The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 47

Cayenne was twice as indifferent and blunt as any other man, and he did not possess a shred of interest in the protocols or etiquette of the Imperial Palace. However, the fact that he was a man remained unchanged.

“I find I like that choice as well,” he replied, forcing a leisurely smile. In truth, his mind was already beginning to overflow with a barrage of imaginings.

Alicia, meanwhile, maintained her haughty poise. Attended by her maids, she ascended the stairs and took her seat on the sofa in the parlor adjoining the bedchamber.

“Is there a specific dessert you desire?”

As her plump lips moved with sensory precision, Cayenne’s imagination surged further.

“Anything, so long as it is your choice.”

Agnes, reading the room, quickly selected a suitable assortment of desserts and withdrew, closing the door more firmly than usual.

“Did you find my gift to your liking?”

Cayenne gazed at the massive basket of pinecones sitting prominently on the central table, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

“Yes. I was surprised at first, as I had never received such a gift, but once I understood the meaning, I realized why you sent pinecones for our first anniversary.”

Flustered by her unexpected words, Cayenne struggled to maintain a composed facade, merely curling the corners of his mouth. If there was a meaning to pinecones, he thought they were simply forest byproducts Alicia liked; he had no idea what they had to do with a wedding anniversary.

“The fruit of a tree that stays green in any season. It felt quite special once I thought of it that way.”

“Indeed,” Cayenne replied quickly, not missing the timing. “That was exactly my intention.”

He felt a sudden urge to return to his quarters and hug Glenn.

“Like marriage, it is something that does not change.”

Having uttered a reasonably plausible line, Cayenne looked at Alicia. Seated closely together—unlike when they were separated by the length of a banquet table—her presence was radiant and elegant.

“That differs from my own thoughts.”

It was as if someone had dumped ice water over Cayenne’s head, which had been filled with stray thoughts. Alicia’s blue eyes, void of any opening or hesitation, looked at him with noble intensity.

“Marriage… can change.”

It seemed the dessert Alicia had chosen was not quite as sweet as Cayenne had anticipated.

“Once midnight passes today, that possibility arises.”

“So you knew.”

“Yes.”

Cayenne shook his head slightly, as if he found the very thought of such a possibility distasteful.

“It is a mere matter of customary law. Do you wish for our marriage to change?”

Tension was evident in Cayenne’s expression as he narrowed his eyes at Alicia. Seeing this, Alicia realized how much he truly had changed, and how much she had misunderstood him until now.

“That answer… I do not have it either.”

In unexpected moments, honesty was the best policy. This was especially true when the person before her possessed a perception as sharp as Cayenne’s.

“Alicia, you always speak with such startling boldness.”

A moment ago, the Empress had dared to say she was not certain about this marriage, so it was only natural for Cayenne to be taken aback. However, there was no displeasure on his face.

“Then, please be honest with me as well, Your Majesty.”

She had so many questions, but sitting close enough for their knees to brush, the words seemed to linger in her mouth.

“What is it… that you expect from me tonight?”

To finalize the marriage, the wedding night ceremony had to be performed before midnight. Both knew this fact, and both knew that the other knew. There was no longer any need for indirect speech.

“Precisely how honest should I be?” Cayenne asked in return.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I worry that if I am perfectly honest, I will become a shameless man to you once again.”

A few seconds later, once the meaning dawned on her, Alicia blinked several times and looked away. However, the way her cheeks began to flush red revealed that she had briefly imagined the nature of his honesty.

“Well?” Cayenne asked again in a low voice, watching those lovely cheeks.

He did not want to be kicked out under any circumstances, yet his instincts as a man were relentlessly closing the distance between them.

“Not as if we were alone. Please be as honest as you would be if the servants were present as they were earlier.”

Alicia managed to find a compromise.

“Then the answer is simple. You are clever; surely you already know.”

Cayenne pulled off his cumbersome gloves and began to stroke Alicia’s silk-gloved hand. Alicia did not pull away from his touch, which was uncharacteristically cautious. His movements were so slow that it felt as though he were giving her every opportunity to avoid him.

“I desire the finalization of our marriage.”

As expected, his answer did not deviate. Alicia felt that his desire was only natural, yet a part of her felt a twinge of bitterness.

“I see.”

In the end, he had sent a decent gift to show his sincerity and returned to the Empress’s Palace with the intent to claim her. Though that was the duty of a couple and the reality of marriage in this world, her heart ached slightly at the thought of the relationship and time they had built together recently.

“Even if the decision rests with me, Your Majesty can command anyone in this world.”

Her blue eyes stung slightly. Alicia might have become someone special to him, but she was still someone who had to obey him.

“No, that is not so.”

Cayenne let go of Alicia’s hand and moved slightly away from her. “On that night, neither the wind nor the branches would listen to my commands.”

Seeing his expression, Alicia remained silent, sensing he was not making a joke.

“I could not even see your face, Alicia.”

“If you had commanded it…”

“I did not want a face that I could only see through an Emperor’s command.”

At those unexpected words, Alicia’s blue eyes wavered slightly.

“I do not desire your obedience.”

Unlike his usual self, Cayenne’s voice was incredibly soft and warm. He was focusing all his attention on her, mindful of every expression and every breath she took.

“Even tonight?”

It was a difficult question. His instincts screamed for him to say no, but he was a man of reason, not a beast, and he suppressed the impulse.

“If you ask if I desire it, the answer is yes.”

An unspeakable longing was etched into Cayenne’s dark eyes as he gazed at Alicia.

“But I do not wish to command it. When I gave you the power to decide… that is what I meant.”

He loathed petty wordplay. He certainly would not resort to such things with the woman who had moved his heart for the first time. To grant her the power of decision and then impose an Emperor’s command would make him the most contemptible of men.

“Even if midnight passes like this?”

It was not what Cayenne wanted, but for his own convictions and for the beautiful woman before him, he nodded willingly.

“Even if this marriage becomes unstable?”

“No,” he said, his voice tender yet firm. “I can never say that our wedding was a good thing, but I am grateful for the fact that I married you.”

Cayenne’s distinct scent washed over Alicia’s heart.

“Therefore, as long as you do not abandon me, I will protect this marriage regardless of what the world says.”

This was not the answer she had expected. Indeed, she wondered if such an answer could even exist.

“And, I shall plead with you.”

With every word, every warm breath, and every look from those dark eyes watching her with slight tension, Alicia’s heart trembled in unison.

“What is it… that you will plead for?”

“May I hold your hand?”

Cayenne reached out cautiously once more. After a moment of hesitation, Alicia pulled off one of her gloves and offered her hand. Cayenne’s touch as he stroked her slender fingertips was more dedicated than ever.

“May I press my lips to your lovely cheek, just for a moment?”

His plea grew bolder. Alicia’s face burned, but she did not shake her head.

“Not the lips.”

At her mysterious answer, Cayenne smiled and pressed his lips to her cheek before pulling away.

“The lips are a pity, then.”

His voice, growing bolder, melted into a languid tone. “But I will continue to plead. Again and again, day after day.”

The wait of the past three days had been agonizing.

“I think I understand, just a little, how long you waited for the joy of a wedding that you should have had.”

Their marriage had essentially frozen the moment Cayenne impulsively left the Imperial Palace. The once-in-a-lifetime wedding of a woman had been turned to ice.

“And that it was my fault.”

Agonizing for just three days had been painful enough; thinking of Alicia left alone in the palace made his heart ache with belated regret.

“No matter how much I apologize… I cannot compensate for that.”

“No. You are right. What is past cannot be undone.”

Alicia had finally received the atonement she should have heard in her previous life. It was a very late apology, but its sincerity melted a part of her heart that had been frozen by long-held sorrow.

“Indeed.”

Cayenne unconsciously bit his dry lip before looking at Alicia. Seeing the gesture from inches away, Alicia could no longer distinguish between tension and the racing of her heart.

“However, we can change the present and the future.”

He gripped her hand more firmly. “And I can keep pleading, over and over.”

As Cayenne’s face drew closer, Alicia tried to pull back, but because he pulled her toward him rather than letting go of her hand, his lips were placed right before hers.

“Just three seconds.”

With every syllable of his languid, sweet voice, his lips moved tantalizingly close to hers.

“Accept me.”

Alicia held her breath unconsciously and bit her lip slightly.

That act awakened the instincts Cayenne had been struggling to suppress. His lips, which had been nearly touching hers, impulsively sought her own, pouring out a hot, unbridled longing.