Chapter 15: The Emperor’s Persistent Pursuit

“It’s as if I’ve been bewitched by something. A strange sensation washes over me.”

His voice, slightly husky and lower than before, exuded an entirely different aura. Selonia recognized the familiar feeling, lifting her head to meet his gaze.

In his golden eyes, she saw a familiar desire flicker. She knew that look all too well. It was the gaze of someone desperate to possess her, utterly consumed by their own cravings, regardless of her feelings, situation, or desires.

Once, she had mistaken such desire for love, but now, she knew better. She understood that raw craving and a heart full of genuine affection could exist as separate entities.

The thought left a bitter, unpleasant taste in her mouth.

Interpreting the emotions reflected in her eyes to his advantage, or perhaps simply disregarding her reaction entirely, Alix took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. It seemed a polite gesture, yet it was an unsolicited, unilateral touch.

“I hope we can share such moments again.”

“Your Majesty…”

Selonia’s voice trembled faintly, laced with surprise. Indeed, she was genuinely flustered, having to exert conscious effort to keep from instinctively snatching her hand away from his grasp.

Whether Alix misinterpreted her voice, trembling with indignation and anger, as mere shyness, he merely offered the same cunning smile he’d displayed all day and met her gaze.

“Will you permit me to call you by your name then?”

‘My name? As if. I wanted to snap at him to never utter a single syllable of my name with his detestable lips.’ Yet, she knew she had to endure it for now.

Faced with his unmistakable proposition, she found herself momentarily conflicted. She already knew from experience what would happen if she didn’t push him away and simply accepted his advances.

He was the Emperor of this empire. Once she had caught his eye, she would be trapped in his grasp, whether she willed it or not, unless she was prepared to abandon everything she possessed.

Therefore, she had to be cautious, revealing only a small opening while preventing him from drawing too close.

If she feigned being easily swayed by his temptations and showed favor now, her path to escape later would become infinitely more distant.

However, she couldn’t outright reject him either.

Observing his actions—appearing before her as if by chance, uttering the same words as in the past, despite the change in time and place—she became almost certain he had approached her with an ulterior motive from the very beginning.

To even step foot in his office, interaction with him was essential.

Selonia subtly avoided Alix’s expectant gaze, offering only a faint smile. As expected, her ambiguous demeanor seemed to fuel his impatience; he continued to toy with the back of her hand, not letting go.

Selonia, resolving to wash her hands the moment she returned to her room, subtly pulled her hand away.

“It is the will of Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire. How could I dare speak of granting permission?”

This implied she wouldn’t grant permission for him to use her name, but she couldn’t stop the Emperor from doing so if he chose. Her aversion to him was so strong that a barbed retort slipped out before she could stop herself.

Fortunately, he seemed to interpret it as shyness; Alix’s lips curved into a relaxed smile, and a look akin to certainty flickered in his golden eyes.

“Seeing you so shy, my heart becomes even more disquieted.”

“…”

Her stomach churned, a sensation akin to eating too much buttered bread. They were, in fact, drawing closer to the banquet hall.

Though they hadn’t encountered anyone yet, scattered figures could be seen strolling in the distant garden. She desperately wished to avoid being seen with the Emperor and becoming the subject of immediate gossip.

Selonia halted completely, then slowly curtsied towards him.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I fear I have been away from Princess Consort Camilla’s side for too long and may cause her undue worry. Will you grant me leave to depart now?”

The Princess Consort Camilla had told her she didn’t need to stay by her side today, but Alix wouldn’t know that. Attributing her departure to Princess Consort Vanessa, who was also his aunt, made refusal impossible.

As anticipated, Alix shrugged, then, with a face tinged with regret, he dismissed her.

“Very well. We mustn’t cause my aunt any worry.”

She swiftly distanced herself from him before he could detain her further, not forgetting to offer a shy, fleeting smile.

Perhaps it was due to her mind racing ceaselessly, but the cool sensation she’d felt upon entering the garden had vanished, replaced by a flush of heat throughout her body.

Glancing back, she saw Alix still standing near the center of the garden. Nobles from the vicinity were subtly approaching him, as he gazed up at the sky, lost in thought.

She carefully traversed the banquet hall, taking care not to draw any more attention. Although she felt a brief surge of tension, wondering if she might encounter Kylos again, he was nowhere to be seen in the hall.

Only after exiting the banquet hall and returning directly to her room did she finally release the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

She considered washing her hands as she’d resolved, but instead, feeling an overwhelming urge to cleanse herself of all the unpleasant emotions she’d experienced with Alix, she headed straight for the bathroom.

As she sank into the warm bath, a soft groan escaped her lips. Only then did she truly realize the extent of her tension.

Selonia closed her eyes, slowly replaying the day’s events.

Beneath her reopened eyelids, her sky-blue eyes sparkled with newfound clarity. The path ahead, what she needed to do, was now distinctly clear: she would not refuse Alix’s advances, but rather seize the opportunity.

Only by uncovering why he had approached her—a reason even she was unaware of—could she ensure she would never endure such an ordeal again.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t worried about confronting a secret too difficult to handle. In truth, after realizing her regression, a sense of helplessness had overshadowed any joy.

Even if she uncovered the secret, she didn’t know what she could do. After all, wasn’t he the Emperor of this nation?

Thinking rationally, perhaps the best course of action would have been to simply flee and hide. Yet, if she left without knowing anything, she wouldn’t even have a chance to retaliate.

Prior to their meeting today, she had hesitated, unsure if she could trust her own judgment. However, upon seeing Alix again after crossing the threshold of death, she felt a surge of certainty. The look in his eyes tonight was not that of a man in love.

She knew this because she had seen her own eyes reflected countless times in the mirror over six years.

‘For now, I must focus on the immediate goal.’ Selonia comforted herself with this thought, then slid further into the warm water.

***

As expected, Alix seemed determined to put considerable effort into seducing her. He began frequenting the Princess Consort’s palace, concocting all sorts of excuses.

His very act of visiting, claiming to check on his aunt whom he usually ignored, was peculiar enough. It was impossible for others not to notice his subtle glances directed at her.

Now, whenever the Emperor’s visit was announced, the astonished gazes of the maids and ladies-in-waiting in the Princess Consort’s palace would immediately fall upon Selonia.

While she had prepared herself for a certain degree of scandal, Selonia was nonetheless surprised and disconcerted. Before her regression, his incessant advances had not been this aggressive.

In fact, it had been she who would blush and become shy at even a fleeting accidental encounter.

The shameful memory of her past, when she would loiter around the imperial palace on her days off, hoping for a chance encounter after their meeting in the garden, remained vividly clear.

Now, however, Alix’s actions were far more proactive. It was clear that, had she not maintained an ambiguous demeanor, their progress would have been even swifter than before her regression.

What had changed to alter his behavior so dramatically? No matter how much she pondered, she couldn’t discern the reason.

As time passed, Alix began to overtly display his interest in her. He would fabricate excuses, such as claiming he’d forgotten a gift for his aunt and suggesting she accompany him to the main palace to retrieve it.

At other times, he would abruptly ask her to guide him through the Princess Consort’s palace, expressing a sudden desire to tour it.

When opportunities arose to visit the main palace, she readily followed him. However, her true objective, his office, remained unseen. Selonia found her time with Alix increasingly uncomfortable and arduous.

Being by his side constantly brought back memories of a past she wished to forget. Having to smile up at the man who had deceived and betrayed her drained far more of her mental energy than she anticipated.

Unable to push him away or outright refuse him, she even considered acting like a seductress to extract information, but quickly abandoned the idea.

She was neither a skilled actress nor did she possess a strong stomach for such deception.

She had often been told that her true feelings were easily visible on her face, making any drastic plan a mere self-defeating move.

While she simply endured, unable to do anything, she was repeatedly confronted with the bleak reality that she was far from someone capable of crafting intricate schemes and acting subtly.

As she despaired, wondering how long she would have to endure such torment, an opportunity arrived sooner than expected.