Chapter 14: The Third Fiancée

“To lose two carefully chosen fiancées, one after the other, truly makes a man understand his place. It forces him to confront the reality that he is not a person capable of inspiring affection.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Why?”

Erich tilted his head towards Evening, who had suddenly exclaimed. Her expression was one of utter bewilderment, as if his words had been utterly preposterous.

“Saying such things only makes others pity you.”

“Why?”

“What do I mean, ‘why’? What could Erich possibly lack that would prevent him from gaining affection? For a man who possesses everything, such words sound incredibly arrogant.”

Indeed, it was Evening who was being arrogant. Erich, initially taken aback, soon furrowed his brow at her utterly baseless flattery.

“I’ve failed twice. I’ve lost two fiancées, you understand. I daresay I’m the only emperor to have suffered such a fate.”

One had been executed for treason, while the other, after their engagement was finally broken, had retreated to a convent.

His second fiancée, a woman of frail constitution, had even been inept in her attempt to end her own life. For the fiancée, who had barely clung to existence, the only kindness Erich could bestow was to sever their engagement.

Erich had promptly annulled the engagement with his second fiancée, sending her to a convent in the northern lands. What had been intended as a benevolent gesture for her family had, in the end, yielded nothing but catastrophic consequences.

“Oh, there are far stranger emperors out there. In any case, Erich, you’re not someone incapable of inspiring affection; rather, you simply chose the wrong prospective brides. Choosing a partner based solely on ability or social standing rarely leads to a successful match.”

Evening’s assertion stood in stark contrast to every common notion Erich had ever known.

For a noble, it was an undeniable truth that one must choose a life partner by meticulously weighing not only their capabilities but also the illustrious prestige of their lineage.

It was utterly peculiar to witness Evening, who surely understood this societal truth better than anyone, so blithely spouting such contrary nonsense.

“Such introductions inherently have a low success rate. You’d be fortunate if even one out of twenty turned out to be a good match. It’s not that they didn’t meet your standards, Erich; rather, women who genuinely admire you are practically falling over themselves, aren’t they? You are the Emperor, after all.”

Erich, having already tossed aside his empty wine glass, now crossed his arms. As he listened to her half-hearted flattery, he found himself gnawing on the delicate inner skin of his lower lip.

“You’re spouting utter nonsense.”

Each time he heard Evening’s unperturbed optimism, a faint tremor ran through Erich’s muscles.

‘What exactly did this woman believe in to be so relentlessly optimistic?’

‘How could she utter such baseless claims with such an impudent expression?’

No matter how much he prodded, Evening refused to cease her flattery, an act that increasingly grated on his nerves.

His gaze remained fixed on Evening, who, with her hands demurely clasped, offered him an idle smile.

Erich rose from his seat and advanced towards Evening. Reaching her, he leaned in, lowering his body slightly until he was mere inches from her face.

“Who, pray tell, is fond of me?”

“Who, you say?”

Whenever he wished to deliver an unpleasant remark, he intentionally closed the distance between them. He found a perverse pleasure in seeing Evening’s eyes widen in surprise, her composure momentarily shaken.

Her eyes darted from side to side, and she nervously moistened her parched lips with her tongue.

Her expression, a perplexing blend that made it difficult to discern if she was truly afraid or merely feigning it, ignited a spark of perverse interest within him.

“Are you, by some chance, implying that *you* are fond of me?”

He lightly grazed Evening’s cheek and the nape of her neck, then teasingly prodded the area near her chest.

Each time he sought to provoke and torment Evening, he would not fix her with a look of cold disdain, but rather with the most lingering, almost viscous gaze he could muster. He did this precisely because he suspected it was what Evening would despise the most.

“You’d wish for me to say I like you, wouldn’t you?”

Yet, each time, Evening would either blush as if she had been subjected to a mischievous prank, or she would return a cunning, playful retort.

“…”

Each and every word from Evening served to provoke Erich.

It would have been far more convenient if her seemingly flirtatious charm and artificial smiles had been genuinely unpleasant; however, the very fact that they were not proved to be the most exasperating aspect of all.

Evening’s subtly mischievous remarks, delivered with such an air of innocence, were, surprisingly, not unpleasant.

While they were undeniably absurd, and a corner of his mind bristled with irritation, he found himself devoid of the contempt he typically reserved for sycophants who harbored ulterior motives while showering him with false praise. And for some inexplicable reason, he resented that absence of disdain.

How utterly ludicrous.

Erich himself was acutely aware that the nobility regarded him as if he were a contagion.

While he could comprehend the circumstances with his first fiancée, being spurned even by his good-natured and gentle second fiancée had forced a searing realization upon him.

Before he acquired his magic, they had considered him a base-born individual, unworthy of his royal lineage. Yet, once his abilities awakened, they now regarded him as a chilling figure, trembling in his presence.

If even his second fiancée had harbored such sentiments, then it was utterly inconceivable that Evening, a prominent figure in the anti-imperial faction, could possibly harbor any affection for him.

Why, then, did she persist in feigning kindness?

Why did she so readily offer him warm smiles and advocate for his cause?

While he could not claim she was in love, Evening was, without a doubt, remarkably amiable.

He felt an overwhelming urge to throw the wine glass he had already discarded once more.

It rankled him immensely that a woman who would inevitably despise him was now feigning affection. This pretense had persisted ever since she had uttered that absurd nonsense about being his ‘lackey’ or some such thing.

“I wish that were true. My heart is too deeply scarred to endure a third separation.”

Erich, seeking to dispel his mounting irritation, wrapped his arms around Evening’s waist.

His hand, initially encircling her upper hip, glided downward to cup her buttocks.

“Should this attempt also fail, I cannot guarantee what desperate measures I might resort to. Therefore, this time, I ‘sincerely’ wish for our relationship to flourish.”

Whether it was due to the veiled threat of his potential actions, or perhaps because she was a woman more eager for carnal pleasures than her demeanor suggested, Evening merely widened her eyes like a startled rabbit, making no attempt to flee.

“I won’t flee, so you may proceed at your leisure.”

“I regret to inform you, but that is not an option. I have already surpassed the customary age for marriage, and thus, I am consumed by impatience. I must install an empress as swiftly as possible to bring stability to the realm.”

Uttering insincere sentiments cloaked in grandiloquent words was his peculiar forte. After all, he had spent years meticulously concealing his disdain for the nobility.

A sudden wave of self-loathing washed over him. And just as swiftly, he recoiled from the very thought.

Instead of dwelling on such thoughts, he allowed his hands to roam over Evening’s nape and back. The ribbon securing her off-shoulder dress was easily undone with a single hand.

“Ah!”

With the soft rustle of fabric against skin, the white dress began to slide forward.

Evening instinctively clutched at the dress, attempting to cover her bared chest. But just as the garment threatened to slip entirely, Erich seized her wrist in a firm grip.

“Do not conceal yourself.”

He pulled Evening’s arm away, drawing it distant from her chest.

“I’m embarrassed…”

“To agree to share a room before marriage implies a willingness to engage in such acts without hesitation.”

“Might it not simply be a relationship akin to roommates?”

“Nonsense. You are my wife.”

“At present, merely engaged—Kyaak!”

The now loosened dress tumbled to the floor, revealing the expanse of her pale skin.

Her modest bosom swayed gently. Evening gazed down at her exposed, trembling breasts, a flush creeping across her cheeks.

That expression, at least, was one he found pleasing.

Still gripping her wrist firmly, Erich lowered his head and pressed his ear against Evening’s left breast.

Her heartbeat was rapid. The thrumming pulse, audible beneath her skin, was clamorous.

It was his first experience burying his ear against a woman’s chest and listening to the rhythm of her heart.

Through his cheek, he felt the soft, yielding texture of her rounded breast. As he remained with his ear pressed to her left side, his gaze fell upon Evening’s exposed white right shoulder and the expanse of her chest.

The close proximity made her heartbeat grow louder, accelerating its frantic rhythm.

It was as if a small drum were being vigorously beaten right beside his ear.

There was no conceivable way she could be infatuated with him, yet her agitated state, mimicking such a sentiment, grated on his nerves.

‘…Or perhaps she was a formidable woman, capable of such a performance.’

If she were indeed the most formidable of her kind, she might well feign affection in an attempt to ensnare him.

“Evening, I am not swayed by such honeyed stratagems.”

Erich, his right cheek still pressed against her chest, let out a slow breath.

“Precisely. You would be perfectly content merely gazing into a mirror.”

Evening no longer covered her chest, even without her wrist being held. She wrapped her two hands around Erich’s head and shoulders.

Her slender fingers gently stroked his white hair. Though he was no mere dog, he felt a strange calm settle over him, prompting Erich to turn his head and lightly nip at Evening’s chest.

“I meant that I wish for sincere words, not superficial flattery.”

“But I am always sincere?”

“Such words cannot possibly be true.”

“Why do you say such hurtful things? If I’m not sincere, then who is?”

“With that tone of voice?”

Evening’s heartbeat grew steady, while Erich’s heart rate, conversely, surged.

Erich lifted his head from Evening’s chest, meeting her gaze. He looked at Evening, who was playfully exaggerating with a mischievous tone.

Evening, who uttered the word “sincere” as lightly as one might breathe, subtly stuck out her tongue and then covered her chest.

Having been raised as the Crown Prince, Erich had, for better or worse, been surrounded by various flatterers.

Most of them simply responded with, ‘Yes, Your Highness,’ or praised him with, ‘You are magnificent, Your Highness!’ whenever he spoke.

Compared to them, Evening was… well, a different breed entirely.

She took his side and said things he would like, similar to the others, but her sincerity felt overly dramatic, and her flattery lacked any restraint. In other words, her words were too sweet to rebuke, yet too unsettling to simply accept with closed eyes.

She was like a chocolate filled with whiskey. If one were to chew and swallow it carelessly, lured by the sweetness, they would surely become intoxicated and cause trouble.

Yet, he also found himself unwilling to simply leave her be.

Erich silently smiled, then lightly pinched the tip of Evening’s breast as she looked up at him.

“Ouch, that hurts.”

Evening, whose nipple had been pinched, pressed down on her lower abdomen, her earlobes flushing crimson.

Her small hand instinctively sought her lower belly, as if it were her stomach, not her pinched nipple, that ached. Knowing why she stroked her lower abdomen, Erich mischievously prodded her nipple once more.

“If it hurts, you should touch your breast.”

“Hee-eut.”

Evening whimpered as her nipple was pinched again.

“Not, not much, but it still hurt. Ow-ow…”

Evening’s cheeks and eyebrows trembled as she drew out her cry. Erich, firmly supporting her waist with his other arm, continued to caress her modest bosom.