The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 42

If he waited any longer, Cayenne felt as though his heart would be consumed by the rising heat in his chest. He did not know if Alicia had truly waited for him after the wedding, but a belated wave of guilt over how cruel the past year must have been for her crashed over him.

“Your Majesty?”

Unable to overcome his urgency, Cayenne stood up from the throne and pushed open the doors of the audience chamber himself. Glenn, who had been standing guard, followed his rapid pace in surprise.

“I am going to the Empress’s Palace.”

Glenn nodded and followed behind. However, someone soon appeared to block Cayenne’s path. As if she had foreseen the future, Emma stood before him with the same determined and stern expression she had held the previous night.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

The old woman’s etiquette was as flawless as ever, but her expression revealed a readiness to risk her life, just as it had before.

“I am going to the Empress’s Palace to see her now. I must clear up this misunderstanding.”

“Forgive me, Sire, but word has already arrived from the Empress’s Palace.”

“What? If the Empress requested an audience, you should have told me sooner.”

Why is it that men, even while regretting their actions, can never seem to shed their characteristic arrogance? Even Emma, with all her years of experience, did not know the answer.

“Her Majesty has caught a cold and cannot see anyone. She gave strict orders that should Your Majesty come to the Empress’s Palace, you are to be told that she cannot meet you.”

Cayenne came to a dead halt, turning Emma’s words over in his mind. It did not take long for him to realize that before he could even attempt to clear the misunderstanding, Alicia had locked the door and retreated into her room first.

“Regardless, I will go.”

“She said she cannot meet you. No matter if you are the Emperor, you cannot enter if the Empress refuses.”

Of course, the story would be different if he drew his sword and forced his way in, but what Cayenne desired now was the exact opposite. Seeing his frantic expression and the look of a man who had not slept a wink, Emma felt internally relieved that she had performed her duty well, though she did not let it show.

“Move,” Cayenne said, looking straight down at Emma. “Even if I am rejected, I am going.”

At the very answer she had been hoping for, Emma offered a graceful bow and stepped aside. Cayenne then hurried away, abandoning all pretense of imperial dignity.

“Wait, Your Majesty!”

As Glenn moved to chase after him, Emma let out a loud, deliberate cough. “Sir Glenn, was my explanation earlier insufficient?”

After a moment of hesitation, Glenn remained by Emma’s side instead of following Cayenne. It was the moment he realized that sometimes a lady’s smile is far more terrifying than a man’s blade. Emma had performed her role perfectly to the very end.

Now, the rest depended on the bond between the two of them. That was something no one else could change.

The sun had set quickly for the hour, and no matter how much Cayenne hurried, darkness had already fallen over the Empress’s Palace. It was only natural for early winter, but today, even the weather felt spiteful.

“I greet Your Imperial Majesty.”

At the entrance of the palace, the Chief Attendant stood guard with his usual dignified posture. However, no lights were burning in the rooms, and the warmth that usually greeted him whenever he visited the Empress was gone.

“I hear the Empress is unwell. I must see her, so lead the way.”

He had given this exact command before, but he did not know why he felt so nervous this time. Yet, Cayenne was not the only one who had changed since then.

“Forgive me, but I have orders to let no one in today.”

“I am giving you a new order. Lead me to the Empress.”

Howard, the Chief Attendant, suppressed his trembling and pulled a letter from his pocket to present to the Emperor.

“She told me that if you gave such a command, I was to give you this.”

Cayenne opened the letter with a look of displeasure. As soon as he saw the elegant, flowing script, he felt as if he could see Alicia’s face and catch a faint scent of her perfume.

I dare to plead with Your Imperial Majesty: please do not enter the Empress’s Palace until I have recovered.

The comfortable conversation and tone they had shared recently had reverted to the cold past overnight. Cayenne could not tell if the emotion he felt was disappointment or futility, but he continued to read.

However, if you cannot grant my plea, I ask that you take my life instead.

Below that was Alicia’s signature. Cayenne closed his eyes tightly at the unexpected rejection. Just as Emma had done the previous night, the only way to oppose an Emperor’s command was to stake one’s life. That held true for Alicia as well.

“Did the Empress leave any other word?” he asked the Chief Attendant with a sigh.

“She did not, Sire.”

“Is the Empress very…” He swallowed the rest of his question. Since a cold was clearly not the reason, it was a foolish thing to ask. “So, no one is permitted to enter the Empress’s Palace?”

“Forgive me, but that is correct.”

“…I see.”

Cayenne whispered in a low, cold tone and turned away. Only then could Howard feel relieved that his head was still attached to his neck.

“He has turned away.”

Agnes, who had been peeking through a tiny gap in the curtains, whispered quietly. Only then did Alicia, who had been lying on the bed, sit up and give a small stretch.

“It seems he has no intention of killing me today. What a relief.”

“It was a reckless move, Your Majesty.”

Closing the curtains, Agnes turned to look at Alicia with a worried expression. Alicia, dressed in her white nightgown, still had slightly red eyes from her sorrowful weeping the night before.

“What would you have done if he had entered the bedchamber as he did before to check if you had a fever?”

“I don’t know.”

Alicia felt sorry that her reckless decision had put the servants at risk, but she found it difficult to think of anything else.

“I simply felt that anything would be better than facing him right now.”

Expecting affection and attention from someone was sometimes incredibly heart-fluttering and radiant, but it could not stay that way forever. Once the magical time ended, an unspeakable loneliness and self-reproach remained, burrowing deep into her heart.

“Since he has left for now, today should be alright.”

Alicia had also been unable to sleep properly the night before. No matter how much she tried to force herself to sleep, all sorts of thoughts would surge up, making her toss and turn. One moment, she wanted to go to him and demand how he could make such a shameless request; the next, she wondered what the point of it all was and simply felt hurt. She could not count how many times she had repeated that cycle.

“Please try to get some sleep now. Yes?”

Agnes understood that heart well.

“Yes. You can leave now. I want to be alone.”

“You will sleep, won’t you?”

“I will. I’ll rest properly today.”

Having received Alicia’s promise, Agnes offered a light curtsy and withdrew. Alicia was relieved that Cayenne had left quietly, yet a part of her felt empty. Peeking through the curtains at the entrance where only the Chief Attendant remained, Alicia turned away and let out a sigh.

“Even I don’t know what I want.”

Right now, her heart felt as if it were pulled in a thousand directions. It was impossible to grasp. That was why she could not face Cayenne. How could she see him when she didn’t know how she felt or what she exactly wanted to say?

“Perhaps the previous life, where we had no contact at all, was better.”

Alicia sat in the armchair by the window and leaned her head back languidly. Though she had promised Agnes, she did not think sleep would come easily today either.

“Since it is winter now, perhaps he will just leave like this.”

Then the result would be similar to her previous life. It was a life not worth repeating.

“The wind…”

Alicia frowned slightly at the sound of the window panes rattling violently. Although it was the beginning of winter, the sound of the wind-shaken window was particularly grating today.

“Oh dear.”

She tried to ignore the noise, but the rattling was so loud it felt as though the glass might break.

“Heavens!”

Alicia stood up to check the window, but the moment she opened the curtains, she nearly screamed. Fortunately, she clamped her hands over her mouth just in time.

Tap, tap. The window rattled again. It was not the wind; it was Cayenne, who had climbed the tree and was tapping his hand against the glass. The moment their eyes met, Alicia reflexively yanked the curtains shut, but the tapping did not stop.

“What on earth is this situation?”

Troubled by the persistent noise, Alicia opened the curtains again and glared at him. He had technically followed her plea not to step foot inside the Empress’s Palace, but this was practically the same as ignoring it.

“Please go back.”

The window blocked her voice, but Cayenne shook his head vigorously upon seeing the shape of her lips. He then scribbled something on a piece of paper and held it against the glass.

[There has been a misunderstanding.]

Hmph. When Alicia turned her gaze away, Cayenne tore up the note and wrote something else. She could not help but be bothered by the rustling he was making outside.

[Just listen to what I have to say.]

She wanted to ask if he was planning to break the window, barge in, and take her whenever he pleased, but it was also true that she was curious about what he had to say. What else could she do? Her heart was pulled in a thousand directions.

“I do not want to see your face right now, Your Majesty.”

Alicia spoke sharply as she opened the window just a crack, then hid behind the wall beside it.

“I will only… listen.”

Carried by the early winter wind, Cayenne’s distinct scent tickled the tip of Alicia’s nose, weakening the heart she had been hardening all night.

“However, if you take even a single step past that window, I will do exactly as I said in my letter!” she said harshly, trying to reinforce her resolve.

“…So, you will listen to what I have to say?”

He had been in that tree reaching the second floor for some time, and his voice was trembling slightly.

“Alicia?”

Oh no. When he called her name, his was not the only voice that trembled.