When I stood frozen with a pale face, the Emperor looked into my eyes and smiled faintly.
From that thick, knowing smile—as if responding to my suspicions—I realized something instinctively.
He already knew how I was looking at him.
"Well then, enjoy the banquet comfortably…"
The Emperor lifted my stiff, ice-cold hand and pressed his lips against the back of it.
It was far too lingering to be called a simple hand kiss.
Startled by the heavy touch, I stumbled backward.
Lloyd quickly supported me and asked anxiously,
"Yuliana, what's wrong?"
It wasn't my imagination.
I could not have misunderstood the Emperor's lewd gaze and blatant behavior.
Only now did I understand why, when I first met him, I had felt uneasy despite his kindness.
The kindness had been hiding something filthy. My instincts had sensed it.
But hadn't Kallian said the Emperor wanted to kill me?
Lloyd, finally noticing how strange I looked, guided me to a nearby chair. Since the banquet had just begun, most guests were standing in groups talking, and no one was sitting.
"Can't you endure even a little longer?"
It sounded as if he hoped I would stay in the hall a bit more. I frowned and looked up at him.
"Did His Majesty try to stop me from returning to Silverstel?"
"…That's part of it. But I was also uneasy about sending you alone."
So the Emperor had influenced Lloyd after all.
I had heard that besides the Empress, the Emperor had five concubines.
His reputation with women was not good.
Officially, he had taken concubines because the Empress had not produced an heir. But even after having children, he continued to take more.
Then why me—when I even have a child?
As Emperor, countless beautiful women would willingly throw themselves at him for his position alone.
Besides, Kallian's warning about the Emperor had not been about this kind of danger.
But the Emperor's gaze and actions were too obvious to dismiss as imagination.
"The way the Emperor looks at me isn't normal."
"What… do you mean?"
"He might try to take me as another concubine."
Lloyd's expression darkened immediately.
"That can't be. It must be your imagination."
He gently stroked my shoulder as if to calm me.
Seeing how deeply Lloyd trusted the Emperor made me lose my patience. I slapped his hand away.
"Aren't you the one who wants to believe it's just your imagination?"
"I don't want to argue with you about this."
"I don't want to talk about this with you either!"
Whether I liked it or not, I had attended the banquet as Lloyd's partner.
And he was the only person here I could rely on.
That was why I told him.
But perhaps the Emperor had already influenced him with sweet words. Lloyd refused to see the truth.
Or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring it.
Realizing there was no point continuing, I turned my back on him and started walking away.
"Where are you going?"
Lloyd stepped forward to stop me. I pulled my arm away and said coldly,
"I'm not returning to the palace room, so don't worry. I just need some air."
At my cold tone, Lloyd slowly withdrew his hand.
Leaving him behind, I walked out of the banquet hall.
In the Garden
The garden outside the hall was arranged like a maze, filled with neatly trimmed trees.
As I walked along the paths in the cool night breeze, my heart slowly calmed.
Once I returned to Silverstel, I planned to run away from Lloyd anyway.
Whether the Emperor was after my life or something else, the fact remained—he was dangerous.
If I could leave the imperial palace, buy a carriage, and reach somewhere I could contact Gerard, I would be safe.
As I organized my thoughts and planned my next steps—
Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me.
Thinking it was Lloyd, I glared sharply at the person—
Then froze.
"It's dark at night. Where are you going alone with such a delicate body?"
The Emperor.
He pulled my wrist and placed his other hand on my waist.
Goosebumps spread across my body.
I quickly pushed him away and bowed as politely as I could.
"I didn't realize Your Majesty was here. It seems I have disturbed your rest, so I will take my leave."
But the Emperor grabbed my wrist again and smiled slyly.
"I came out following you."
Cold sweat ran down my back.
So he had planned this.
Did the Empress know?
Did she know her husband was reaching for a woman who even had a child?
The sensation of his hand around my wrist felt like a crawling insect. I tried to shake him off.
"Please stop."
Despite my firm refusal, his grip did not loosen.
Though middle-aged, he was still strong—an ability user blessed with holy power.
But I could not dare use my own ability against the Emperor.
If I attacked him recklessly, I could lose my head on the spot.
Ignoring my resistance, he pulled me close by the waist.
"You were Valdormer's wife and still had eyes for Silverstel, even giving birth to a child. Why should I be any different?"
His unexpected words froze me.
"What do you mean…?"
"It seems the child inherited the power of fire—but not the power of ice."
For a moment, my mind went blank.
He knows Denian has fire power?
Since the people at Bent Castle were his, he could have been informed. When Denian was a baby, he couldn't control his fire ability.
Does he know Denian also has dark power?
My hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
The Emperor smirked at my reaction.
"Fire and ice cannot mix."
Fortunately, he didn't seem to know about the dark power yet.
Suddenly, he lifted my powerless hand and kissed my wrist.
"But fire and light… wouldn't they mix beautifully?"
What insane nonsense was he saying?
His snake-like gaze slowly scanned my body.
Only then did I fully understand what he wanted.
It wasn't just my body.
Because he thought I was distracted, my push hit him harder than expected, and even his solid body staggered back.
Taking that chance, I turned and ran.
Turning my back on the Emperor without permission was an act of disrespect—but that didn't matter right now.
And he did not chase after me.
Back in My Room
The moment I returned, I frantically began packing.
I felt that telling Lloyd would be useless.
I planned to leave the imperial palace immediately with Denian.
The imperial soldiers might pursue us, so we had to leave as quickly as possible.
After packing only what was necessary, I headed to wake Denian—
Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth.
"Mmph—!"
As my nose and mouth were blocked, I struggled wildly and instinctively tried to summon my fire power.
But before I could—
Clack.
Restraint cuffs snapped around my wrists.
The intruder had known in advance that I was an ability user and had prepared binding restraints.
I fought with all my strength.
But without my powers, I was no different from an ordinary woman.
I tried desperately to stay conscious—
But the sharp scent entering through my nose made my vision blur.
And finally—
I lost consciousness.