Chapter 46: Tea at the Emperor’s Hour

After standing blankly before the closed wall for a long while, Fria suddenly came to his senses. He remembered that he had tied a pouch of medicine inside the clothes the emperor had thrown into the fire.

He hurried to the fireplace and peered into the flames. The medicine had been made from highly toxic herbs; if it had burned, there would surely have been a harsh smell in the air. He sniffed carefully, but detected nothing beyond the scent of burning wood.

Stretching his neck to look deeper into the hearth, Fria spotted several round pills that had rolled into the corners. One here, two there, a total of three. Exactly the amount he had kept in reserve.

‘Thank goodness…’

Perhaps thanks to the medicinal liquor Gir had prepared for him throughout the previous year, he had not suffered any serious attacks or illness lately. If his condition remained stable, one pill every fifteen days was enough.

If symptoms worsened suddenly, he would double the dosage.

Even accounting for that, he had more than enough left, so he was not overly worried. Fria had even begun to indulge the foolish hope that he might actually recover someday, as his body slowly adapted to the empire’s cold climate.

At any rate, it seemed unlikely he would meet a shameful end naked inside the emperor’s secret chamber. Provided, of course, he was returned to the Sparrow Palace in due time.

‘What am I supposed to do now?’

Rather than waiting endlessly for an emperor who showed no sign of returning, Fria decided to search the attic thoroughly. At the very least, perhaps he could find a scrap of cloth to cover himself with.

****

Judith clenched her fists as she paced anxiously back and forth before the door.

“Something must have happened! He’s never been this late before!”

“Should we go back to the library with the guards?” Libron asked, wringing his hands nervously.

Fria, who had promised to meet them in front of the library after finishing their separate errands, had still not appeared even after several hours.

They had questioned the librarians, but every one of them avoided eye contact and insisted they had never seen anyone resembling the master of the Sparrow Palace.

“No one saw him? Not even one person?”

“There are many visitors passing through. We cannot remember them all. Perhaps the person you seek simply mistook the meeting place?”

“I’m telling you, his face isn’t the kind you forget! How could anyone fail to recognize someone that beautiful? Unless you’re blind, you’d never forget him after one glance!”

“In any case, he is not here.”

The other maids barely managed to stop Judith from grabbing the librarians by the collars. When Libron suggested Fria might have simply returned to his chambers first, Judith immediately sprinted toward the consorts’ quarters.

“We need to tell the head attendant. This feels beyond our ability to handle.”

Isabel, who cared little whether the consort vanished or not but very much wished to avoid responsibility, urged Judith to report it quickly. Just then, the head attendant appeared before the flustered maids, accompanied by an attendant.

“Head Attendant! Lord Fria has-”

“Wait. Listen to me first.”

Interrupting Judith, the head attendant cleared his throat and gestured to the attendant beside him. The attendant opened an empty box and handed it to Judith.

“Lord Fria will be staying in His Majesty’s chambers for the time being. Make preparations accordingly. If there are belongings he may need, gather them quickly.”

“…What?”

The attending maids’ eyes widened in unison at the unexpected news. Judith clutched the box and pointed to herself.

“Y-you should take me too. Please wait just a moment! I’ll prepare clothes for him to change into. And books Lord Fria likes, and-”

“There is no need for clothes. Hurry and prepare other necessities instead.”

“…What?”

Were they preparing new clothes for him? Chosen according to the emperor’s taste from head to toe?

Behind the flustered younger maids, the older servants who had long worked in the consorts’ palace exchanged knowing smiles.

What else could it mean? He would not have much occasion to wear clothes.

****

‘Where on earth did he even find that?’

Returning after finishing his state affairs, Owen looked down at Fria, who was sleeping comfortably in the emperor’s own bed. Apparently there had been spare nightclothes somewhere in the room.

Bold enough to rummage through the emperor’s private chambers and wear them too.

Keeping the consort from returning to his palace had been an impulsive decision, but society would surely interpret it as the emperor being hopelessly infatuated with his male consort.

Even the head attendant seemed to think so, smiling broadly as he brought over Fria’s belongings. A meal had been prepared in the adjoining chamber beyond the hidden wall, but Owen skipped it entirely and instead lay down beside his sleeping consort.

‘I didn’t expect him to be asleep.’

He had wondered how Fria would react when he returned. He imagined the consort would demand to be released or plead tearfully. Yet here he was, sleeping so peacefully. To Owen, who had spent half his life plagued by insomnia, such composure was both enviable and absurd.

It was a strange face, one that made him want to touch it endlessly. Fria’s pale skin marked so easily, like a blank sheet of paper that stirred the urge to draw upon it, to stain it with color.

Since the death of the hunting dog he had raised in the Crown Prince’s palace as a boy, Owen had never allowed any living creature onto his bed. Stroking Fria’s golden hair, he decided to think of this as taming a stray dog: feeding it, training it, teaching it obedience.

The clatter of dishes pulled Fria from sleep. A delicious smell drifted through the air, luring him awake. He sat up instinctively.

The wall was open.

Could he leave now?

Excited, Fria hurried forward, only to stop abruptly when he saw the emperor dining calmly in the adjoining chamber. Seeing Fria rush over the moment he woke, Owen tilted his chin toward the empty seat beside him.

After the servants cleared away the cold dishes and the head attendant brought fresh food, Fria found the meal astonishingly delicious.

Having practically starved for nearly an entire day, he devoured far more than usual in the blink of an eye. Judith would have clapped her hands in delight if she had seen it.

As thoughts turned to the maids who had been waiting for him at the library the day before, Fria cautiously spoke while watching the emperor’s expression.

“How long am I supposed to remain here?”

Owen, already finished eating, rested his chin against one hand and watched his gluttonous consort polish off a second bowl of soup.

“Until your charges are cleared.”

Charges. Fria nearly choked on his bread at the absurd statement. He coughed repeatedly while Owen gazed impassively at the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

“You said you would accept your punishment. You certainly have a lot to say.”

What sort of punishment even was this? It was slander. Indignant, Fria wiped crumbs from his mouth and protested.

“I have no intention of having affairs with women either. Are consorts forbidden from even having friends?”

What kind of law was that? Tyrant.

“That depends on the sort of friend. In any case, you’ll ask my permission first.”

Even Gir, who had raised him with overprotective care, sometimes gentle, sometimes strict, had never demanded such a thing. Fria had lacked friends simply because there had been few children his age around him, not because someone had controlled him.

“Where did you find that? I wore it when I was fifteen.”

The emperor’s gaze lingered on the oversized collar drooping nearly to Fria’s shoulders. Though nightclothes were naturally loose, this one clearly did not fit. It must have been packed accidentally during the hurried move after Owen’s ascension.

“Fifteen?” Fria stared, mouth falling open. It was loose even on him, and he was twenty-four.

“If you like it, you may continue wearing it.”

‘How generous of you, Your Majesty. Such mercy, Your Majesty. Truly a sage ruler.’

Fria could almost hear his own mocking tone. Unaware that the corners of his lips had lifted slightly, Owen looked Fria over once more.

‘Did he just sneer at me?’

Thinking suddenly that he understood the hearts of every rebel described in storybooks, Fria pressed his lips together.

“Your maids sent this.”

The emperor gestured toward a box sitting atop the table.

“You told them I was here?”

If Judith learned he had been imprisoned in a hidden chamber over suspicions of illicit affairs, she would surely be horrified. Worried for the shocked and confused maids, Fria opened the box.

One of his favorite adventure novels. Four handkerchiefs. Wrapped biscuits. Perfume oil. More perfume oil. And even more perfume oil.

Twelve bottles in total.

‘Judith, you…’

Fria lowered his head in disappointment at the blatantly suggestive contents. Not even a single undershirt.

****

A languid afternoon. Fria sat at a desk with no owner, dozing over an open book, when he heard the hidden wall slide open.

Dinner already?

Puzzled by the sound of dishes clinking, Fria turned around. The head attendant entered the bedroom after supervising preparations and bowed politely.

“A pleasant afternoon to you, Lord Fria. Tea has been prepared. Please come this way.”

Come to think of it, this would normally be tea time back at the consorts’ palace. Nodding, Fria rose to his feet.

“…Your Majesty.”

Though it was still far too early for state affairs to be over, the emperor was already seated in the inner chamber. Startled, Fria hurriedly bowed in greeting. Ignoring his confusion, Owen lifted his teacup first.

Candied fruits glazed with hardened sugar, cream jelly, and chocolate-covered sweets filled the plates while clear amber tea poured into gold-rimmed cups.

Every dessert was exquisite, but Fria could not understand why he was being forced to share tea with the emperor during working hours. He alternated bewildered glances between the silent emperor and the head attendant, who looked delighted beyond measure.

After waiting for Fria to finish his tea, Owen rose from his seat. Without a word, he left the room. Fria’s eyes followed after him.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

Reading the unspoken question in Fria’s gaze, the head attendant answered while clearing away the dishes.

“His Majesty intends to visit at this hour every day.”

Then why?

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Desert Island Romance

Boys LoveComedyModern Setting

Read Now →
Not interested