Chapter 8
The banquet continued long into the night.
Faces were flushed red from drink as nobles laughed boisterously, downing wine as though it were water. The endless stream of dishes arriving from the kitchens gradually changed from elegant courses to rich foods better suited as drinking fare.
The conversations became increasingly uninhibited.
The courtesy that had colored everyone’s speech slowly ebbed away like a receding tide.
“I’d like to visit the Empire someday.”
“If you do, be careful not to wear red. You might find yourself in unnecessary trouble.”
“Hahaha! Of course, of course!”
“When you come, I’ll be your host!”
“I’ll look forward to it!”
They’re still behaving… for now.
Soon enough, the whole place will descend into chaos.
They’ve held out longer than I expected.
Kallis gave a small nod and rose from his seat.
The movement immediately drew every eye in the room.
Even the King, who had been carrying on a quiet conversation with Richella, stopped speaking and turned toward him.
“The fatigue from my journey has yet to fade. I’ll excuse myself for the evening.”
“Was the food not to Your Majesty’s liking? Or perhaps…”
“No. I’m merely tired. Thank you for your generous hospitality.”
The King questioned him hurriedly.
Kallis thanked him in a tone that sounded anything but grateful.
After giving Richella a brief glance, Kallis quietly left the banquet hall alone.
Most of the guests were already drunk.
He had attracted attention when he first arrived, but now his silent departure went largely unnoticed.
Baron Bellen, who had been chatting with a group of ladies, spotted the Emperor leaving by himself and hurried after him.
Only after stepping outside did Kallis finally release the sigh he’d been holding in.
“It’s warm.”
Perhaps it was because of the crowd.
A thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead.
Kallis slipped off his jacket and held it out.
Like a shadow, Elvin appeared beside him and accepted it.
“Are you feeling unwell, Your Majesty?”
“I’m merely tired. That makes the third time I’ve said it.”
He undid the top button of the shirt that had been constricting his neck.
“Your Majesty!”
“And now the fourth. Baron, I’m simply tired. Nothing is wrong with me.”
Inside the main palace hall, where the banquet was still underway, light and music spilled outward like waves.
The corridors, in stark contrast, were wrapped in silence.
Only the faint lamps that illuminated the servants’ paths remained lit.
Beyond them lay darkness, interrupted only by scattered lights from distant palace buildings.
Truthfully, it was already an hour when most people ought to have been asleep.
Kallis surveyed the dim surroundings.
“I shall escort Your Majesty back to Cinnia Palace.”
“I can go with Elvin. Baron, you may return.”
He turned to his attendant.
“Elvin, you remember the way back to Cinnia Palace?”
“Of course. Just give me an hour.”
“It took us twenty minutes to get here, yet you’ll need three times that to return. Your talents truly are remarkable.”
This was the perfect opportunity for the Baron to volunteer as their guide.
Unfortunately…
He didn’t know the way either.
Just as he was wondering what to do, someone happened to walk by.
The Baron brightened immediately.
“You there!”
He was certain he’d heard her name earlier that day.
What was it again?
Hearing herself called, the young woman turned around.
She cautiously approached a few steps, looking uncertain whether she was truly the one being addressed.
As she stepped into the circle of lamplight, the Baron suddenly exclaimed,
“Brown!”
Kallis’s gaze followed the Baron’s.
A young woman with curly brown hair looked back at them with wide, startled eyes.
Loose strands shimmered in the falling light.
She wore plain clothes that any commoner might wear, making it impossible to guess her position from her appearance alone.
The moment their eyes met, she hastily lowered her gaze.
She looked familiar.
Ah… the maid I saw earlier today at Cinnia Palace.
Kallis remembered her almost immediately.
The instant he’d looked into those pale green eyes—so translucent they seemed almost transparent—he had unconsciously lost track of time.
Those eyes had captivated him so completely that he’d nearly asked her, without thinking, to escort him all the way to his bedchamber.
How could he possibly forget?
During the day, she’d worn a maid’s uniform with her hair neatly pinned up, making her difficult to recognize.
But beneath the lamplight…
Those sparkling eyes were unmistakable.
“This is the maid I encountered while investigating Elliot Dark,” Baron Bellen explained.
“Your Majesty, she said she manages Cinnia Palace. She’d make the perfect guide. Please allow her to escort you and rescue this loyal servant from the pit of dereliction.”
Harriet’s eyes trembled.
Without anyone asking her opinion, she’d just been appointed the Emperor’s guide.
I don’t want to guide him!
Her mind screamed in protest.
But the words never reached her lips.
No matter what she thought, she couldn’t openly refuse an imperial command.
If only the Emperor would decide he didn’t need her…
That would be wonderful.
“You.”
Kallis addressed her.
“State your name and identity.”
Has His Majesty developed senility at such a young age?
Instead of saying she didn’t want to, he was asking her to identify herself…
Even though the Baron had literally just done it moments ago.
Harriet unconsciously tightened her grip on the notebook and pen she was carrying.
The banquet isn’t even close to being over!
Shouldn’t you still be inside eating and drinking? Why did you have to come out now?!
Only ten minutes earlier, Grace had fallen asleep, and inspiration for the next scene of her novel had struck.
She’d grabbed her notebook and pen and rushed outside before the idea could disappear.
Now she bitterly regretted it.
Cinnia Palace—where she usually wrote—was out of the question because the Emperor was staying there, and security had been tightened.
The maids’ quarters were equally impossible.
Someone might see her.
She had wandered wherever the lights led her, searching for a quiet place to write.
She’d looked up…
And found the Emperor.
People said life was full of unexpected turns.
At this point, Harriet couldn’t even imagine what future stroke of good fortune was supposed to balance out this disaster.
I should’ve just stayed in my room today…
But how could she?
Inspiration had struck!
If I didn’t write it down immediately, it’d disappear!
As Harriet silently shed tears of blood inside her heart…
Kallis approached the speechless maid.
“Your Majesty!”
The Baron nearly panicked.
No matter that she appeared to be a palace servant, they had no idea why she’d been wandering around at this hour.
What if she had malicious intentions?
Yet Kallis didn’t stop walking.
As he passed a lamp fixed beside the corridor, he casually picked it up.
When he stood before Harriet, he lifted it until it was level with her face.
Warm light illuminated her features.
At the same time, it revealed his own.
Unlike the simple traveling clothes he’d worn earlier that day, he was now dressed in formal evening attire.
Beneath the lamplight, his already striking features appeared even more beautiful than they had under the sun.
His beauty seemed so overwhelming that even the flowers hid from the light in shame.
Only Harriet remained standing beneath that same glow.
She committed the grave discourtesy of meeting his eyes.
Her lips remained tightly sealed.
No answer came.
Kallis spoke almost automatically.
“In the Empire, we do not trust those who refuse to identify themselves.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Especially before the Emperor.”
“Anyone who remains silent in my presence is presumed to harbor ill intent.”
In the Empire…
The Emperor was the very embodiment of heaven itself.
Those who could not honestly declare themselves before him were considered unworthy beneath the heavens.
With a faint, mocking smile, Kallis continued,
“So.”
“Are you an assassin?”
“Your Majesty.”
Elvin called out, attempting to stop him.
“Hm.”
Kallis ignored him.
“I’ve come this close to you, yet you still refuse to speak.”
With his free hand, he tapped firmly against his own chest.
“Your heart belongs here.”
“Your Majesty!”
When Kallis lowered the lamp slightly, even more light fell across Harriet’s face.
Dark shadows spread beneath her eyes.
“Why do you still refuse to answer?”
She simply looked up at him.
Silent.
Why won’t she answer?
The sparkling eyes Kallis had admired…
Were, in reality, only half-open from overwhelming exhaustion.
Harriet wasn’t refusing to answer.
She was struggling just to process the question.
After more than a week of barely sleeping, her mind wasn’t functioning properly anymore.
“So.”
Kallis tilted his head.
“May I interpret your silence however I wish?”
Wait… what did His Majesty just say?
He asked if I was an assassin…
Then he said something about his heart being here…
…Why was he tapping his own chest? Was he trying to show off?
Only after replaying the entire conversation in her head did Harriet finally understand what had happened.
Her pen slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor.
Has His Majesty truly gone insane?
Even in the middle of her panic, her mouth answered calmly the moment she grasped the situation.
“I am Harriet Brown, a maid assigned to Cinnia Palace.”
Calm down, Harriet Brown.
Baron Bellen already introduced you as the maid in charge of Cinnia Palace.
If the Emperor truly suspected you, he never would’ve walked this close.
…
There was one thing Harriet absolutely could not allow Kallis to see.
No matter what happened.
He must never see my notebook!
