For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 30

Karl folded the letter again. ‘…She’s made quite a bit of progress. I don’t know who H is, but I think he went all the way to Silesia.’ He put the letter back in the envelope and slipped it under Aura’s pillow. ‘No matter what, absolutely not. The Pin.’

Karl gently kissed Aura. Unaware, she just continued to breathe softly. Karl looked out the window. His brows furrowed at the sight of the north tower in the distance. The image of Aura staring blankly at the tower made him want to demolish it immediately. There was no need to keep something that was bothering and disgusting him. ‘I need to build a defensive watchtower to replace it. And then, I’ll tear the tower down.’ Karl drew the curtains, blocking the view of the tower. He then quietly left her room.

He returned to his office and found Josh and Theo already waiting for him.

“Did you sleep well, Your Majesty?”

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

“Yes. Was there anything special that happened overnight?” Theo handed him the schedule for the day. “Everything is fine.”

“What about Lion?”

“There’s been no movement.” They checked on Lion every day. It seemed he had no intention of making a move until he left the palace. “However, the spring ball is coming up soon. We have a lot of things to prepare.”

Karl meticulously checked the schedule. Another busy day was waiting for him. “Who is in charge of the spring ball?”

“It’s usually the aide’s job, but since Theo has a lot on his plate, I decided to take charge.” Josh replied.

Karl was speechless for a moment. He found it hard to trust a ball organized by Josh, let alone Theo. “The ball needs to cater to the tastes of the noblewomen, so plan it accordingly and get approval from Aura.”

“From Her Majesty the Empress?” Josh flinched.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no, nothing.”

The memory of that night was still vivid in Josh’s mind. The night Karl suffered from insomnia. Josh had taken a leap of faith and told Aura about his condition. Aura had just crossed her arms and said, ‘So?’ And that wasn’t the end of it. After treating him so coldly, she had still managed to put Karl to sleep. He wondered if women were just that unpredictable. Because they were unpredictable, they were difficult. And because they were difficult, they were scary.

While Josh was looking serious, Theo continued his report. “Your Majesty, Duke Thane has requested an audience.”

“Of course he did. He never gets tired. When is the meeting?”

“Right after the spring ball.”

“Why at that time?”

“I believe…” Theo cleared his throat. “He means to see you with his niece, Lady Elise. She will also be attending the spring ball.”

Karl felt a headache coming on. This was why there were so many rumors among the noble families. ‘How shameless. He was so close to the Crown Prince.’

“Should I set up the audience?” Theo asked cautiously. Karl nodded. “Set it up. But on one condition: that Elise will not be in the audience chamber.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Theo smiled.

Karl thought for a moment and added, “If Elise asks to see me separately… arrange it discreetly.”

At that moment, Lion was walking down the palace hallway. He wasn’t in a good mood. He had just run into Karl. The direction Karl was coming from, and his slightly disheveled clothes. It was obvious he had spent the night in the empress’s room. ‘They’re getting along well.’ He sneered to himself. ‘It didn’t seem that way just a few days ago.’

During Isen’s funeral, Karl’s condition was at its worst. The rumors of his terrible insomnia seemed true. But the Karl he saw today seemed to have recovered. ‘The empress must have done something. What could it be…?’

Lion suddenly remembered that day. It was about a fortnight after the coronation. Lion had gone to the emperor’s lounge at Karl’s request. Karl was drinking.

“Drink, Duke.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Lion politely accepted the glass offered by his nephew, who was only a few years younger than him. “Is Sutra still a difficult place to live?”

Lion emptied the glass offered by his insolent nephew, who had started to talk to him informally now that he was on the throne. The liquor was incredibly strong, but he smiled and answered, “It’s the same as always.”

Karl twirled his glass with his fingertips. “When I took the throne, you pledged your loyalty to me and offered me your army. As a sign of my acceptance, I incorporated the conquered Devla into the Sutra.”

“Yes, you did.”

“We have such a beautiful friendship. I don’t understand why you would try to do what you’re doing.” Karl leaned toward him. “Stop trying to manipulate Isen.”

“…I’m not manipulating him. He does what he wants.” Lion feigned ignorance. After all, everything was being done by Isen. There was no trace of Lion’s involvement.

He had to admit, the young emperor was good. He had figured out the connection between Isen and him. ‘I need to pull my army out as much as possible. The chances of this rebellion succeeding are not high.’ He hadn’t expected the rebellion to succeed anyway. He just wanted to gauge Karl’s abilities. Isen was just a pawn.

“…I’m warning you, Lion.”

“I’m touched that you would call me by my name.” Karl sank back into the sofa.

Lion twirled his glass and asked, “Is that all you have to say?”

“No, there’s one more thing. And this one is more important.”

“Oh? I’m all ears.”

“I want you to give me the Pin. I’ll pay whatever price you want.” Lion seemed a little surprised, but then a smile appeared on his lips. This was interesting. He was so intrigued he felt like he was going to go crazy. How much did this emperor know?

“Hmm… What are you talking about?”

“…”

“What is this ‘Pin’ you’re talking about?”

At that moment, Karl grabbed Lion’s collar. Lion had never seen such eyes before. His eyes were burning with a cold fire.

“Lion. I won’t try to convince you anymore. And I won’t negotiate with you.”

“Do as you wish. Take whatever you need.”

“You’re acting so nonchalant. You must have left the Pin in your territory.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really? I think I know what’s going on in your head.”

“Oh? I’ve been told that it’s very hard to read my mind.”

“The fact that you’re holding on to a Pin that’s of no use to you and you’re not even willing to negotiate it…” Karl stared into Lion’s eyes. “…You want to break the seal of the Pin yourself, don’t you?”

Lion’s eyes wavered. Karl saw it and smirked. He let go of Lion’s collar. “Then I’ll just have to find out why you want to break the Pin.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment. Lion knew instinctively that this was his last chance to negotiate. But he didn’t say a word. Karl gestured to the door with his chin. “You can go now.”

Lion chuckled. He had thought Karl was a mere boy who was good with a sword. But he was also shrewd and a great politician. ‘There was a reason the Crown Prince hated him so much.’ He sneered and walked toward his room. Just then, he heard a commotion and turned around.

In the distance, Riel was running. Her wet nurse was chasing her. “Princess! Princess! You shouldn’t run like that!”

“Nyah~ try and catch me! Hehe!”

Lion’s eyes narrowed playfully. He grabbed Riel, who had run toward him, and lifted her up. “Whoa.”

“Oh! Grandfather!” Riel screamed when she saw Lion. Her cheeks, flushed from running, were adorable.

“You shouldn’t run in the hallway.”

“Hehe!” Riel smiled widely. The girl who had cried for days over Isen’s death was nowhere to be seen. Children were still children.

The wet nurse, out of breath, took Riel back. “Your Highness the Duke… thank you.” Riel, in her wet nurse’s arms, said to Lion, “I’ll see you again, Grandfather!”

“Yes, my precious Riel.” Lion stroked Riel’s head. “You haven’t forgotten your promise, have you? You’ll come visit my territory.”

He held out his pinky finger to her.

“Yes, Grandfather! I promise!” Riel wrapped her tiny finger around his. He stared at their intertwined fingers with pride.

A few days later, Aura was in the empress’s office, listening to a report about Ansena. The aide who had attended the afternoon council meeting was reading from the report.

“Ansena is still not out of poverty.”

“Is the lack of water still the main problem?”

“Yes. Ansena is dependent on wells, so it’s difficult to develop it further. However, the imperial family has been steadily investing funds to focus on the children’s education. This month, they built another library.”

“What about the vigilantes…? Is there anything new?”

“No. There have been no new reports.”

Aura sighed. The water problem was one thing, but she was worried about Ruan, who hadn’t contacted her. Where was he, and what was he doing, without his magic?

Knock, knock. The aide looked outside. “Your Majesty, Head Knight Josh is here.”

“Josh? Let him in. You may leave, Aide.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the aide left, Josh came into the office. “Good day, Your Majesty the Empress. I’m here to…” Josh hesitated and held out a document. Aura didn’t take it.

“What is this?”

“It’s a plan for the spring ball.”

Support For the One Who Hates Me