For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 10

Karl put down the receipt. “I’ve checked it. Process the payment.”

“…Is that alright?” Theo chose his words carefully. Aura was about to become the empress. As the emperor’s aide, he had to watch what he said. But as the one in charge of the imperial finances, he couldn’t ignore the amount on the receipt.

“The late empress’s expenses for a month before a banquet were about a third of this amount, Your Majesty.”

Karl continued to sign a document with his quill. “And?”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”

“…The princess consort has spent a lot of money.” Theo finally spoke his mind.

Karl put down his quill on the holder. “I don’t think it’s a lot at all.”

“Pardon?”

“The Princess Consort Aura hasn’t spent a single penny of the imperial money for three years.”

“Oh.”

“Calculate the amount the previous empresses spent in three years. We can talk again when the princess consort’s expenses exceed that amount.”

It was a surprisingly logical and yet incredibly generous calculation. Theo was quite shocked. The Karl he knew had never shown such a contradiction.

Karl’s lips curved slightly as he picked up his quill again. “Well, with all that money she’s spent, I’m sure she’ll meet my expectations.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. How are the coronation preparations coming along?”

“We are doing our best. Ah, and, Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“His Highness Isen has also expressed his intention to attend.”

Karl’s quill, which had been moving across the document, stopped. The smile vanished from his face. “Isen?” He twirled the quill between his fingers, lost in thought, then muttered to himself, “I need to see Aura.”

Flour, honey, and plant oil—all high-end ingredients that sloshed like thin porridge in the tub. Aura lay in it with her eyes closed. On her cheeks were pieces of veal wrapped in gauze. This was the fastest way to nourish her withered skin.

It was a hassle, but it was effective. Her body felt slick, and her face was beginning to show signs of life.

Mina entered the bathroom. She was wearing a neat, tidy dress and a white headscarf. “Your Highness. There was a message from the emperor’s chambers.”

“From Karl?” Aura slowly opened her eyes. Her long eyelashes were wet.

“Yes. He said there’s a dance practice for the coronation after lunch, and he wants you to come to the grand ballroom.”

“…Tell him I’ll be there.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Mina quietly left the bathroom.

Aura sighed. ‘Dance practice.’

Aura lifted her right leg. The thin leg dripped with the liquid from the tub. The swelling from her burn was still significant. Her ankle would throb just from walking. The imperial physician said time would heal it, so she was definitely not in any state to dance. But this was not the time to be uncooperative with Karl.

He had kept his promise and raised the people of Zenia to regular citizens. He had dismissed the protests of his ministers.

‘I have to practice the social dances. It’s been so long since I’ve danced.’ She didn’t want to look clumsy at the coronation. It was obvious what kinds of rumors would spread among the noblewomen.

“…That’s enough.” In her words, the maids removed the veal from her cheeks. A natural pink blush had returned to her skin.

After her meal, Aura chose a dress. She picked a long empire dress to hide the bandage on her ankle and her gaunt body. It wasn’t a very suitable dress for winter, but she didn’t have many other options.

The dance hall was in a corner of the grand ballroom. Karl’s people were gathered there. The faces of Tasha, Josh, and Theo were now familiar. And Karl.

He was waiting for Aura in the center of the hall. The afternoon sun cast a soft glow on his shirt and face. Karl held out his hand without a word, and Aura took it silently. There were no smiles, no polite greetings. The quick-witted Theo nodded to the musicians, and the music started immediately.

Thankfully, Aura’s body remembered the steps. She followed Karl’s lead.

“…”

Karl’s gaze lingered on many parts of Aura. Her clear eyes and flushed cheeks, her hair that was slowly regaining its luster, and the neck wound that had thankfully healed without a scar. His gaze was so direct that Aura felt like she was suffocating.

But this was also an opportunity. She had to get information about the Pin without him noticing.

“After the coronation… will I move into the empress’s chambers?”

“Of course. The room is already ready, so you can move in early if you want.”

“No. I’ll move in after the coronation. It’s proper etiquette.”

He nodded, as if to say she could do as she pleased. Aura casually asked, “And you?”

“…”

“Are you finished with your office? Are you going to use the office the Crown Prince used?”

“Yes.”

The Crown Prince had used the emperor’s office in place of the late emperor. Aura had never been in that office.

‘If the Crown Prince left the Pin there… Karl would have found it.’ Knowing Karl’s personality, he would have searched through all of the Crown Prince’s belongings. He wouldn’t have thrown away the crystal ball, so he must have kept it. The problem was whether Karl knew what it was. If he knew, he would never give it to Aura.

The answer was clear: she had to find a reason to go to Karl’s office. It would be an unnatural request now, but as the empress, it wouldn’t be impossible.

“You seem to be thinking a lot,” Karl said.

Aura shook her head as if it was nothing. Karl’s hand on Aura’s back moved to her shoulder blade. There was nothing but bone sticking out.

“You need to eat more.”

“I am eating.”

His hand moved slowly, tracing her ribs. Whether she inhaled or exhaled, he could feel her ribs.

Aura’s steps grew slower. She tried not to think about it, but the memory kept coming back to her: the day she led him to the bed right before she ran away to Ansena. The touch of his hands and his voice. ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’ She could almost hear it again.

Aura tried to clear her head. As if to help her, Karl spoke in a businesslike tone.

“The coronation is in three days. If you look so thin, all sorts of rumors will spread. I hear the rumors aren’t good already.”

“Did you call me here to scold me, not to practice dancing?”

“Do you want me to compliment you?”

“I’ll pass.” Aura said flatly. She was trying her best, so she was in no mood to be scolded. “I’m eating enough. Any more and I’ll get sick.”

Karl changed direction sharply. Aura’s ankle throbbed, but she didn’t show it.

“That’s better than starving to death,” Karl said.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I saw a lot of it in Devla. It’s better to be killed by a monster. You’re already as good as dead, but it takes a long time to die.” Karl said something horrible without a second thought. And some of those who died like that must have been his men.

“What would you have done if I had died?”

“What do you mean?”

“I… I could have died in the tower from the dagger you gave me.”

‘Just like you wanted.’ Aura couldn’t bring herself to say the last words.

Karl stared at Aura for a moment and laughed. “What could I have done? I can’t help you if you’re weak.”

“That’s a contradiction. You said you started a rebellion to protect me.”

“And by doing so…” Karl stopped moving. When the emperor suddenly stopped dancing, the musicians noticed and stopped playing as well. In the silence, Karl spoke. “You’re here, alive in front of me. That’s what’s most important.”

“…”

“So, Aura, stop whining. You were in a safe place for three years anyway.”

A safe place. The moment she heard those words, it felt like her ankle was on fire. She didn’t even know where to begin to explain. Even if she did, this man would probably say the same thing, with the same expression on his face. He would tell her to stop whining because he already knew.

Aura smiled. “I think we’ve practiced enough. I’m stopping.”

“I have more to say.”

“I’m done. Go.” Aura walked into the lounge attached to the ballroom. Her mood was secondary; her ankle was too painful to continue. She sat on a sofa and put her right foot up. She took off her shoe and felt the bandage with her hand. It was burning.

‘I need to put a cold compress on it when I get back.’

Knock, knock.

Aura quickly covered her ankle with her skirt. The door opened, and Karl walked in. Aura nonchalantly put her shoe back on and asked, “What is it now?”

Karl didn’t answer. He just stared at Aura’s feet. ‘Please, don’t say anything.’ If he knew she stopped dancing because of her ankle, he might say she was whining again.

Luckily, he looked away from her ankle. Maybe he thought a minor injury like that wasn’t his concern. Instead, he brought up a surprising name.

“Isen is coming to the coronation.”

Isen Kasa. He was Karl’s half-brother, the youngest prince born to a concubine. Aura had only seen Isen once, at her wedding. He was a sweet, handsome boy who was traveling with his mother. After the wedding, he had left again to continue his journey.

Karl was the only one of his brothers he had spared. Isen had no interest in the throne and was the only brother Karl had ever been close to. Though their closeness was nothing more than just talking.

“Isen came back to the palace?”

“Yes. Aura, don’t interact with Isen at the coronation.”

“Why?”

Karl took a step closer and lowered his voice. “He’s plotting a rebellion.”

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