Chapter 20

“I told you not to talk nonsense.”

When Callisten’s face came close enough to touch Briseyes’s, he involuntarily smiled like a madman. Seeing his insane eyes, Briseyes’s expression became calm instead.

“We’re breathing the same air.”

She thought his words were nonsense and tried to turn her head away, but he grabbed her chin and continued speaking.

“I was going to say that, but I held back. Instead, I asked to attend Wilhelm Academy. Because then I could marry the person I want.”

“Sure, marry whoever you want.”

“For that to happen, that person needs to get divorced first.”

“I don’t know which noblewoman it is, but I feel sorry for her. Having to marry you.”

Briseyes slapped his hand away and moved to sit on the opposite side. He followed her with a smile, so she went back to her original seat. Then he followed her again.

“Aren’t you going to move anymore?”

“I’m tired.”

Perhaps knowing he would keep following her anyway, she turned her gaze toward the window and closed her eyes.

“You could lean on my shoulder, you know.”

“I have my own shoulders. And I hate yours because it’s harder than stone.”

“Hahaha. Do you know you said the same thing when you were fifteen?”

“I don’t know.”

When Briseyes leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, he slowly lifted her head. She glared at him but then closed her eyes again when she saw him folding his removed coat to place under her head.

“Even your glare is so pretty.”

She didn’t answer.

They had to travel together in the carriage for quite a long time.

⁕⁕⁕

“I’m rarely unrecognized anyway because of my height.”

Briseyes silently handed him a black robe without responding to his words. He draped the robe over his shoulders.

Briseyes put on a hood as if to conceal her identity. Meanwhile, Callisten got out of the carriage first and extended his hand for her to take. However, she got out by herself, and he followed her with an amused smile.

Jeronis’s office had a system where only two clients by appointment could come and go each day.

Briseyes and Callisten entered the office.

“Do you have an appointment? May I see your identification, please?”

Just as Briseyes was about to take out her identification, Callisten showed his ring and lowered his hood.

“I left my ID behind.”

“The, the Small Sun of the Empire…!”

“Quiet.”

The staff all stood up and greeted him in unison, saying in very small voices, “We are honored to see the Small Sun of the Empire!”

“Check our appointment.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As Callisten put his hood back on, Briseyes unconsciously sighed. Even with a hood and black robe, it was not easy for him to hide his identity.

His pitch-black hair and red eyes that were vivid even in dark places.

And there was no one in the Empire as tall as him. His body was also frighteningly large.

Anyone who had seen him anywhere would immediately recognize him as Callisten.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I suddenly feel like you’re a bear.”

“You don’t like bears much. How about a rabbit? I’ll be a rabbit.”

“Where would you find a rabbit this big?”

“Then a cat?”

“……”

“Meow.”

When he made a cat sound with a deranged smile, Briseyes just stared at him silently.

“Meow?”

“Stop it.”

She lowered her head in embarrassment, and soon a nearby staff member approached them.

“Your appointment has been confirmed. I’ll escort you to the waiting room.”

“Yes.”

So Briseyes had to follow the staff member to the waiting room.

⁕⁕⁕

The waiting room was quite luxurious.

Perhaps because most people seeking divorce were nobles, every item was high-end.

Briseyes scanned the white marble floor with her eyes and then took in the table in front of the sofa where she sat. It was a top-quality mahogany table. The sofa was plush and large enough to be used as a bed.

The painting hanging nearby was a famous abstract work by an artist who had lost the ability to see green. The painting was done primarily in yellow and blue.

The chandelier also sparkled as if it was polished daily. Not a speck of dust was visible.

From the subtle lavender scent to the warm-colored interior that seemed designed to ease tension.

Above all, the flower placed in the center of the table was freesia.

“Isn’t the flower language of this ‘new beginning’?”

When her gaze fell on the flowers, Callisten deliberately said this. That way, her gaze would shift to him at least once.

She didn’t answer and moved her gaze from him back to the freesia. The fully bloomed freesia was emitting a fresh scent throughout the room.

The vase was imported from a kingdom in the west. It wasn’t a style produced in the Empire.

Since Briseyes managed a merchant company that imported tea sets, she recognized most items just by looking at them.

“Sit across from me.”

“I want to sit beside you.”

Briseyes spoke to Callisten as if warning him, but he deliberately came and sat next to her. The sofas were arranged in a ㄷ shape with the main seat and two long sofas facing each other.

“If you move over there, I’ll follow.”

When she tried to move, he said this with a smile.

Briseyes sighed and stayed in place. Then she looked at the monthly magazines on the table.

There were also some newspapers among them.

She was about to look at a newspaper but saw that the front page was mostly filled with praise for Callisten. With cold eyes, she put the newspaper down, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.

“Tired? Want to lean on me?”

“No.”

She sighed and opened her eyes.

In reality, she was feeling a sense of crisis because of losing the bonus point to Delilah today. Delilah in the original work was a genius.

Compared to her, Briseyes was someone who maintained her position through painful effort.

Just as Delilah had easily taken Demian from her, it seemed she would easily take away this position that Briseyes had worked so hard to achieve.

And Callisten in front of her too.

“Why that expression?”

Callisten was looking at her and grinning again. She knew well that despite his harmless-looking smile, he was actually more harmful than anyone.

“I just remembered when Levias Youngshik broke his leg while practicing for the jousting tournament with you.”

“Ah, that idiot.”

Levias Youngshik was someone Briseyes had been close to before getting married. He had pursued her with marriage proposals, and Briseyes had rejected him.

Then one day, he got on a horse saying he would practice for the jousting tournament with Callisten.

The result was that he was seriously injured by Callisten’s lance and broke his leg, staying in the hospital for a while.

“Come to think of it, you injured Levias too.”

“Ah, did I?”

He smiled with an innocent expression as if he didn’t know. But Briseyes knew that all the men who had approached her and met with misfortune had suffered because of Callisten.

It was unusual that he just left Demian alone.

“You’ll need to marry well if you want to become Emperor.”

“I already have someone in mind.”

“Shall I introduce you to someone?”

“Oh, I’d love that.”

Callisten looked at her expectantly at her words.

“I hate anyone who doesn’t have red hair and blue eyes.”

“I’ll look around. There should be quite a few such ladies.”

“There’s only one such woman in the Empire.”

“Hair color is common.”

“The combination isn’t common. I hate it if even one of the two is disqualified.”

“I see, that’s fortunate. I’m going to change my hair color to blonde soon.”

“Then I like blonde hair with blue eyes.”

“Stop talking nonsense. I’m tired.”

When she pressed her throbbing temple and spoke, Callisten said:

“Is it because of what happened in class?”

She didn’t answer his question.

“Should I give you private lessons?”

“No.”

“Why? You used to like it when I gave you private lessons.”

“That’s because I thought you were normal back then.”

She leaned back when he tried to come closer again. Her back touched the armrest of the sofa. As she leaned back, he climbed over her body and stretched out his arm.

Realizing she should push him away, Briseyes tried to extend her arm, but he took her hand and kissed her palm.

“I’ll teach you everything. Academy knowledge is easy.”

“Don’t say that. Do you know how hard I study?”

“Get divorced. And become an administrator. Follow your original dream. Don’t be a Grand Duchess.”

She didn’t answer his words and just tried to pull her hand away.

“When I become Emperor, I’ll make you the Minister of Administration.”

Briseyes wavered a little at his words. But she immediately rejected the idea, pushed his face away, and tried to sit up properly.

“Or should I give you the imperial throne?”

“Why do you say such outrageous things anywhere?”

“I’m serious. Do you think this mere throne matters to me?”

He said this and slowly moved away from her. Briseyes straightened her back and glared at him, but he went down to her feet and lifted her ankle.

“I’m serious.”

He said this, removed Briseyes’s shoe, and kissed the top of her foot.

“If you become my master, you can become Emperor.”

“Callisten.”

“So let me have you.”

After kissing her foot, he then bit the top of it.