For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 55

Early in the morning.

Karl woke up. Aura was sleeping in his arms, her breath shallow.

He lightly kissed her forehead.

“…”

At the party last night, he recognized Aura at a glance. A changed dress and mask? It was laughable. Even if her hair and eye color had changed, he would have recognized her instantly.

“…Mmm…”

Aura shifted and turned her back to him. Karl’s fingertips lightly touched her white, flawless back.

Last night, Karl had felt like a beast.

The only thing he could boast about was having the right to touch her body and reach her most intimate depths. He couldn’t even receive a single piece of the laughter she had shown before.

The image of Aura smiling so brightly at Emile seemed to still linger in his mind.

Now, all that was left was the reality… that Aura had a lover. A reality that made him feel utterly miserable.

Karl hugged Aura tightly.

This is a big problem.

He buried his face in the nape of her neck. Her unique, sweet scent seemed to seep into his body.

I hate you so much.

“Gasp.”

Josh stopped dead in his tracks. Theo, walking beside him, also stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hey, look over there. Over there.”

Josh pointed to a spot far in the garden. Aura and Ruan were walking together, seemingly close.

“Oh… this is really bad,” Theo said, shaking his head.

Right now, a rumor was spreading in the palace that the Empress had taken a knight as her lover. Of course, it wasn’t a big deal for a royal to have a lover. But it was still a hot topic for gossip.

“Ugh, that bastard! It looks like he’s going to work under the Empress after all.”

“I guess so.”

“…I wonder if she’s always liked that type of handsome guy?” Josh said gloomily.

“Maybe?”

“What are we going to do? Does this mean there’s no hope for our Emperor?”

“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s just go.”

Theo dragged Josh away. He then looked back to observe the two.

The atmosphere isn’t like lovers. More like friends or colleagues.

Just then, Ruan laughed at something Aura said. The corners of his eyes crinkled softly.

…Well, it seems the Empress sees him that way, at least.

A little while later, the two of them arrived at the office.

Josh greeted Karl loudly on purpose. “We’re here, Your Majesty.”

“Alright.” Karl answered plainly.

His routine was the same as always. He did his work, had meetings, and met with ministers. People even said he was finally going to take Elise as his consort. But he sought out neither Aura nor Elise. It was as if he had no interest in women at all.

“Theo. The documents for the hunting festival.” Karl held out his hand.

Theo cleared his throat. “That matter is with Her Majesty the Empress.”

At the mention of the Empress, Karl paused. “Why?”

“Her Majesty has been overseeing most of the palace events. She was the one who gave the final approval for the last masquerade ball.”

“…She does things so discreetly.”

But that discretion was proof that she was good at her job.

“Shall I… bring the hunting festival documents back here?” Theo asked cautiously. Karl shook his head as if he didn’t care.

“No. Let the Empress handle it.”

“Yes, I will do that.”

“Josh.”

“Yes.” Josh, who was standing in the corner, took a step forward.

“What’s the status of tracking down Duke Tein’s butler?”

“We have released troops to investigate. We’ve found that the Crown Prince’s personal troops were following the butler when he left the capital.”

“I see. He probably fled to a distant place, or if he was unlucky, he’s dead. Continue the search.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Theo. What about Elise?”

Karl had placed surveillance on the Tein Dukedom. He was worried about Elise’s safety after she secretly had an audience with him.

Of course, Karl had summoned Duke Tein one more time after that. He mostly made small talk and praised Elise, as if he would take her as a consort one day. He never brought up Finn.

“Fortunately, there haven’t been any major incidents. In fact, Duke Tein is so arrogant that he’s been telling everyone that Lady Elise will become a consort.”

“It seems he doesn’t know that Elise met with me.”

“No. Lady Elise seems to have hidden that fact well. The Duke’s surveillance is still in effect, though.”

“In that case… Theo, send an invitation to Elise for the hunting festival. I need to meet her at the hunting grounds and talk about the current situation.”

Theo was about to answer but paused. “Your Majesty, who will be your partner for the hunting festival then?”

“…”

“Since you said you’ll be meeting Lady Elise at the hunting grounds. If you were to partner with Her Majesty the Empress, you would have to get her permission beforehand. And even if you partner with Lady Elise, you would have to get Her Majesty’s permission…”

Clink.

Karl put down his quill. “Why should I get permission from someone who has a lover for everyone to see?”

“Ah… I am sorry, Your Majesty.” Theo quickly apologized, sensing the mood.

“I’m tired. I need to rest.”

Karl unbuttoned his cuff and went into his bedroom. When the door closed, the two aides just stared at each other. Josh was the first to ask, “So… who is he partnering with?”

“…I don’t know either.”

The two of them looked at the door leading to the bedroom at the same time. Josh said worriedly, “Don’t you think he’s not caring about the Empress enough? What if he’s given up completely?”

“Shhh…”

Theo tilted his head. “I think it’s one of two things. Either he doesn’t care at all…”

“Or?”

“…Or he cares too much.”

Lately, Aura had been spending all her time with Ruan. Just planning their trip to Sutra was taking up all their time. They took long walks in the spacious garden, being mindful of any eavesdroppers.

Today, too, they had been talking until it was getting late.

“Ruan, do you think you can find another suitable weapon? The road to Sutra is dangerous, and a sword alone won’t be enough.”

“A suitable weapon. I’ll look into it.”

“I’m worried. I have no talent for martial arts.”

Ruan suddenly burst out laughing.

“Haha…”

“What? Why are you laughing?”

“Just thinking about you as a child. You once fell backward when you tried to lift a sword.”

“Don’t bring up things from so long ago. Stop teasing me.”

Aura playfully hit his arm. Ruan found her reaction even cuter and laughed even more.

“Ahem… Then what about a lightweight long-range weapon? Like a crossbow.”

“A crossbow?”

“Yes, a crossbow.” Ruan demonstrated how to shoot a crossbow. Aura immediately understood.

“It’s that thing that shoots arrows, right? I’ve never even held one before. Will I be okay?”

“It’s easier to learn than a bow. It also requires less strength and is easy to carry.”

“Then I’ll get one. You have to teach me, though.”

Ruan laughed and replied, “Of course.”

At that moment, Karl was looking down at them from his bedroom window. As if by a twist of fate, the garden was perfectly visible from his window.

He wondered what they found so funny. And what they had so much to talk about. Aura was talking too much and smiling too often. She even playfully hit Emile’s arm. Karl was dumbfounded.

She can even joke around like that?

That wasn’t all. When Emile suddenly showed her a crossbow stance, Aura nodded. It was obvious. They were clearly talking about the hunting festival. Since they were so close, they were obviously going to be partners.

It was absurd.

If that’s what she’s going to do, shouldn’t she at least come to me and ask for my permission? Is she just going to partner with that guy without a word?

Karl poured himself some more wine.

“The damn hunting festival…”

I thought she was obsessed with Finn, but seeing her playing around like this, I guess that’s not the case.

Just as he was about to sarcastically close the curtains, a memory came to him.

“Hunting festival.”

Aura had tried her best to adapt to the Casa Imperial Palace. She was so passionate that she had memorized countless palace events and etiquette.

It was a day when the hunting festival was only a few days away. The two of them were sitting across from each other in the library. Karl asked Aura, “What’s the date and location of the annual hunting festival?”

“The first full moon in July. Hunt Mountain, north of the palace. It’s a good place for hunting because there are no monsters, and it’s less dangerous at night because the moon is bright.”

“That’s right. How do you participate?”

“A couple can partner up, or you can go individually. However, it’s customary for an unmarried lady to have a partner.”

“That’s also right. Then what kind of facilities should the Imperial family build on Hunt Mountain?”

“Small villas for the tired hunters. The villas should be on par with a noble’s estate so they can rest comfortably. There should be entrances on the east, west, north, and south of the mountain, and the rest should be fenced off to block monsters, and… we should get rid of or catch any wild beasts that might threaten the horses ahead of time.”

“Hmm, you’re doing well. Then will you be my partner for the upcoming hunting festival?”

Aura’s eyes widened at his words.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Karl’s heart was beating wildly. He was terrible at saying such cheesy things. But that day, something special had happened, so he had worked up the courage.

And Aura smiled brightly. “Of course. I’d love to!”

“Then promise me. I get nervous if you don’t promise.”

“Okay, I promise.”

But they never went to the hunting festival together. A short time later, Zenia fell.

Karl poured more wine into his glass. He realized he had been drinking a lot lately, especially after Aura took Emile as her lover.

He lightly lifted the curtain and looked out into the garden. Aura was still smiling and talking to Emile about something. From this angle, she looked just like she did as a child. Her soft, round eyes, the gentle curve of her lips, and her kind expression.

Only one thing had changed. That smile was directed at another man.

He violently closed the curtains.

“…Fine. I’ll just have to go ask for her ‘permission’ first.”

And so, he began to prepare for the hunting festival in earnest.

Support For the One Who Hates Me