Chapter 34. It’s Gone Too Far

 “Sigh.”

 Edmund sat in his office, pondering.

 How he could find out what illness she suffered from. And how he could hear about it directly from her.

 Thinking about it, the Clea he had seen until now was utterly miserable.

 Though her expressions had certainly become more varied since meeting him, before that, she had only shown anger, sadness, and emptiness.

 And at the end, she had become completely expressionless, like someone who had given up on everything.

 It was hard to pinpoint exactly when he started caring about her—this woman who revealed no emotions, as if she no longer wanted to be hurt.

 But Edmund clearly remembered the moment he wanted to get closer to Clea.

 It was that night when they shared drinks alone.

 “How can I get to know you?”

 He looked at the chess piece sitting on his desk.

 He had never contemplated such things in his life before.

 When he wanted to know something, he would use any means necessary to find out.

 Kidnapping, imprisonment, torture.

 His position had forced him to learn many such methods throughout his life, so Edmund didn’t have any aversion to them.

 But as soon as he thought about directing those methods toward Clea, he frowned.

 He didn’t want to cause her even a single wound.

 She had already received so many wounds from others that he couldn’t act rashly.

 What he wanted now was for her wounds to heal.

 And after healing, he wanted to see her smiling brightly.

 ‘Ever since I became aware of my feelings for you…’

 The image of her holding a knife to her wrist still lingered in his mind.

 The more he dwelled on that image, the more Edmund’s breathing quickened.

 His cool head grew hot and dizzy.

 He had learned that if there was something you didn’t know, you should ask about it, and that ignorance itself wasn’t shameful.

 For that reason, he had never understood those who were reluctant to ask questions.

 But this time, Edmund could understand their feelings.

 Why asking questions could be frightening.

 Edmund pictured her face.

 ‘I’m afraid because I don’t know how you’ll react.’

 As he wandered, unsure of what to do, someone knocked on his office door.

 Edmund hoped it might be Clea, but…

 “Your Highness, may I come in?”

 The voice from beyond the door belonged to Oberon.

 Though annoyed, Edmund sensed something urgent in Oberon’s voice and intuited that something had happened, so he let him in.

 Entering the room, Oberon skipped the greeting and reported immediately.

 “Her Majesty the Empress has returned to the imperial palace!”

 “Doesn’t she still have some days left on her vacation?”

 He checked the calendar on his desk.

 Elina still had about a week left of her vacation.

 Knowing how much she wanted to enjoy freedom away from the imperial palace, he thought it unlikely she would return so soon, but…

 “And now she’s coming here with His Majesty the Emperor!”

 Hearing the following words, he understood why Elina had returned from her vacation early.

 Upon hearing Oberon’s words, Edmund jumped up from his seat and left his office.

 “Your Highness!”

 Though Oberon called out loudly after the departing Edmund, he didn’t stop and continued walking hurriedly.

* * *

Clea was bewildered by the scene unfolding before her eyes.

 “While I’m pleased you’ve returned to the imperial palace, I’m not so pleased about you visiting my palace like this. I would have come to you, so wouldn’t it be better if you returned to the empress’s palace?”

 “Is that all you have to say upon seeing your mother? How disappointing.”

 “Is there anything in our relationship to be disappointed about?”

 “Still, you should at least pretend to be disappointed so I can stay longer.”

 Edmund had suddenly burst in, making her wonder what was happening.

 The figures who followed him were quite extraordinary.

 If only Odin had appeared, Clea would probably have greeted him with a happy smile.

 But now there was another person beside him.

 “I greet the two suns of the Empire.”

 A person who didn’t need to bow her head despite standing next to Odin.

 The empress, Elina, called the mother of the Empire, who was also Edmund’s actual mother.

 She smiled kindly when Clea greeted her.

 Seeing Elina’s expression, Clea felt some of her anxiety dissipate.

 ‘I thought she might not accept me.’

 Odin had already acknowledged her relationship with Edmund.

 But she had been slightly anxious thinking the empress might oppose it.

 Though she didn’t show it outwardly, she thought Elina might tell her not to interfere with Edmund’s future after hearing rumors about her.

 Clea was well aware of her own infamy.

 The woman who had even tried to kill the fragile and beautiful Aria.

 Even though she hadn’t personally committed those acts, she couldn’t erase the past before her possession, so the label followed her wherever she went.

 The villainess becoming the wife of her precious son.

 ‘Who in the world could accept that comfortably?’

 Yet Elina was welcoming Clea with a bright expression.

 “I’m pleased to meet you. I’ve wanted to talk with you like this.”

 Clea glanced at Edmund.

 He was standing between them, as though unwilling to hand Clea over.

 She understood he wanted to protect her, but…

 “Clea.”

 “I want to greet Their Majesties properly.”

 When Clea grabbed his arm and made her request, Edmund’s resolve weakened.

 He still didn’t want her to face the two of them.

 If they didn’t accept her, the situation would become awkward.

 But contrary to expectations, they readily accepted her. So now Edmund was anxious for a different reason.

 Not yet fully understanding Clea’s condition, he felt she was like a sandcastle.

 Like a sandcastle that could collapse helplessly with a single gust of wind.

 ‘I wish I knew a little more about you.’

 Eventually, Edmund stepped aside for her.

 Following the path Edmund opened, Clea naturally moved forward to stand before Odin and Elina.

 Standing before them, Clea lifted the corners of her mouth.

 “Doesn’t Edmund make you feel neglected?”

 “As you just saw, he doesn’t give me time to feel lonely, Your Majesty.”

 “Don’t call me Your Majesty, call me Father.”

 “How could I dare to do that?”

 Odin, who had been quietly watching Edmund and Elina argue, finally spoke when Clea took a step forward.

 Elina found the scene interesting.

 Edmund disliked Odin’s seemingly scheming appearance.

 Seeing Edmund’s dissatisfied expression, Clea smiled and said,

 “Shouldn’t the man who will be my husband first call you Father, before I can call you Father as well?”

 “You’ve heard everything, so what are you waiting for?”

 Edmund’s face clouded with embarrassment at Clea’s words.

 He was embarrassed by her referring to him as her future husband, then flustered by what she said next.

 When Odin’s dissatisfied gaze fell on him, Edmund frowned.

 “I don’t want to.”

 “Then it’s an imperial command.”

 “Don’t misuse imperial commands for things like this.”

 “So you’re saying you won’t obey?”

 Though Edmund was displeased, seeing Clea’s smiling face beside him, he sighed and said,

 “Father.”

 Edmund wasn’t sure how many years it had been since he last called him that, finding the word strange coming from his own mouth.

 It seemed equally strange to the listener, as Odin, who had been showing a sour reaction, then looked at Clea.

 Clea looked at the two of them and smiled, giving Odin the answer he wanted.

 “Yes, I’ll call you Father.”

 “Good, my new child.”

 “You’ve already become so close while I was away.”

 Elina felt jealous seeing Odin and Clea who had grown close during her absence, but she was also pleased.

 It seemed as if the cold and desolate atmosphere of the imperial palace would melt away like snow now that they had a new family member, just as she had hoped.

 But unable to contain her jealousy, she approached Clea and linked arms with her.

 “Your Majesty.”

 “If you called Odin Father, shouldn’t you call me Mother?”

 Clea hadn’t expected Elina, whom she was meeting for the first time today, to approach her so closely.

 Meanwhile, Elina noticed something from Edmund and Odin’s reactions.

 ‘Rumors really can’t be trusted.’

 According to rumors, Clea was someone who should never be by Edmund’s side.

 Because Edmund was the future emperor with a guaranteed future.

 The future empress also needed to be someone worthy to stand beside him.

 So initially, Elina had even considered testing Clea by saying she didn’t accept her as soon as they met.

 She was curious how Clea would react if she heard the harsh words Elina herself had once heard from the previous empress.

 Elina thought the truth of the rumors would be determined by her reaction.

 But now she was glad she hadn’t expressed those thoughts.

 ‘Seeing how Edmund is protecting her, I can already guess what kind of person she is.’

 Elina smiled happily, remembering how Odin had once protected her.

 For a moment, she saw their past selves—when he had said he could even give up the throne, and she had been in tears—overlapping with the young couple.

 Elina decided not to rush.

 Since they had plenty of time, she could talk with Clea separately later. With that in mind, she had intended to tease them a little, but…

 “So how far have you two gone? Surely not that far already?”

 “Yes, we’ve already gone that far.”

 “Oh my.”

 “C-Clea.”

 Edmund was the one who felt embarrassed by Clea’s straightforward answer.