It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 115

When I mentioned the final request, Giscal turned to look at me. The final request wasn’t directly related to the Edelheit family or the transparent stone.

It was an order from the Emperor of the Empire to an imperial knight. No matter how absurd the command, an order was still an order. Interfering with it would be presumptuous.

But I couldn’t just leave it alone. Giscal was tormented by that command. And even if he didn’t carry it out, as long as the Emperor’s order remained, someone else would execute it, and innocent blood would be shed.

I swallowed nervously and watched Erich. How would he respond?

“Alright.”

The purity of his consent made me doubt my ears for a moment.

“Pardon?”

“I said I’ll do it. So hand it over.”

The value Erich placed on this single letter was beyond my expectations. He accepted my request without a moment’s hesitation. I exchanged glances with Giscal and slowly handed over the envelope.

Erich carefully received the envelope with both hands, as if afraid it might tear.

It took quite some time for him to return to the throne, open the envelope with a paper knife, and unfold the smooth paper.

Giscal and I quietly watched as Erich read through the letter.

Line by line, his blue gaze slowly scanned the writing. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes occasionally paused, as if he needed time to steady his breath.

Finally, when he reached the bottom of the letter, he lowered his gaze and remained still for a while.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Erich spoke quickly and entered the Emperor’s chamber connected to the audience hall, closing the door behind him without waiting for our response.

“Ah, wait…”

I tried to follow him, but Giscal stopped me.

“Wait.”

“But what if Erich breaks his promise and just leaves?”

“That room is only connected to the audience hall… He probably just needs time to process his thoughts.”

I stared at the thick wooden door Erich had disappeared behind. That Erich needed time alone to sort out his emotions after reading Arne’s letter?

Considering how he treated me after learning my true identity, it was hard to believe. But thinking about how he treated me when he believed I was Arne, it was somewhat understandable.

No sound came from beyond the tightly closed door. Giscal and I quietly waited for Erich to return.

“Sit down for a moment.”

Giscal led me to a cushioned chair. His hand, wrapping around mine, was large and warm. As I sat, my tense body relaxed a little.

“You should sit too, Giscal.”

“I’m fine.”

Giscal remained standing right beside me. I urged him again.

“Sit next to me. If you keep standing like that, my neck will hurt.”

“Huh?”

I smiled slightly and tugged at his fingertips. He turned his head away, stiffening his lips—a sign of his shyness.

“We should stay alert, just in case. I’ll keep standing.”

“If anything happens, just grab my hand. We can go anywhere.”

Giscal hesitated before speaking.

“I’ve been meaning to ask… When you teleport, does it make you tired or uncomfortable? If it harms you in any way…”

I chuckled softly.

“You were worried about that?”

“You and Eliot never talk about when things are hard.”

“You’re the same, Giscal. But really, there’s nothing to worry about. It just feels like a strong leap.”

“A leap?”

“Or maybe like jumping really high? It’s hard to explain. I get why Eliot said it’s indescribable. It’s not a sensation you can understand through words. But it doesn’t hurt or exhaust me. So don’t worry.”

I looked into Giscal’s eyes as if making a promise. He slowly nodded. We sat together on the same chair, fingertips touching, passing the time.

Though I was a bit anxious because of Erich inside that room, Giscal’s touch gave me a sense of calm. So I could sit quietly without fidgeting.

—Creak

The sound of the thick door opening made both Giscal and me lift our heads.

Erich, his blond hair disheveled, slowly emerged, holding the doorknob. He glanced at me and rang the bell near the door to summon an attendant. The attendant opened the door, but because the Emperor stood right in front of it, he could only open it halfway.

Thanks to that, Giscal and I remained out of sight.

“Summon the imperial guards stationed at the Edelheit estate.”

“Right now, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

The attendant bowed deeply at Erich’s firm command.

“And bring me a decree and a pen.”

“As you command.”

The attendant quickly returned from the Emperor’s office with a blank decree. Erich received it directly and closed the audience hall door.

It was clearly a move to keep Giscal and me hidden from the attendant’s view.

“What’s the decree for?”

“You asked me to protect the Edelheit family, didn’t you? I could simply choose not to harm them, but you’d keep pestering me unless I gave you something concrete.”

Indeed, an official decree would be the most definitive proof. What surprised me was that Erich began writing it before I even asked.

“I’ll also revoke the extermination order against the small kingdom alliance. The Supreme Commander is here, so I could give the order directly, but since this is an unofficial visit, I’ll issue it publicly tomorrow.”

I hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly. Honestly, I was worried Erich might ignore his promise after receiving Arne’s letter.

But Erich showed no such signs and handed the handwritten decree to Giscal.

“It wouldn’t be right to issue orders without the Supreme Commander present. So go back. But…”

Erich looked directly at me and pointed a finger.

“You stay in the capital.”

“What?”

I responded reflexively.

“Are you trying to keep me as a hostage?”

“How could I hold someone who can teleport as a hostage?”

“Then why?”

Erich glanced down at the letter tucked in his robe.

“Arne called you her friend. I can’t let a friend of hers die miserably.”

He spoke indifferently.

“The front lines are too dangerous for a woman who can’t even handle a weapon. Your powers won’t stop arrows or swords.”

Arne mentioned me in the letter. She called me a friend, and spoke of me kindly.

That’s why Erich was honoring my requests—not because of my threats, the Empire’s politics, or innocent lives, but solely for Arne’s sake.

“I also oppose you returning to the front lines. Stay in the capital.”

Giscal agreed with Erich.

“But…”

“I don’t think His Majesty will harm you anymore. The capital is safer than the battlefield.”

Still hesitant, I was silenced by Erich’s cold remark.

“If you go, Giscal won’t be able to focus on the battle. You’d be a burden on the battlefield.”

I wanted to argue, but thinking of Giscal’s position, I held my tongue. He was the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army. If I were at the front, his attention would be divided.

I didn’t want to be a distraction to him.

“I’ll just teleport you to the front. That’s okay, right?”

“You must return immediately.”

“Got it.”

I’d be separated from Giscal again for a while. Feeling disappointed, Giscal comforted me.

“Then to the Edelheit estate…”

“No, return to Arlin Palace.”

Erich commanded firmly. I widened my eyes, and Giscal turned his head sharply in protest.

“Your Majesty, there’s no longer any reason to keep her at Arlin Palace. Please let her stay where she wishes.”

Erich curled one side of his lips.

“I didn’t expect someone like you to beg for her convenience without distinguishing public and private matters. She’s still officially my concubine. Naturally, the Emperor’s concubine should reside in the palace.”

“Yoon Se-ha is not Your Majesty’s concubine.”

Giscal clenched his fist and spoke each word clearly.

“Of course, but everyone still believes she is. To clarify the relationship as Arne wished, she must remain in the palace for now.”

“To clarify the relationship as Arne wished?”

I interrupted their conversation and asked urgently. It was unclear what Arne had written in her letter.

To understand how Erich would act moving forward, I needed to know her wishes.

“Didn’t Arne tell you beforehand?”

“That letter was addressed to you. I didn’t read it.”

“…Is that so?”

Erich narrowed his blue eyes in surprise and spoke slowly.

“Arne wanted the truth of her birth revealed to the world, and for you to be removed from the position of concubine.”

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