different about her from other people! Doesn’t it feel like the light pours down on her?”

It was rather me who spoke with enthusiasm, and the Emperor calmly shook his head.

“No.”

“Huh?! Then, do you like her simply because she is beautiful?”

Oh my God. Nonsense. My fantasy was about to be shattered.

“Her appearance also plays a part. But it’s the exact opposite of what you’re saying. I can’t feel the light. Rather, I see darkness surrounded by light.”

The focus in the Emperor’s eyes faded. Like he was painting a picture of the Saint in his head.

“Darkness?”

“Yes, the deep darkness that everyone has. She looks noble and just as good, but she seems to be engulfed in just that kind of darkness. So she looks dangerous.”

In the novel, the Saint is expressed as an exceptionally good person. She serves without fear of her own sacrifice, and jumps in without hesitation even in reckless situations. She was an inhuman figure that would not exist in reality.

However, the saint the Emperor was talking about was quite different from the saint in the novel. She is a saint with a very human darkness… It was rather unexpected. However, the Emperor’s subsequent words were enough to further confuse me.

“I don’t know if that’s why I feel more interested. I felt sorry because it’s like she was watching me.”

Excuse me, Your Majesty.

“Her smile is dazzling, but I see a deep-rooted darkness beyond her. A thick darkness that seemed to swallow everything soon. She pretends not to, and tries to hold it in. If she asks me with a look that looks like she’s about to collapse at any moment, I can never refuse. It’s sad, and I felt sorry again.”

You seem to be misunderstanding something…….

“I felt sorry for her, who seems to be screaming that she is not covered in dark ink. In fact, she’s covered in it. So I can’t just sit back and watch.”

I couldn’t listen to the Emperor any longer. Am I misunderstanding things? No. No matter how I think about it, this… is not love.

It’s sympathy.

The tragic sympathy of seeing himself through the saint.

“I tell you all kinds of things.”

Again, it’s different. Merson lost his memory, but the Saint and the Emperor were completely different from what I’ve seen in novels too, even though they have intact memories.

The Saint, who had a foolish sense of justice and held the hand of a lost boy rather than the men who ardently wooed her, openly confessed her feelings to Merson. The Emperor, who was attracted by the Saint’s clear goodness without greed, was rather saying that she was dark.

“You must be very surprised that you hadn’t said anything.”

Of course, how can I not be surprised. The Emperor that I knew shouldn’t be thinking of the Saint that way.

With my expression mixed with surprise and amazement for a long time, the Emperor’s embarrassed smile gradually disappeared.

“Was my confession that shocking?”

The Emperor, who freely expressed his feelings as he got drunk with the moon, drunk with the night, and drunk with the atmosphere,  seemed to be regretting the words he had uttered out of his mouth. Like the water that had filled his head was slowly draining away. . Yes, the reality is hitting him.

I was blown away by that sight. I shouldn’t be surprised now. I can’t afford to be decapitated in the name of keeping a secret!

“Rather, rather than shocking… Well… It’s a bit unfamiliar to describe someone you love as ‘dark’.”

“Yes, I have read many texts, but none of them describe women that way.”

“Exactly. By any chance, does she have a part that looks particularly pretty or somewhere really lovely?”

“She is outstanding in every aspect, as if God had worked hard day and night to create her.”

It wasn’t the lines of a man who fell in love and was love-blinded. This is just a very objective and dry evaluation.

Contrary to my desire to hear the story of the Emperor’s sorrowful unrequited love live, which cannot be heard without getting tears in my eyes, the direction completely changed. I was reluctant to hear the story of the saint any longer. I quickly tried to change the topic.

“Can you just talk about this to me? What if I spread it all over the place!”

“I don’t want to see your skin floating in boiling water.”

“… what?”

“It must be very disheartening to see your neck drop before the morning dew even touches the ground.”

“No. Wait a minute, Your Majesty.”

I was trying to change the topic, but instead got an opportunity to change my life. The Emperor looked at the other side of the lake without a smile and spoke very seriously.

In an instant, the wind blew like a coincidence, and wrapped myself in the fine wind. I covered my arms around my neck in case my throat would be cut. Oh, I’m still fine.

“No, it would be fortunate if you didn’t die from being stoned by the people before being brought before me. They hate false stories about me. Because I am so loved.”

“What were we talking about? Ah, suddenly my cerebral cortex hurts. Please call the doctor. No, it’s okay. A cerebral cortex specialist is at home. I’ll be on my way.”

At that moment, a cheerful laugh burst out between the Emperor’s serious red lips.

“You are honest.”

“I know very well that nothing good will happen if I build up my pride when I don’t have anything.”

“Well, I like it.”

“That’s great, it’s an honor.”

The Emperor’s hand touches my head. It was wide enough to hold my small head with one hand. But slightly smaller than Merson’s?