I Wish I Could Predict Love, Not Fall Into It - Chapter 17

The palace armory was a stone storage building located in the backyard of the main palace.
When Clark opened the iron door, Louisville stepped inside.

Inside the square room, gun racks and equipment lined the walls—rifles, pistols, long swords, and various gear.
Instead of heading toward the gun racks, Louisville went to a wooden shelf, where a row of sheathed daggers was displayed.

There were simple ones and others decorated with jewels.
Louisville picked up a silver dagger with obsidian embedded in the hilt.

“This one’s good.”
The glossy black obsidian reminded him of Anier’s eyes.

“She said she wants to learn swordsmanship.”

She could’ve asked for a castle, and he would’ve built her one but she asked to learn swordsmanship.
Thinking of Anier’s request, Louisville let out a small laugh.

It was both ridiculous and admirable.
And honestly, a bit fascinating too.

Most people would boast about taking a blow in place of the emperor. But she wanted to go through hardship voluntarily.

And that wasn’t all.

“Your Majesty has been hurt often. I’d like to be at least a little bit of good luck to you now.”

A bit of luck in a life full of misfortune.
Had he ever heard anyone say something like that to him before?

The words were so unfamiliar, they made him flustered, but it felt better than any flattery he had ever heard.

Maybe that was why.
A small smile appeared on Louisville’s lips as he carefully chose a dagger for her.

He took the silver dagger and left the armory. Hilton approached him.

“Lady Anier is refusing to eat.”

Louisville frowned slightly and looked at Hilton. Hilton added awkwardly,

“To be exact, she’s refusing the patient’s vegetable soup.”
“Ah.”

Louisville nodded, not surprised.

“Even I had trouble eating that.”
“But the royal physicians said she must eat it for at least three days.”
“Did they?”

Then it was a different story. Louisville gave a firm command.

“Then make sure she eats it.”

But Hilton’s expression only grew more troubled.

“The thing is Lady Anier keeps saying she feels fine now and is asking for meat.”
“What? Fine. I’ll go myself.”

Without delay, Louisville walked toward the back entrance of the main palace.
Clark followed closely behind, tilting his head slightly.

It didn’t seem like a situation that required the emperor’s personal attention.
But of course, he didn’t dare say it out loud.

❖ ❖ ❖

I was the type of person who swallowed what was sweet and spat out what was bitter.
Yes, I was a picky eater. I used to get scolded by my dad all the time for it.

And today, a new trial came to me.

“I want meat now instead of this soup. I’m really almost better. Want me to show you?”

When I tried to sit up in bed, the emperor blocked me with his hand and placed the vegetable soup on my lap.

“I get how you feel. I’ve had it when I was sick too.”

The soup, made by boiling every vegetable imaginable in plain water, had a perfect balance of bitterness and fishy flavor.

From the first bite, I felt it and refused to eat it anymore.

Nicole told Hilton, and Hilton told the emperor.
The emperor came in like Superman with his red cape flying behind him but he didn’t save me.

“If it’s really that hard, I can feed you myself.”

I thought he was joking but he really picked up the spoon.
I felt like I’d choke if he fed me, so I quickly said,

“I’ll eat it myself.”

But the smell, taste, and texture of the healthy vegetable soup just weren’t for me. After a few spoonfuls, I gave up.

“I can’t eat this.”
“You have to, though.”

The emperor kindly placed the spoon back in my hand.

“It’s good for you.”

I sat on the bed and looked up at him with resentment.

“I was stabbed, you know. Stabbed! My belly still aches like this and you won’t even let me eat meat.”
“Didn’t you just say you were all better?”

The emperor smirked.

Then it suddenly hit me.
The day I was stabbed, the emperor was supposed to meet Julia and Elizabeth.

“Ah!”

I shouted, and the emperor narrowed his eyes.

“What is it now?”

Recovering from the injury made me forget that important detail. My heart racing, I asked him,

“Did you meet your cousin?”
“Yes.”

He answered right away. My heart thumped with hope.

“Did she come alone?”
“Hm?”

The emperor raised an eyebrow, puzzled. I quickly came up with something.

“I think I saw two pretty women in my dream.”
“You even had a prophetic dream in that situation, huh.”

The emperor mumbled as he lifted the tray from my lap.
I thought he was finally taking the soup away and felt secretly happy.

“She came with a friend.”

As he answered, he stirred the soup with the spoon.

“A friend? What’s her name?”
“I don’t remember.”
“What? You don’t remember?”

I couldn’t hide my confusion. That wasn’t what I expected.
I asked without thinking,

“Didn’t you fall in love at first sight?”
“What?”

The emperor froze mid-stir. I quickly added,

“In my dream, that’s what happened.”

The emperor raised the corner of his red lips.

“Not a chance.”

Not a chance?

His indifferent response caught me off guard.
Shouldn’t he be smiling just from thinking about her, like in the book?

Clearly, he didn’t look like someone who had fallen in love.

Why didn’t he fall for Elizabeth at first sight?
These changes everything. In the book, their love began from the moment they met.

Why is the story different now?

While I was trying to make sense of it, the emperor suddenly put the spoonful of vegetable soup into my mouth.

“Eh?”
“You were trying to dodge eating, weren’t you?”

Busted. I was hoping to just get through the meal like this.
But with a smirk on his face, the emperor kept feeding me the soup.

❖ ❖ ❖

It was my first outing since getting injured, and I couldn’t help but hum.

“Mmm~ hmm hmm~”

This was a song full of sorrow from a former aspiring musician who had to give up her dream and live an ordinary life.

“That’s a strange melody.”

The emperor’s voice came from behind me as we walked along the garden path.

“Are you tone-deaf?”

Seriously, this guy…
Is there anything he can’t say to the person who saved his life?

I spun around and said proudly,

“That’s my original song. I’m an educated woman, you know. Back when I was in school.”

The emperor, dressed in his black uniform, raised his eyebrows.

“School? Did you go to the Academy?”

I was talking about my time as a music major. But right now, I was Anier.
The witch would’ve avoided public education.

“I went to clean the school.”

My quick-thinking brain changed the story.

“I also trimmed the lawn a bit.”
“Why?”

When the emperor asked, I came up with a believable reason.

“To earn money.”
“You could’ve made money from your prophecies.”
“Ah.”

Right. I wasn’t witch Anier, I was prophet Anier now.

“I didn’t think of that.”
“Are you really an educated woman?”

The emperor tilted his head as he passed me. Clark followed behind him.

As Clark walked by me, he whispered,

“You will be an educated woman. Your swordsmanship lessons begin tomorrow.”

Clark’s serious tone made me burst out laughing.
He wasn’t joking at all which made it even funnier.

❖ ❖ ❖

To be honest, Harry didn’t like the imperial palace.
It was a place where servants would suddenly cough up blood, or a knight he had spoken to yesterday would be found dead today.

When he received his title and left the palace three years ago, he was happy.

But lately, he found himself coming back more and more.

As soon as he entered the main palace, Harry headed to the room that had once been his but now belonged to Anier.

Knock knock

He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Thinking she might still be asleep, Harry waited in the hallway.

Soon after…

Clack!

The door opened, and a teenage girl in a maid uniform stepped out.

“Oh! Hello.”

It was Nicole, who had just finished cleaning. She was startled to see Harry.
Harry looked past her into the room and asked,

“Where’s the room’s owner?”
“Ah, yes. She moved rooms.”
“Where to?”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, and Nicole quickly lowered her gaze.

“To the room next to His Majesty’s.”

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