For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 15

After their night together, Karl fell asleep almost immediately. He hugged Aura from behind, and she could feel his heartbeat all over her body. Thump, thump, thump, thump… Was a big body accompanied by a big heart? Was that why his heart was beating so powerfully? Aura idly wondered about this.

She gently pushed his arm away and got out of bed. Her legs were heavy, her back was stiff, and there were marks all over her body. She ignored them and put on a robe.

It was her first time in the empress’s chambers. It was so much bigger and more extravagant than the princess consort’s room. ‘Karl’s room must be this big, too.’

And not just his room. His office, personal library, reception rooms… all of them were likely huge and had many places to hide things. She didn’t know if the Pin was in any of them, but they were definitely the first places she needed to check.

Aura went to the balcony to get some fresh air. She stopped in her tracks. The north tower stood tall in the distance. The window in the empress’s chambers just happened to face north. Aura stood there, mesmerized. It was the tower that had caused her so much suffering, but she couldn’t take her eyes off it, as if she was finally seeing the thing that had been watching her all this time.

She felt like she could hear the tower’s voice, mocking her. ‘You’re in the empress’s chambers, but haven’t you already fallen to the abyss? No matter how beautiful the dress or jewelry you wear, the memory of your confinement will haunt you for the rest of your life.’

Aura yanked the curtains shut and turned around. All she saw was Karl, sleeping soundly. Looking at him, Aura made a promise to herself once again. She would break the Pin and leave this palace, no matter what.

Early in the morning, Karl got out of bed. When he found his side of the bed empty, he asked a servant where Aura was and was told that she had gone for a walk alone. Karl sat on the bed for a moment, dazed. ‘That’s strange. He slept so well.’ It was the same on the day Aura ran away to Ansena. The moment he hugged her, he felt so sleepy that he couldn’t wake up until she had already left. He had even been on guard that day, thinking Aura was up to something.

After he got dressed, Theo was waiting for him. “Did you sleep well, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. Surprisingly.”

“What would you like for breakfast? It seems the Empress has already eaten.”

“I’m not hungry. I’ll go straight to my office.” There was no time for a leisurely breakfast. Since he hadn’t formally inherited the throne, there were a lot of things to take care of.

As they were heading to the office, the Duke of Lion appeared.

“Your Majesty.”

“Duke Lion.”

Lion smiled and bowed politely. His signature silver hair glimmered in the morning light. Silver hair was a characteristic of the natives of the northern regions. Lion’s mother was a commoner from Sutra, and he had lived in Sutra for most of his life. However, he was also once part of the Crown Prince’s circle. Karl suspected he was the second person behind Isen. ‘Duke Thane is trying to prove his innocence by pushing his niece forward. But Lion… he’s hard to read.’

Karl held out his hand first to shake his. “Thank you for coming to the Empress’s coronation. I didn’t get to greet you properly yesterday.”

Lion took his hand. “When else would I get a chance to see the palace? The weather in the capital is nice and warm.”

“True. Winter in Sutra must be harsh.”

“Haha… It is. By the way, the empress looked even more beautiful yesterday.” Lion had a look of interest on his face.

“I’ll tell her you said that.”

“I would say… she’s a very interesting person.”

Karl looked at him sharply. “Interesting?”

“She has a certain charm that draws people in. Perhaps she’s finally shedding her girlishness?”

“Duke.”

Lion suddenly realized his mistake. When he was interested in something, he would sometimes lose control of himself. “It was just a joke between men.”

“A joke between men.” Karl’s gaze was full of displeasure as he looked out the window. “I’m surprised you think I’m the kind of man who would offer up his wife as a joke. I find that quite a shock.”

“…I apologize for my thoughtless words, Your Majesty.” Lion swallowed his pride and bowed immediately. In this regard, he was quite shameless.

Karl decided to let it go. It wouldn’t do for the royals to fight the day after a coronation.

“Are you heading back to your territory?”

“No. I’m thinking of staying a little longer. As a vacation.”

“Winter is tough in the north, so you must have a lot to do.”

“I’ve taken care of everything. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around often.”

‘So he’s going to stay in the palace.’ Karl thought. It was a good thing. He also had something to discuss with Lion.

“I’ll call on you soon. I would appreciate it if you came to see me.”

“Of course.”

Lion regained his smile. He seemed to have been hoping for this as well, and he bowed gracefully.

The coronation was over, and peaceful days followed. Aura didn’t look for Isen or Karl. It was obvious they were both watching her, so she had to wait for the right moment. Aura was reading the morning newspaper during breakfast. She stopped turning the pages when she saw some familiar faces. ‘Aren’t these the protestors who crashed the coronation?’

[…They disappeared overnight. They were known to be the leaders of a pure-blood supremacist group and had been found to have committed crimes against foreigners in the past.]

‘Five healthy men just disappeared overnight…’ Aura suddenly remembered her conversation with Karl at the coronation.

‘What kind of punishment should I give them?’

‘Do as you wish. I’m not interested anymore.’

‘Then I’ll kill them all.’

‘Surely… he didn’t kill them, did he?’

Aura folded the newspaper. Just then, Mina entered the room.

“Your Highness. I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“My brother has been accepted into the Imperial Academy. Should I tell him to come by soon?”

It was good news. It seemed the letter of recommendation she had written a while ago had worked. “Don’t have him come right away. Tell him to find out a few things in secret. As soon as possible.”

“Yes. How should I tell him?”

Aura hesitated for a moment but decided to be honest. She couldn’t order her subordinates without trust. “Tell him to find out everything he can about a crystal ball called Pin. Especially who made it and how to break the seal.”

“Yes. I will pass on the message.” Mina hesitated for a moment.

“Is there something else?”

“Well… it might not be anything, but I heard a strange rumor.”

“What kind of strange rumor?”

“That Tasha has become Princess Riel’s wet nurse.”

Riel Kasa. Riel was the late Crown Prince’s seven-year-old only daughter. The Crown Prince had been greatly disappointed when his daughter was born, as he had wanted a son to support his power. To make matters worse, his wife died giving birth to Riel, so the Crown Prince abandoned his daughter in a separate palace. Karl didn’t bother to kill Riel because she was a girl. In a way, the very thing that brought her misfortune had also saved her life.

“Did Karl assign Tasha to that position?”

“No. Tasha volunteered herself.”

That was strange. Tasha was too old to be a wet nurse. There was no reason for her to give up her place beside the emperor to go to a separate palace. ‘If there’s anything Riel has over Karl, it’s that she’s a true-blood royal.’

“Mina.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think of Tasha? Is there anything you’ve noticed about her?”

“Hmm, she seems more frugal than she needs to be. She must have earned a lot of money, and she doesn’t have any family, but her clothes are always shabby.”

“Really…?”

Considering Tasha’s show-off personality, this was not something to be overlooked. Aura took off one of her earrings and gave it to Mina. “Tell the maids who clean Tasha’s room to search it. And to report anything unusual.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Mina took the earring.

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Aura recognized him immediately.

“Josh.”

“…Ah. Y-Your Majesty the Empress.” Aura looked at his golden epaulets, which symbolized his position as the leader of the knights. ‘I heard he was just appointed as the leader of the Imperial Knights. It seems Karl intends to keep Theo and Josh as his hands and feet.’ The Imperial Knights were an elite group of the best soldiers in the imperial guard. They only answered to the emperor.

Josh bowed to Aura. He still seemed to be afraid of her. “I’m sorry about last time, Josh. I’ll send you some new buttons soon.”

“Pardon? Oh, no. It’s alright. I got a new uniform with my promotion.”

“Then I’ll send them to you to congratulate you on your promotion.”

Josh swallowed hard. He really didn’t want to get involved with this scary woman. Aura smiled, as if she could read his mind.

“You don’t want to get involved with me, do you?”

“!”

‘…She’s a witch.’ Sweat beaded on Josh’s temple. ‘I need to come up with another reason. A plausible one!’

Just then, a thought flashed in his mind. It was something he and Theo had often talked about recently. “It’s not that… I came to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Well, it might sound strange, but… His Majesty the Emperor sleeps very well when he’s with you.”

“…? Doesn’t His Majesty always sleep well?” The Karl she knew always slept like the dead. She had even thought he was a surprisingly heavy sleeper.

Josh waved his hands as if to dismiss her words. “No. He suffers from severe insomnia. In Devla, his insomnia was more of a concern than the monsters.”

“…That’s strange.”

“Anyway, as a subordinate who serves him, I wanted to express my gratitude.” Josh bowed his head.

Aura was still a little suspicious, but she let it go. “I see. Well, thank you for accepting my apology.”

“Ah, no. Don’t mention it, Your Majesty.”

Just as Josh let out a sigh of relief, a little girl suddenly came running from around the corner. The child bumped into Aura’s leg.

“Aah!” The child shrieked and fell to the ground. She looked up at Aura and yelled, “You’re a witch!”

Aura knew who the child was. The only little girl who would be running around the palace was Riel.

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