For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 25

Aura deliberately brought up Isen. From what Mina had learned, Isen hadn’t committed suicide; he had been killed by an assassin. It was obvious that Lion was responsible. Even if he wasn’t, he was still accountable for Isen’s death.

Lion’s face was somber. “It saddens me to talk about my nephew.”

“…Yes. I’m sure it does.”

“That said, could you spare some time for me?”

“Some time?”

“Yes. Since the weather is so nice, I thought a walk together would help us clear our minds.”

He was suggesting they talk alone. ‘Now that Isen is dead, I’m curious to see how he’s going to act. In many ways.’

“Alright. Let’s go.”

As soon as she answered, Lion offered his arm. Escorting her was an option, but Aura took his arm anyway. The two of them walked into the path next to the cemetery. Lion seemed to be in a good mood.

Aura asked, “I remember that Prince Isen was quite close to you. You must be very sad.”

“Yes. Isen was a very… kind and sweet nephew. And naive, too.” Lion flicked a leaf with his finger, and it tore in half. “Empress.”

“Yes, Duke.”

“Aren’t you curious about anything?”

“I don’t think so.”

Lion’s eyes narrowed. “Like, perhaps, the Pin.”

“…”

“Or how to break the seal of the Pin.” Aura stopped walking and looked into his blue eyes. The mysterious eyes that only people from the north had seemed to be telling her that he was interested in her.

Whether it was just a human interest or a romantic one, if she used it correctly, he might tell her about the Pin.

Aura opened her mouth. “Even if that were the case, I don’t think I would want to hear it from the duke.” Even if he was useful, she didn’t want to get involved with him. He was the man who had used his own nephew as a shield and led him to his death. He might set a trap for Aura at any moment.

“…Ha!” Lion burst out laughing. He couldn’t hold it back. “Hahaha… hahaha…”

“What is so funny?”

“The Empress is a very interesting person.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“It’s the highest praise I can give you.” A cloud passed over his face, casting a shadow. His eyes gleamed coldly.

Aura tried to pull her arm away. “I think our walk is over. Let’s go back.”

“Empress, if you ever feel the urge to ask me about the Pin…” Lion held onto Aura’s arm. “Please dance with me at the spring ball.”

“…A dance?”

“Just one song.” Dancing wasn’t difficult. A dance between the Duke and the Empress at a royal event was a normal thing. And more importantly, she could have a private conversation with him during the dance. Lion was planning to return to his territory after the spring ball. If she wanted to talk to him, that would be her last chance.

“Please let go of my arm.” Aura tried to pull away.

“Won’t you give me an answer?” he asked playfully. He didn’t let go of her arm.

Just then, someone came and put an arm around Aura’s shoulder.

“!”

“Where have you been?”

“…Karl.”

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” Karl said, and he stared at Lion. Lion finally let go of Aura and bowed to Karl.

“I was taking a walk with the Empress.”

“I see. Then we’ll be going now.” But Karl didn’t move. Lion, understanding his meaning, bowed again. “I should get going. It was a pleasant walk, Empress.”

“Yes, Duke. Goodbye.” Lion looked at Aura one more time and then left the path.

Was it because of his poor health? Karl seemed annoyed as he asked Aura, “What were you doing with Lion?”

“Nothing. We were just taking a walk.”

“Oh, really?” Karl suddenly wrapped Aura’s hand around his arm and began to walk briskly. Aura was dragged along by him.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“Let’s continue our walk.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know you liked walking so much, enough to walk with Lion.”

Aura hurried to keep up with him. Karl glanced at her hurried steps and slowed his pace. The two of them were now taking a proper walk. Without a word being exchanged.

‘What is happening?’

Aura felt incredibly awkward. Most of her encounters with Karl took place late at night or in bed. She never thought she would take a leisurely walk with him in broad daylight.

Aura asked quietly, “Aren’t you busy?”

“No, I’m not.”

“How can an emperor not be busy?”

“Because an emperor can choose to be busy or not.”

“Then you’re not tired?”

“No, I’m not.”

“You look tired. Very.”

“Are you worried about me?”

Aura fell silent. Such trivial conversations were only for people who were close.

Karl stopped in front of a lake. The sunlight on the water’s surface was dazzling. Aura was debating whether to pull her hand from his arm.

Karl said, “Don’t believe anything Lion says. But you’re smart, so I’m sure you already know that.”

“If you think I’m smart enough to know, then why are you scolding me?”

“Because you are an unpredictable person.” Karl’s gaze shifted from the lake to her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were trying to save Isen?”

“I didn’t tell you I put a note in the book. But I found out who was behind him and helped you negotiate with Isen.”

“That’s strange.” Karl tucked her loose hair behind her ear. His touch on her ear was unusually slow. “Then there would have been no reason for you to go into my study in the first place.”

Aura flinched. She had been so caught up in everything that she hadn’t thought about that. If it wasn’t a military map, there was no reason for her to be in the study.

“I thought there might be something else just as important… something that could be a weakness.”

“Something else?”

“Yes. Something… that I could use against you. So I did it.”

Aura’s heart was pounding. It sounded both plausible and implausible. But for now, this was the best she could come up with.

“Haa… Aura.” Karl hugged her gently. Aura tensed up, thinking he could hear her heartbeat. His hand wrapped around her neck. “No one but me is allowed in that study.”

“…”

“If you ever do something like that again, I won’t forgive you.”

Aura slowly nodded. Karl let go of her and walked away. Aura, left alone, opened her hands that had been clutching her skirt. Her palms were drenched in sweat.

Aura could feel it. The favor Karl had shown her, his willingness to believe her despite his suspicions. And this would be the last time.

‘I should be careful for a while. And find another way.’ The first person who came to mind was Ruan. Ruan had said he would come to the palace to help her. How far had his preparations gone? ‘I should lay low and gather information until Ruan arrives.’

Meanwhile, Karl, who had left the path, muttered to himself. “…A weakness.” ‘A ridiculous excuse. Does she really not want to tell me the truth?’ He let out a small sigh.

He suddenly felt dizzy and frowned. Josh, who had been guarding the entrance of the path, rushed over. “Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“You look very unwell. You haven’t slept in four days, have you? And you seem to be having nightmares constantly.”

Karl waved his hand dismissively. “I have a lot on my mind because of Isen’s funeral. I’ll sleep tonight.”

He said that, but he knew he was at his limit. It wasn’t just insomnia; it was accompanied by nightmares.

Josh was very worried. The situation seemed even worse than it had been in Devla. “Your Majesty, you sleep well when you’re with the Empress. Perhaps you should ask her to be with you tonight…”

But Josh couldn’t finish his sentence. Karl was glaring at him, telling him to be quiet. “Josh. Don’t do anything useless.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.” Karl turned toward the palace. Josh sighed and followed him.

That night, Karl, who was sleeping in his bed, frowned.

“…No!” He sat up abruptly, his eyes wide open. He swung his arm out, knocking over the vase on the bedside table. Crash! The vase shattered with a loud noise. But Karl didn’t even hear it.

The nightmares were getting worse by the day. The disfigured corpses and the screams he had killed came back to life and chased him.

Bang! Josh, who was on guard, rushed in. He must have heard the vase shattering.

“Your Majesty! Are you alright?”

“Get out.” Karl wiped his face with one hand.

“Your Majesty, maybe the imperial physician—”

“Get out!”

“!” Josh flinched at Karl’s shout. He had no choice but to leave the room. But he couldn’t just stand by. ‘Call the imperial physician? No. He’s been here several times, but it was no use.’

Josh paced the hallway nervously. He heard something else break in the room. This was a first, even for him as a close aide. ‘What should I do? He might do something terrible.’

Of course, Josh knew of a better solution than calling the imperial physician. The problem was what Karl had said that afternoon. ‘Josh. Don’t do anything useless.’

Why did he have to hear that? Why did this have to happen on his shift?

Suppressing his frustration, Josh made a decision. ‘Oh, whatever. I’ll just do it.’ He quickly hurried away.

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