Actually, I had long suspected that the reason Arvid wanted to marry me wasn't something as simple as a childhood crush or infatuation. I had known instinctively, from the very beginning, that he must have had some other deeper reason beyond just affection. But the love he had consistently shown me had been so genuine, so real and heartfelt, that I honestly didn't care much anymore about whatever was said between the lines or left unspoken.
Even now, as he stood before me laying himself completely bare, telling me openly about all the other political reasons he had wanted to marry me—I didn't think that new information would affect how I thought about him fundamentally as a person. The only thing that truly mattered to me was that he loved me with his whole heart. And I, in turn, loved him so deeply it sometimes frightened me. At the end of the day, that mutual love was what mattered most.
"I won't hate you," I answered him honestly, meeting his eyes. "Actually, I thought you must have had another strategic reason to marry me from the very beginning—when you first put forth that specific condition to stop the war. You could have asked for many things, but you asked for me. But honestly, it doesn't really matter anymore. Do you know why?"
I asked him. He probably had an idea of what I was going to say, but he shook his head anyway, encouraging me to continue.
"Because you love me; and I love you," I told him simply. "That's all that truly matters in the end. Nothing else—not politics, not bloodlines, not imperial succession. Just us."
I took slow, deliberate steps toward him. But he didn't wait patiently until I reached him—instead, he took several steps forward much faster, eagerly closing the distance between us. And then he just wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly, holding me so close I practically disappeared into his embrace.
"I love you. I love you so much, Rhia," he said with a breathy sigh, his voice thick with emotion. "More than I ever thought I could love anyone."
Under the night sky full of countless glittering stars, we stayed locked in each other's embrace, letting the warmth of each other engulf us completely. The world faded away until there was nothing but us.
---
"...Never in my entire life did I actually think that the powerful Gunasera family would be punished like this!" the animated woman who sat across from me exclaimed, adding enthusiastically to our ongoing conversation. "Honestly, it was so incredibly satisfying to watch. Especially that awful woman Maradi—she's so vile and cruel, always making life harder for anyone weaker than her. Now she has to live as a commoner beyond the second wall—how absolutely fitting!"
The woman speaking wore a beautiful yellow saree with intricate silver threadwork decorating the borders and pallu. She had styled her dark hair in an elegant updo, carefully decorated with fragrant jasmine flowers. Like any other Southerner, she had warm brown skin and sharp, attractive features. Her eyes were dramatically enhanced by deeply drawn black eyeliner. She was one of several noblewomen that Arvid's cousins had introduced to me recently. Currently, we were having afternoon tea together in my palace's rose garden, enjoying the pleasant weather.
Her name was Rewathi, and she was the first daughter of the prominent Herela family. There were two other noblewomen sitting near me at the table. There was a short, perpetually cheerful Southern woman called Gayathri, who seemed incapable of sitting still. And there was one tall, aloof, not-much-talking woman called Sangya, who observed more than she spoke. They were both also from prominent noble families of Selon, families with old money and political influence.
After introducing all of them to me for this evening tea gathering, the twins—Aathi and Ruthi—had unfortunately been forced to leave early. Their mother, Princess Harusha, had lessons planned for them until dinner time. They had left grumbling and complaining about their strict schedule.
After they departed, I had worried it might become awkward with these women I barely knew. But it was not so at all. The cheerful, happy sunshine personality of Gayathri had immediately started the conversation as if we had all known each other for years and were just reuniting after a long separation. Everyone had warmed up quickly to each other.
"If she had just been even a bit kind to people, it would not be so hard for the Gunasera family now," Gayathri added thoughtfully as she took a delicate sip of the spiced tea that had been served. "Their grandfather built absolutely everything from nothing, rising from poverty to prominence through pure merit. They're just disrespecting that great man's efforts and his valuable contributions to Selon by acting so entitled."
"But His Majesty is absolutely great at giving appropriate punishments!" Rewathi exclaimed with an almost dreamy look in her eyes. "To think he banished all of them beyond the second wall and confiscated the Academy from their control—this kind of justice should have been done years ago by previous emperors."
The way she talked about Arvid was somewhat reminiscent of someone who harbored deep affection for him. I suppose my gaze must have become intense and focused because she suddenly became quiet, looking uncomfortable.
Gayathri quickly jumped in to talk on her behalf, trying to smooth over the awkwardness. "Oh, this lady Rewathi right here had the biggest crush on His Majesty when she was young," she explained cheerfully. "She used to say all the time that she would become his concubine when she grew up, that it was her destiny. But when the previous emperor rejected all the marriage proposals that came in for his son and publicly declared that the prince would choose his own companion himself, she had pretty much given up on that dream."
Rewathi added quickly, looking directly at me with earnest eyes, "Yes, Your Majesty, I want you to know that I'm now someone who simply admires the stars from a safe distance. I know my limits and my place. I would never—"
I cut her off with a smile. "He is indeed a treat for the eyes, so be at ease—I don't blame you at all for admiring him. Half the empire probably feels the same way."
They all agreed enthusiastically with that assessment, laughing. Well, would you look at this? My husband was apparently quite popular among the noble ladies. I felt a small surge of possessive pride.
Our flowing conversation gradually circled back to the Maradi Gunasera incident. It was only natural that they couldn't get enough of discussing it—the scandal was unprecedented.
This morning, Arvid had formally summoned all the people directly related to the incident where Maradi had publicly whipped the old merchant, and he had held an official trial. It had been remarkably thorough—with damning evidence flowing in against not just Maradi personally, but against almost every single member of the extensive Gunasera family.
It had emerged that they had been taking substantial bribes from wealthy examinees who participated in the entrance exam of Gunasera Academy, selling spots to the highest bidders regardless of merit. And they had systematically bribed the civil service exam officers to ensure their Academy graduates passed, creating a corrupt pipeline. After those graduates became civil servants in positions of power, the family had demanded a portion of their monthly income and actively encouraged the civil servants to take bribes themselves, creating a whole network of corruption. It was an entire nest of worms, a systemic rot.
There would be many more trials scheduled for all those various accusations, which was unfortunately going to stretch Arvid's already overwhelming workload to no end.
But for now, the immediate punishment was that the entire family had been banished beyond the second wall—back to the humble area where their grandfather Tarhan Gunasera had originally come from decades ago. The shocking news about the Gunasera family's dramatic fall from grace had become the hottest topic of conversation in all of Arpa, spreading rapidly from mouth to mouth, reaching every ear in the city.
"Their grandfather only passed away just one year ago," Gayathri observed. "And they've already fallen to such depths. The chances of them making their way back inside the first wall again is highly unlikely, probably impossible."
I had to agree completely with her words. Even Sangya, who had remained almost completely quiet for the whole afternoon, nodded her agreement with that assessment.
Despite being so quiet verbally, I noticed that the tall woman had kept her eyes practically glued to Gayathri the entire time. She had a small, soft smile constantly playing on her lips—as if admiring someone she deeply loved. Her expressive eyes were communicating what her words didn't say.
Did Gayathri know about this obvious affection? She had to, didn't she? I mean, it was pretty blatant to anyone paying attention. But it didn't seem like she was aware at all. Or maybe she was deliberately feigning ignorance to preserve their friendship. Or perhaps she genuinely had no idea.
I had never known about Katherine's romantic feelings for me either, until she had desperately confessed them. The sudden thought about my dead friend took me sharply back to when she had still been alive. What kind of oblivious idiot had I been not to notice that she loved me?
Even if I had been undoubtedly going to reject her—because I could never return those feelings—I should have known earlier. I should have noticed the signs. Then I could have handled the situation in a completely different way, with more care and sensitivity. And then maybe, just maybe, she could still be alive today instead of being dead.
Katherine's face was now a distant memory in my mind, fading. Like something that had happened a lifetime ago, in another world. Something I had seen in a half-remembered dream.
"...What do you think about that, Your Majesty?" I snapped back to the present at the sound of Rewathi's voice addressing me directly.
"Of course Her Majesty would approve of the idea—there's nothing wrong with holding a fair specifically for noble ladies, right Your Majesty?" Gayathri asked with excited, hopeful eyes.
A fair for noble ladies? How had the conversation jumped to this topic? I had completely missed that transition while lost in my thoughts.
"Sure, why not?" I answered them agreeably, not wanting to seem distant. "It sounds like a wonderful idea."