The Abandoned Empress

The moment he saw the empress, his love flame, his heart ached again, but he took pains to ignore it and showed due manners politely, “I, Alendis de Verita, am honored to see the empress, the Moon of the empire. What business has brought you here?”

“I’m sorry to have come here suddenly, Allendis. I heard Dia’s here. Her nanny told me no matter how hard she tried to have her go home, she would not listen.”

Explaining to him with an apologetic expression, she looked at him anxiously.

“Alendis, you look pale. Did Dia cause you a lot of trouble? Then I’m really sorry. I’m going to give her a piece of my mind, so please understand me. I would like to apologize on her behalf. ”

“Apologize to me? Oh, you don’t have to. I think I should be grateful to you because you have not blamed me for not serving her properly.”

“Thank you for saying so, Allendis. You know that I always appreciate you, right? ”

He was reflected in her warm golden eyes. He sighed a bit furtively, watching him call a royal knight after smiling at him.

When the knight came and carefully lifted the princess, she said, giving back his jacket to him, “Then let me leave now. I don’t want to disturb you anymore. See you next time, Allendis.”

“Sure, Your Highness. Goodbye.”

“Can you stop by the empress’s palace one of these days? I would like to serve you tea. Bye!”

After saying goodbye gently, she turned, then stopped for a moment. She seemed to cast a glance somewhere, but she walked away, looking straight. There was the sound of her skirt rustling over the carpet.

Feeling her warmth left in the jacket, he was soaked in the gentle fragrance that she left behind. After she disappeared, he recalled a question he had forgotten for a moment.

‘Why did you stop for a moment?’

Recalling where she stood a moment ago, he looked at the spots one by one she might have cast a glance.

Thick books and file folders in the bookshelf, various ornaments on the shelf, and all sorts of miscellaneous items on the desk.

While quickly scrutinizing here and there, he stopped his gaze at one spot, where there was a small item hidden in an inconspicuous corner of the shelf with lots of ornaments.

‘Was that it?’

He slowly approached the shelf and took out the object in question.

It was a platinum bishop of the chess set that he had made to give her as a gift.

He threw away other chess pieces, except for the queen he sent her as a gift on her wedding day.

He let out a deep sigh, looking at the bishop. Tears formed in his eyes when he looked at the bishop made of emerald.

***

<I can say clearly that my father, the emperor, was not the romanticist of the century, but a fool blind to my mother, the empress’s love. Otherwise, he could not have used such expressions to her.

Yes, I recognize that my mother, the empress, was a wise and competent woman. Granted that, it is just ridiculous or far from the fact that he described her as cute and fatally attractive.

From the excerpt of Adrian’s diary>

“Now it’s time to go to sleep, Your Highness.”

“Really? Okay.”

A couple of wine glasses on a table with a lightly lit candle, and his favorite Belott red wine produced in 900 by the imperial calendar.

When I saw the two pillows placed side by side on the bed, I blushed all of a sudden. When I turned around, covering my blushed face with hands, Lina, who took off the towel wrapped around my hair, examined my look and said with a satisfied smile, “This is enough. As the emperor likes a gentle fragrance, you don’t have to perfume your hair with fragrant oils.”

“Okay, okay, I don’t need fragrant oils…”

Smiling at me when I shook my hands, she said, “Please sit down. I will dry your hair. ”

“Good.”

When I sat in front of the silver mirror, where the crest of the imperial family was ornately crafted, I saw a thrilled woman reflected in the mirror.

I slowly closed my eyes while looking at her awkward expression for a while. I felt good when she was touching my hair with the soft fabric to shake off the droplets on it.

“I am reminded of your pre-marriage days, Your Highness. At that time, I never thought that you would be the empress.”

“Ugh? When?”

“I mean at the time when you came back from the estate of the Monique family. I think it was a winter cleaning day when I asked you what type of man you like while adjusting your hair like this.”

“Oh yeah. I remember. ”

It was on a winter day when the sunlight was unusually bright. Lina was very excited that day as if she felt really good. She hummed pleasantly, lightly prodded me to pay attention to makeup, and even teased me by asking which type of man I liked when I asked if she was dating somebody.

“By the way, Your Majesty.”

“Ugh?’

“I am curious about it. What was your reply then? You didn’t answer my question to the end.”

“Oh, that question? Well…”

At that time, Lina persistently asked for my reply, but I didn’t even think of any ideal type because I didn’t have any intention to love anybody again. I thought that as long as I was tied to the imperial family, I didn’t have to think hard about my future spouse, and that I just wanted anybody except for the crown prince, namely the current emperor.

Come to think of it, I clearly thought about someone at that time, but I could not remember clearly.

While Lina was gently combing my hair, I was lost in thought. Although I could remember other things very clearly, I could not figure out this particular thing, though it’s right on the tip of my tongue.

“Strange. Who was my ideal type? I definitely had someone in mind.”

“…”

It seemed that she suddenly stopped combing for a moment, but I tried hard to recall the person that I had in mind at that time.

At the time, Lina listed a few examples of types of men such as a reliable man or a warm-hearted man, but I was not attracted to any type she mentioned because I could not overcome the trauma of having been abandoned by the crown prince. Nonetheless, if I had to choose one, I thought it would be good if I could find the type of man who would make me avoid the pain of being abandoned. And…

“Oh, now I remember that. I think he was… Your Majesty?”

I flinched immediately while turning around, clasping my hands, because I noticed an unexpected figure standing there. There was a young man with blue hair in the spot where Lina stood a little while ago.

“Oh, when did you come?” When I hurriedly stood up, he stopped me and said, “Just stay there. Let me do the rest of the combing.”

“Pardon? But how come you can do this…?”

“I hear the rumors that lots of people are saying you and I are a lovely couple. So, I want to show them how I really care about you.” Only

“Oh my…”

Somehow, I blushed, so I hurriedly covered my face with both hands with my head down. Chuckling at me, he gently rolled up my hair.

I was on edge whenever I heard the sound of him combing my hair. The way he combed my hair was no different from Lina’s, but strangely enough, I felt goosebumps when his hands touched my hair. I never thought that my hair would be so sensitive to his touch. Besides, his breathing that touched my face made my hair stand up.

I was getting short of breath due to his continual combing, but I just trembled without shaking off his hand. Given his calm expression and earnest combing reflected in the mirror, I didn’t dare to disturb his job. Only then did he put down the comb and said, “Tia.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Did you call me now?”

I was just trying to reply in a casual tone, but my voice was much higher than usual. He asked with a puzzled expression when I screamed in spite of myself.

“What’s wrong? Did I make a mistake? ”