For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 53

Ruan, taken aback, said to Aura, “I don’t know the details of your plan, but doing something so suddenly could be reckless.”

“I don’t have the luxury of thinking about the aftermath.”

“But-“

“It’s okay. You just need to focus on preparing to leave this place.”

Ruan didn’t argue further and simply nodded. Aura smiled, grateful that he was listening to her.

Ruan then asked seriously, “Then what about the Emperor?”

“Karl?”

“Are you going to abandon him, too, and leave?”

Aura paused. Just as she stopped dancing for a moment, someone grabbed her arm.

Even with a mask on, both Ruan and Aura recognized him. That kind of build was rare. As were the starry-night eyes that shone behind his black mask.

“It’s good to see you’re having so much fun, Aura.”

Calling someone by their name at a masquerade ball was against the rules. It was customary to pretend you didn’t know who they were, even if you did. But Karl had no intention of following that rule.

This meant Ruan couldn’t dance with Aura anymore. The only person in the palace who could call Aura by her name was the Emperor.

Aura was flustered. How did he recognize me so quickly? And I even changed my clothes.

Ruan bowed respectfully. “What a carefree new knight. You became a knight and immediately started fooling around.” Karl said coldly. He seemed to have recognized Ruan as well.

“As disappointing as it is, your fun is over.”

“No, Karl.” Aura insisted. If she had to put her plan into action, now seemed like a good time. A plan for Ruan to leave the Emperor’s Guard without arousing suspicion. It was… a rather unpleasant plan, but it was a plan nonetheless.

Aura took a shallow breath. “I want to be with Emile today.”

“What do you mean?”

Aura gently rested her hand on Ruan’s arm. “Emile has agreed to be my lover.”

Only the loud music flowed between the three of them. Karl stared at her, as if trying to look into her very soul.

Aura turned her body toward Ruan. “Then Emile and I should go for a walk.”

Karl grabbed her arm. “Are you serious?”

“…Why do you think I’m not?” Aura pulled her arm away from Karl’s hand. The two of them calmly left the ballroom.

The ballroom doors closed behind them. The music was loud, and the people were still lost in their dance.

Karl took off his mask and ran a hand over his face. His eyes were burning brightly.

“…This is making me crazy.”

Once they were on the walking path, Ruan finally swallowed his shock. He was just now understanding the meaning of Aura’s letter.

‘Whatever I do that day, don’t be surprised. Please, just trust me.’

So this is what it meant.

The royal family of Casa was lenient about the ‘lover culture.’ This was because a lover could not overstep the boundaries of a royal’s personal life. Especially for royals in a political marriage, it was common to turn a blind eye to a spouse’s lovers.

However, the culture among the men was different. It was considered ridiculous to have your wife’s lover as your subordinate. Given the current situation, the Emperor would have no choice but to dismiss Ruan from the Emperor’s Guard.

Aura’s method was drastic and effective. It was hard for Ruan to believe that she was the Aura he knew.

The two of them sat on a bench by the fountain.

Splash…

The sound of the fountain was loud. “We can talk freely here, Ruan.”

Aura told him everything that had happened, about the information on Finn and how she got one of the pieces.

“That must have been so difficult for you. It’s heartbreaking to hear.”

Aura just smiled without saying anything.

“In any case, to get the next piece of Finn, you have to go to Archduke Ryan.”

“How are you going to find out how to break the seal? Your friend, Hose, hasn’t been in touch lately.”

“The Archduke told me that he knows. He’s not a trustworthy person, but for now, meeting him is the right thing to do. And somehow…”

“…Somehow?”

“He seemed sincere about Finn. He seemed desperate.”

“If you say so, then it must be true. You’ve always been good at reading people’s hearts, even when you were little.”

Ruan remembered the eyes of the young Aura. Her eyes were a little softer and more transparent than they were now. In front of her, no lie or pretense could hold up.

“And after that, you’re going to meet the lady, Elise? Then you’ll have to come back to the capital.”

“I’ll have to sneak in without Karl knowing.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to get Finn from her first and then leave for Sutra?”

“That’s…” Aura hesitated. “It sounds like a nice thing to do, but it would mess up her plans.”

The Aura who spoke like that was the old Aura that Ruan knew. The Aura who was kind and couldn’t bear to ignore people in need.

“…Alright. Then let’s leave for Sutra first. I’ll get ready.”

“And Ruan.” She took the back of his hand. “This is dangerous. If… if you ever want to give up, you can tell me at any time.”

“You’re going to see this through to the end, even if it’s dangerous.”

“…”

“It’s my job to protect you.”

Aura suddenly felt as if she were back in her days as a princess. Ruan was the kind of friend who gave her warmth and comfort.

“I have to say, though, I was surprised. Saying I’m your lover.”

“My method was a bit drastic, wasn’t it? I’m sorry.”

“No. I…”

To be honest, I was happy about it. But Ruan didn’t say the words. Aura had so much to do. He didn’t want to complicate her feelings.

“I’m just… a little worried. About how the Emperor will react.”

“He can’t keep you in the Emperor’s Guard. He’ll definitely dismiss you. Then I’ll appoint you as my knight.”

“That process won’t be easy.”

“I’ll make sure you don’t get harassed-“

“No, Aura.”

“…”

“I’m worried about how he will react to you.”

Aura paused. But it was only for a moment before she smiled and said, “He has a strong sense of pride and is a very calculating person. He’ll act indifferent, even if he’s angry. You saw it yourself at the party, didn’t you?”

Just as she said, Karl had let her go without a fuss. He didn’t show jealousy or anger and didn’t chase after them. He seemed like a cynical person who was uninterested in other people’s affairs.

But there was one thing. The possessive look in his eyes when he looked at Aura. Ruan couldn’t shake that feeling.

Aura stroked Ruan’s shoulder as if she knew what he was thinking. “Ruan, I can handle it. You don’t have to worry.”

At her composed words, Ruan finally nodded. He didn’t have a better solution for this situation anyway.

“Haa… Let’s just leave for Sutra or wherever, Aura.”

“Yes. We will.”

“I’ll walk you back to your room. The wind is getting cold.”

“Okay. Let’s go, Ruan. I mean, Emile.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Let’s go.”

The two of them stood up from the fountain.

As they entered the main palace, the two took off their masks. It was well past midnight, and only the on-duty maids were walking around.

As they turned the corner of a hallway, the two of them froze at the sight of someone standing in front of the Empress’s room. Karl was leaning against the wall, waiting.

Aura was taken aback. I can’t believe he’s still here waiting at this hour.

It wasn’t just Karl. Josh and Theo were also standing behind him, looking very tense.

Aura asked nonchalantly, “What’s going on at this time of night?”

“I have a few things to get done.” Karl slowly walked toward Ruan. Ruan calmly bowed his head.

“You are dismissed from the Emperor’s Guard. I’m sure the Empress will pick up what I’ve thrown away.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And while the Imperial family turns a blind eye to a royal’s lover, there are clear boundaries. For example, you cannot cross that door.” Karl gestured to the Empress’s room with his chin. “You can be her conversation partner when she’s lonely.”

“Karl, I’ll teach my own conversation partner.” Aura stood in front of Ruan as if to tell Karl to stop.

Karl still looked at Ruan and said, “I have some things to discuss with the Empress. You should give us some space.”

Ruan silently stepped back. Then Karl whispered into Aura’s ear, “I changed our night of communion. It was supposed to be next week, but the officials said it was fine to have it today.”

“!”

He’s going to play dirty?

Aura looked at Karl as if she were utterly speechless. And she whispered back to him, “You can’t do that if I don’t want to.”

“You’re right. But feel free to argue about it here if you’d like.”

Ruan was standing behind her. Aura clenched her fists and then sighed. Karl’s anger was something she had to deal with anyway. It was better to fight in the privacy of her room.

“Let’s go inside to talk, Your Majesty.”

She turned around. “Emile, go back. I had a wonderful time today. I look forward to seeing you again.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Karl and Aura entered the Empress’s room. Soon, the sound of the inner hallway door closing echoed.

Josh, who had been standing far away, rushed over to Ruan. “You crazy bastard!”

Theo barely managed to pull Josh back as he raised his fist. “Josh, calm down.”

“That son of a bitch! And I’ve been looking out for him as a new recruit!”

“Hey! I said, “That’s enough!” Ruan was, after all, the Empress’s lover. They didn’t know what might happen if they laid a hand on him.

Theo finally managed to pull Josh away. But Theo still spat a few words at Ruan. “You better not show your face in front of the Emperor or us ever again. You’re a disgrace to our order.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“That… that guy-! And he has the gall to talk back!” Josh tried to lunge at him again. Theo hit him on the back with a look of disgust. “Ah, just! Calm down already!”

Ruan let out a deep sigh. It was obvious he would not be able to get away with just this if he stayed any longer.

He was the eldest son of a high-ranking noble family. After the fall of Zenia, he led the young nobles. This was the first time he had ever been treated with such disrespect.

But it was fine. It was all for Aura.

What bothered him was the tightly closed door to the Empress’s room.

And that door did not open again for a long, long time.

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