Episode 6
“Ooh…”
“Come on, Ariel, let’s sleep.”
I patted the girl who stirred from a light nap, and her small movements quickly turned into calm breaths.
I smiled gently, resting my head softly beside Ariel, then pulled out a thin thread wrapped around my hand.
Jingle.
A carefully crafted necklace slid onto the back of my hand, reminding me of Enoch’s words from a few weeks ago.
[“It seems I’ve found the cure for this annoying curse.”
“Wow, congratulations…?”
“…I mean, the cure is you, Riana.”
“Yes, it seems so. Then what?”
“Will you help me melt the ice in my heart?”
“Hmm, no.”
“…”]
He left me this necklace, saying I should think about being his cure, despite my refusal.
I fiddled with the sparkling transparent gem in the center of the necklace, and it spun in a circular motion.
“I can barely handle my current situation, so where would I find time to be a cure or something like that?”
I said this, but my heart wasn’t entirely certain.
The image of Enoch clinging to my small hand like a lifeline kept haunting me, pricking a corner of my heart.
‘Tch! He’s supposed to be a tyrant. What kind of tyrant acts like that…?’
I swallowed my words, propped my elbow on the bed at an angle, and nudged the paused necklace again.
In the book I read, Enoch was a fierce tyrant, but somehow, he seemed different when I saw him in person.
He was cold and gloomy like a stormy winter night, but the word “tyrant” didn’t suit him.
Why?
‘Maybe because the story hasn’t started yet?’
I nodded, finding a logical explanation for this contradiction.
That must be it.
Surely, Enoch shows his tyrannical nature after returning from the Hashin War, around the middle of the story, when Riana disappears.
At this moment, when I’m still here and he hasn’t gone to war, Enoch might be a little different.
“But… I didn’t know the Emperor had a secret like this. His body freezing when touched? Is that why he hates contact?”
In the book, he was described as a moody emperor, with no reasons given.
All that was mentioned was that his supernatural power caused the death of his mother, the former empress, in his childhood,
and that he never used his power again after that. That’s all.
Is it because I directly saw how Enoch’s past, which was just words on paper, affects his life as an adult?
Or am I foolishly starting to feel attached during his frequent visits and the time we spend together?
Anyway, it’s none of my business, so why does my heart feel so unsettled?
I sighed heavily and buried my head in the bed, unable to pinpoint my feelings.
“All this because of that emperor with an unnecessarily handsome face.”
[“You said that before. So my face suits your taste?”]
“Well, the handsomeness is a fact… oh my God!”
I was frowning, my lips pursed between my cheeks pressed against the bedsheet, when a low voice startled me, and I jumped.
“What, what’s that? Why do you appear out of nowhere?”
“Moo…”
“Why’d you pop up out of nowhere?”
I lowered my voice, afraid of waking the restless Ariel, and shrank back. In the image, Enoch raised the corner of his mouth playfully.
[“Didn’t I tell you? The necklace I gave you has communication magic.”]
“…? You didn’t say anything like that.”
[“Well, I’m saying it now. It has that magic.”]
“What?”
[“By the way, if you press the button behind the necklace, you can teleport to my location with transport magic.”]
“Really? This little necklace has those functions?”
Forgetting the embarrassment of him hearing my words, I turned the necklace in surprise, and the image projected in the air swayed.
[“…Riana, that’s making me dizzy.”]
“Ah! Sorry, I got excited.”
[“So, have you changed your mind today?”]
“What? About what?”
I pretended ignorance, and Enoch narrowed his long eyes in the image.
[“Being my cure. Do you have any intention of that now?”]
“No, unfortunately, the answer’s the same today.”
[“What a pity.”]
Not expecting a different answer, Enoch smiled playfully, lifting the corner of his lips.
[“I’m disappointed, Riana.”]
“What?”
[“Last time, when you barged into my room, you said you’d do anything if I let you touch me once.”]
“…I said that?”
[“After getting what you wanted, you ignore me like this. I offered my whole body…”]
“Your Majesty!”
Enoch covered his smiling lips with his gloved hand and shrugged.
I pleaded with him not to speak in a way that could be misunderstood, but his lips, drawn in a curved line, remained playful.
Enoch looked at me fanning my flushed face and tilted his head slightly.
[“Are you attending the ball today?”]
“I don’t think so, why?”
[“Well, if you came, maybe I’d try to seduce you with this face you like?”]
“…What?”
[“Since you don’t want to be my cure, I need to try harder to win your heart, don’t I? So, will you come?”]
“…I’m not going!”
Click.
I stared at the necklace as the image cut off with a low laugh, then carefully tucked it into my sleeve.
I pressed the protruding thread when Dain entered the room after a quiet knock.
“Lady Riana, if you’re attending the ball, it’s time to prepare…”
“I’m not going!”
* * *
“I really wasn’t going to go…”
That’s definitely what I planned.
So why am I standing in this lavish hall, wearing a splendid dress?
Just hours ago, I confidently declared I wouldn’t go.
I stood in the middle of the ball hall where elegant melodies flowed, rolling my eyes in surprise.
“Since I’m here, I’ll stay quietly in a corner and leave.”
I stealthily moved toward a quiet corner of the glittering hall and reached for a glass of wine on the table.
Sure, Enoch warned me about drinking, but if it’s not discovered, it’s fine, right?
“I’ll just wet my lips. My throat’s so dry.”
Making an excuse to myself, I raised the glass to my mouth with relief.
But before the red liquid touched my lips,
“Have you seen? Oh my, the Duke is still so handsome!”
A group of excited ladies passed by, chattering and bumping into my shoulder.
The wine spilled from the glass, wetting my sleeve.
“Ah! Cold!”
“Oh, was the young lady here? You should’ve made a sound!”
One of the ladies glanced at my ivory sleeve stained with red wine, nodded lightly, and opened her fan.
A fan adorned with gold and silver threads. She covered her face with it and whispered to the lady beside her.
“Now I remember, didn’t the young lady almost become a duchess?”
“Yes, but despite no one welcoming her, she came today too.”
“Well, it’s obvious she’s here to try to connect with His Majesty.”
‘Hmm, I can hear everything.’
I shook my sleeve speckled with wine droplets and looked toward the Duke they mentioned.
Under the bright light, his blue eyes gleamed sharply,
like a beast ready to pounce on any opportunity.
Duke Herrington.
Elisha’s father, the heroine, an extremely ambitious man.
As soon as his daughter showed fire power, he ousted Riana’s father, the heir, and took the ducal title.
‘After becoming Duke, he flourished thanks to his daughter.’
In this world, where a few with supernatural powers dominate and are revered, Duke Herrington’s influence was not to be underestimated, even by the Emperor.
In fact, his influence might be stronger than the Emperor’s.
Unlike Enoch, who never showed his power despite rumors, Elisha was the epitome of perfect fire ability.
Duke Herrington’s influence would grow even more in the future.
As the story progresses, while Enoch goes to the Hashin War, Elisha will be appointed Empress, giving the Duke power rivaling the Emperor.
Because of this, Enoch’s authority will weaken after returning from the war…
‘…Ugh, I don’t know. Let everyone sort out their own mess.’
I looked at Duke Herrington disappearing behind a white curtain and downed the wine in my mouth.
Of course, I extended a glass to the group standing in front of me.
“You’re still here? Want a sip?”
“I heard from my father that His Majesty will soon choose a marriage partner. Is the young lady interested too?”
Well, if they won’t drink, I will.
Instead of replying, I emptied the glass I offered them.
I don’t know how they interpreted my response, but one of them, with carefully pinned-up hair, stepped forward.
“You’re not seriously thinking about it, are you? That’s Elisha’s place! Stop bothering her!”
“Hmm, it seems I bothered her?”
“Isn’t it? Elisha, despite being your cousin, cares so much about you…”
“Have you seen that yourself?”
“What?”
“That I bothered her. Did you see it directly?”
“This…”
Ugh, what’s this?
In the novel, Riana was described as a reckless character causing chaos, so I wanted to ask what exactly she did.
But faced with their weak response, I raised an eyebrow and shifted my attention to what was bothering me.
“Why, why are you looking like that? If you’re going to scold me for not seeing it myself…”
“No, it’s not that. Here.”
I placed my finger beside my lips and gestured, then whispered to the lady in front of me.
“Your makeup’s smudged by your mouth. Someone might think you have two mouths.”
“Oh, my God!”
I watched her cover her face in a fluster, then reached for a blue cocktail.
I downed the bittersweet liquid, and as I returned my head to its place,
“…Caught.”
I saw Enoch looking directly at me from a distance, so I quickly hid the glass behind my back.
“…He saw me.”
He narrowed his eyes and nodded toward the empty glasses beside me. Hiding the glass was pointless.
