Chapter – 06

As Seilia was about to step inside, briefly glancing at the apologizing knight, a high-pitched voice called out to her.

It was clear that the voice didn’t belong to the knight standing beside her. No, it had to be that woman who had just popped into her mind.

“Lady Seilia.”

The voice was so familiar that she didn’t even need to turn around to confirm who it was.

Rolling her violet eyes upward in exasperation, Seilia swiftly turned to face the speaker.

Ah, yes. Today truly is the perfect day, isn’t it?

That woman, who was bouncing toward her with an almost childlike charm, was none other than her former lover’s affair partner.

It sounded absurd, but it was the truth.

Even the icy coldness in Seilia’s gaze didn’t deter Princess Blair, who maintained eye contact with unwavering confidence.

“So, what brings you to the Imperial Palace?”

Though Seilia kept her emotions hidden, her expression must have betrayed her. Or perhaps she hadn’t even bothered to hide it.

Blair’s lips, curved into an elegant smile, twisted ever so slightly.

The question, laced with the implication of ‘What are you doing here?’ made Seilia’s stomach churn.

“Well, is there any reason I shouldn’t be here? In fact, I believe I’m far more suited to be here than you are, and I’m sure you know that very well.”

She had no intention of being kind, but did Blair expect her to? To her? What a joke.

Though Blair’s words seemed innocent enough, Seilia’s response was sharp and confrontational.

“I’m here under the Emperor’s orders, nothing more, nothing less. Princess Blair.”

Her cold tone and the clear boundary she drew left no room for further questioning.

At the mention of “the Emperor,” Blair’s eyebrows twitched and shot upward.

As Seilia turned sharply on her heel to leave, Blair grabbed her arm to stop her.

“How odd… I thought the connection between you and His Majesty ended a year ago. Am I mistaken?”

That voice, pretending not to know anything, grated on her nerves. The nanny and the others around them, their curiosity barely contained, only made the situation worse.

Was Blair hoping Ivwould lose my temper, grab her hair, and cause a scene? If so, I could certainly oblige.

After all, Blair was the very reason their connection had been severed. If Seilia could, she’d slap Blair and spit out the truth, one word at a time, or yank her hair out.

If Blair wanted juicy gossip for the tabloids, Seilia could give her a headline-worthy scandal.

But Seilia wasn’t foolish enough to fall for such a petty provocation.

Turning her face toward Blair, she spoke in a scornful tone.

“How presumptuous of you.”

“…Excuse me?”

Blair, caught off guard by the unexpected response, looked visibly flustered.

Seilia deliberately brought up everything from a year ago, her words slicing through Blair like a blade. Surely, with her fiery temper, Blair would lash out any second now.

“The reason His Majesty summoned me is his business. Why you feel the need to meddle, I cannot fathom. Besides, if that precious connection ended, you played no small part in it, didn’t you? Or am I mistaken?”

She had made a mistake.

Bringing up that topic here, in front of so many onlookers, was a misstep.

Blair bit her lip, forcing a smile as she lowered her head slightly in a show of submission.

If she pushed any further, the situation would only escalate beyond what she had intended.

“I must have misspoken. If I was rude, I apologize.”

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Princess.”

Seilia turned her head sharply and walked away without a second glance.

Blair, who had been watching with an innocent, wide-eyed expression, now glared after her with unease.

Hadn’t the Emperor and Seilia completely severed ties? At every banquet they attended, they exchanged nothing but contemptuous glances and avoided even brushing sleeves.

So why on earth were they meeting again now?

Blair stared at Seilia’s silhouette until it disappeared completely from view.

***

Leo’s Office

In the unnaturally quiet atmosphere, the only sounds were the rustling of papers and the scratch of a pen against parchment.

A soft knock broke the silence.

“Come in.”

At Leo’s command, his secretary, Neir, entered with a respectful demeanor and began his report.

“As per your orders, Your Majesty, the Baron of Irmandi’s assets have been fully confiscated, and most of his household has been reduced to slavery.”

“Good work. Anything else to report?”

“Ah, there was a minor commotion at the back gate during Lady Seilia’s entry into the palace.”

Leo, who had been focused solely on the pile of documents in front of him, suddenly turned his gaze to Neir.

“What kind of commotion?”

He had shown no reaction to the downfall of a once-prosperous noble family due to corruption, but at the mere mention of Seilia, his response was immediate and conspicuous.

Neir, who had served Leo since his days as Crown Prince, was well aware of the relationship between Leo and Seilia.

In fact, he knew it all too well. From the moment the order for Seilia to enter the palace had been issued, something had felt off.

And now, Leo’s behavior was eerily reminiscent of how he had been before their separation.

“One of the guards at the back gate, suspicious of her identity, detained her for questioning.”

“Her temper hasn’t changed, I see.”

Leo, who had witnessed countless similar incidents over the past two years, wasn’t particularly surprised.

Shaking his head in mild exasperation, he returned his attention to the documents. But even as he did so, he couldn’t seem to focus, repeatedly putting down his pen and rubbing his face in frustration.

About five minutes later, word came that Lady Seilia had arrived at the door.

***

By now, both Seilia and Leo had grown surprisingly accustomed to meeting in private, away from formal settings.

Seated with her chin resting on the armrest, Seilia regarded Leo with her sharp, cat-like eyes before speaking leisurely.

“So, the contract seems to be mostly written up.”

She sifted through the papers on the table with her slender fingers, double-checking their contents.

“Yes, there wasn’t much to add.”

Taking the pen from Leo, Seilia reached for the final signature line on the last page, only to freeze in place.

“What… what is this?”

Clause 5–6: The bedroom shall be shared.

This crazy Emperor was at it again.

Following her gaze, Leo read the clause and responded in a calm voice.

“Keep reading to the end.”

However, it also stated that each individual would have their own bed in separate rooms adjacent to the shared bedroom.

This meant that they could sleep in their own rooms if they wished. After all, the two of them sharing a bedroom was a highly unlikely scenario.

Watching Seilia cough awkwardly as she signed the document, Leo struggled to suppress a laugh. But his eyes betrayed him, curving into crescents as he silently chuckled.

Seilia, annoyed, snapped at him.

“Laughing at a simple misunderstanding, are we?”

“And why are you so fixated on the bedroom arrangement?”

“I’m not some naive nineteen-year-old, and you seem to have forgotten I’m only two years younger than you.”

To anyone else, her casual tone might have seemed outrageously disrespectful toward the Emperor of the Belton Empire.

But Leo, unbothered, found her defiance oddly familiar.

Tilting his head slightly, Leo said,

“Don’t you think it’s time to change the way you talk to me? We’re not exactly strangers anymore.”

His posture, revealing his elegant neckline, seemed calculated. But to Seilia, it only looked like he was showing off his good looks. She cursed herself inwardly.

“You keep crossing the line, so I assumed it was allowed. Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty.”

Exasperated by their endless back-and-forth, Seilia smoothed her furrowed brow and shifted the conversation to something more productive.

“About Selection Day. To become Empress, I’ll need the High Priests’ approval. Do you think they’ll side with me easily? Or do you have another plan?”

Though she didn’t expect much, she hoped for a reasonable answer. Instead, Leo replied with unsettling nonchalance.

“I’ll threaten them.”

“You’re joking, right?”

Seilia instinctively questioned him, unable to believe her ears.

An Emperor resorting to threats?

Even with the immense power of the throne, the High Temple, under the Imperial Family’s supervision, wasn’t something to be trifled with.

“If it sounds like a joke, I’m sorry. But the High Temple isn’t as sacred or pure as you think. Expose their dirty secrets, and they’ll fall in line.”

“That’s too risky. What if word gets out that the Empress was chosen through blackmail?”

“It’s already a contract marriage. It’s not safe to begin with, so what does it matter? Besides, they’ll comply if they want to keep their positions.”

Though she tried to resist, Seilia found herself being swayed. Desperate to find a flaw in his plan, she asked one last question.

“And what about the dissenting nobles? How will you deal with them?”

“I’ll use the same method. If they continue to defy me, it’ll sound like they’re asking to die.”

Leo’s eyes, which had been idly staring at his teacup, now gleamed with a dangerous light.