Episode 7
“Oh my, how sharp his eyes are?”
Taking advantage of Enoch’s distraction, I slipped away from his gaze, then stole a glance toward where he might be.
“I only drank two glasses. The smell… is it coming from me?”
Perhaps because Riana, the owner of this body, was so fond of wine, even when my mind wandered for a moment, I found my hand holding a glass.
Because of this, I’d been scolded by Enoch several times.
“Even without memories, the body’s habits stay the same?”
I grumbled while sipping the glass, then decided to step out to the balcony for some cold air. But I stopped when I heard a conversation behind a white curtain.
“My lord Duke, is this really appropriate?”
“I’ll take responsibility, so don’t worry.”
“But even so, His Majesty…”
‘His Majesty? Are they talking about Enoch?’
When Enoch’s name came up in a clearly suspicious conversation, my eyebrows arched defiantly.
Duke Herrington’s voice reached me through the swaying curtain in the breeze.
“Don’t you know I’ll be forced to join the Hashin War if I stay idle? To shift the course so His Majesty goes to war instead, all you need to do is keep him occupied until then.”
“But, my lord Duke, is that really possible with the method you told us? Just touching His Majesty…”
“Well, we’ll see when we try.”
The Duke crushed the cigar he was biting with his foot and raised the corner of his mouth in a cunning smile.
“It’s certain the Emperor has a weakness related to physical contact. I don’t know exactly what it is, but…”
“Could it be related to the former Empress’s death?”
“Maybe. As you said, perhaps his guilt over his touch killing his mother caused this issue. Anyway…”
“What’s wrong, my lord Duke?”
I was eagerly listening to their conversation when I was startled by approaching footsteps and tried to hide.
But the Duke’s hand was faster, yanking the curtain open before I could turn.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
The Duke turned his body to block me from the other man and nodded lightly.
“Go now. Make sure to keep His Majesty occupied during the set time.”
“Yes, my lord Duke.”
‘If you can find out the weakness the Emperor hides, that’d be even better,’ the Duke muttered, then turned his blue eyes toward me.
I was clearly caught eavesdropping and tried to make an excuse,
but…
My lips froze. They moved without sound, as if my body betrayed me, just like when I tilt a glass unconsciously.
As I panicked at my body stiffening right in front of the Duke,
he grabbed my collar and pulled me toward him.
“Ah…!”
“Didn’t I tell you to stay quietly at home? Why did you sneak in today too?”
“Your hand… please…”
I struggled to hit his rough hand choking my neck, and the Duke pushed me away, holding his nose.
Riana’s fragile body swayed heavily.
“Drunk again? What a fool.”
The Duke tossed the handkerchief he used to wipe his hand, as if he’d touched something dirty, and asked sharply:
“Are you taking good care of the girl?”
“What?”
A muffled voice and a trembling hand.
I didn’t like being grabbed by the collar and unable to speak a word.
I gripped the hem of my dress tightly, expressing my frustration, and felt the faint taste of blood between my teeth.
Perhaps due to the pain from biting the delicate skin inside my mouth, the trembling eased slightly.
I looked directly at the Duke and spoke slowly:
“Which girl are you talking about…?”
“What a fool! Who else? I’m talking about Elisha’s child you were entrusted with!”
“Elisha’s… child?”
Elisha’s child? There was no such thing in the novel.
And if the girl I’m caring for now…
I recalled Ariel sleeping peacefully in her decorated little bed, and my eyes widened.
‘Is Ariel Elisha’s daughter?’
Now that I think about it, their resemblance isn’t small.
Shiny platinum hair like sunlight, and green eyes like forests.
I thought the girl’s appearance resembled Riana, but it actually resembles Elisha.
But in the original novel, the heroine didn’t have a child…
As I sorted my jumbled thoughts from this new information,
the Duke struck my head and issued a warning:
“Make sure Elisha doesn’t know about the girl. When the time comes, I’ll take her.”
“…”
“Tch! Ariel or whatever her name is, if you two aren’t useful, I can easily get rid of you both.”
The Duke left quickly after his unsettling warning,
and finally, my body relaxed from the tension, like a wooden puppet with its strings cut.
Instinctively, I grabbed a glass of wine from a passing servant’s tray and downed it in one go.
“Wow… what’s with this guy? Is he really from the heroine’s family?”
The strong liquid surged down my throat, and my stiff body began to regain vitality.
I realized the noise ringing in my ears was my racing heartbeat, so I exhaled deeply and ran a hand through my hair.
“What’s with this guy? Grabbing someone by the collar the moment he sees them… ah! Right, Enoch!”
Feeling heat rise to my face as I wiped my mouth, I remembered Enoch and quickly wiped the area.
I saw Enoch talking to someone not far away, and a suspicious man approaching him quickly. I raised my hand high.
“Your Majesty!”
* * *
“…”
“Riana…?”
‘Ah, I didn’t mean to shout that loudly.’
I buried my face in my hands as the echo of “Your Majesty” reverberated in the quiet hall.
Fearing Enoch might lose control in a public place like this, I called out without thinking.
But the loud voice embarrassed me, so I walked toward Enoch, covering my face, my steps zigzagging.
Maybe the wine I drank was taking effect now, as I stumbled over that short distance, adding to my embarrassment.
Somehow, I reached Enoch without major issues and pushed through the people around him.
“Ah, wait. Just let me pass.”
Ignoring the looks that said the troublesome young lady was causing chaos again, I stopped in front of Enoch to catch my breath.
I bowed politely to greet him, and his handsome face filled with question marks.
Under everyone’s focused gazes, I spoke with utmost courtesy:
“Your Majesty, I apologize, but may I hold your hand for a bit?”
“…?”
Well, courtesy doesn’t make a strange action normal.
But since I greeted and asked permission, I cautiously moved my hand toward my goal.
I removed the black glove from his large hand and firmly intertwined my fingers with his long ones, hearing muffled murmurs around me.
Some said the young lady had finally gone mad,
others were shocked to see Enoch touching someone.
Amid the crowd’s murmurs for various reasons, Enoch looked at me with concern and shock.
“Riana, what are you doing so suddenly? Did you drink too much?”
“…That’s not it!”
I frowned and tightened my grip on his hand, then stood on my tiptoes.
But due to our height difference, I couldn’t whisper easily even on tiptoes, so I groaned. Enoch bent down slightly,
and I relayed the Duke’s conversation I overheard, and he let out a mocking laugh.
“Ha, I was wondering why it’s been so quiet lately.”
“Those people are evil! They’re trying to exploit others’ weaknesses!”
Maybe because of the wine taking effect or my anger at the Duke grabbing my collar,
I stomped my foot in frustration, and Enoch looked at me with an enigmatic expression.
“Anyway, as long as I hold your hand like this, you won’t lose control, right?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Then hold my hand tightly and hide behind me.”
“…What?”
“What if someone else besides that man tries to touch you?”
Enoch’s expression grew more enigmatic when I asked him to hide.
As if assessing whether Riana’s small body could cover him even slightly, he placed his hand on my head.
He measured my height, which barely reached his shoulders, and tried to suppress a laugh.
I stared at him seriously, insisting this wasn’t a time for laughter, and stood firmly in front of him.
“I’ll protect you so no one touches you, so let’s go to where the Duke is. I’ll escort you!”
“Hmm, will you be able to protect me?”
“Hurry up! If you actually go to war, what will we do?”
“Can’t I go?”
“…Of course not!”
I nodded firmly and lowered my voice further.
“What if you lose control on the battlefield?”
“Hmm, will you come with me then? It might work.”
I shot him an annoyed look at his playful tone.
“The war will take months even if it’s short. How will you manage?”
“Months, months…”
His tone was calm despite it concerning him, so I stomped my feet anxiously.
Enoch considered my words, then raised the corner of his lips in a cunning smile.
“Well, months might be a bit tough.”
