Chapter 24: Chapter 23

You each ride separately. I want to go back.

Elsius looked at Kaiden, trying to swallow her words, and looking at her chaotically.

What Princess Elsius and Dowager Empress Isabella both wanted from her was the power that came from the Emperor. Kaiden was the one who succeeded to the throne through the revolution. The ministers who followed him were loyal enough to commit suicide when he gave orders, unlike other revolutionary loyalists. After the revolution, power was never dispersed.

Both the Princess and the Dowager Empress only wished that something that won his favor would come into their hands.

Since Evelina had a time when she was the master of the social circle, their actions were so easily predicted. Besides, as the Dowager Empress and the Princess can confirm, the eyes on the {Tears of a Mermaid} hanging on her neck were too much of a tell.

“I want to spend close time with Your Majesty. Will it be difficult?”

As Evelina met Kaiden’s eyes, she lowered her eyes in fear, she said so.

“Is there any reason to make it difficult? Ride neither.”

Then Kaiden said indifferently and took Evelina’s hand.

“Brother!”

“Kaiden!”

“Don’t ride either. It is an order.”

Without even looking behind him, he led Evelina’s hand and headed for the marina. Neither Elsius nor Dowager Empress Isabella looked at them as if they had no idea what to do, but soon calmed and looked at each other.

Evelina looked at Kaiden and said shyly with a fake smile.

“I don’t know if this is okay… I’m glad it’s just the two of us, Kaiden.”

“You can take the other ships. Only the two of us are leaving Lake Heliben.”

As he beckoned the captain of the guard to take care of this matter, Evelina said. Whenever she saw the head of the guards, Evelina was reminded of Ianathas, who was also serving as the head of the 2nd Guard to serve as the second escort while he was the head of the military service.

She knew why. Since the Minister of Military Affairs was higher than the commander of the guards, it must have been done so that the two would not collide.

“I don’t think we should.”

“Why?”

“I am now the Empress. Kaiden and I, if we have many children later…”

She tried to be childish, racking her brains.

“Then you have to get along well with the adults of the imperial family. If we lose your boat and get banned from boating because of me, the other adults in the royal family will hate me.”

“If you hate someone, you behead them.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s going to work that way either. Because it can drive children mad…”

“The children… Yes, of course. I’ll do as Lina says.”

She found it funny that he turned his head again and said that. Pretending to be an immature young lady who crossed his arms with hers, she couldn’t not know that he was doing it because she was too much.

Evelina thought it was stupid that he didn’t wear gloves. He seemed to hate it every time he touched her, as he shuddered each time.

“Oh…”

As Evelina tried to get on her boat, Kaiden grabbed her and moved her onto his boat. Then he walked slowly and sat her in her ornately decorated chair.

“I’m glad you didn’t have lunch.”

He said as he looked at the fruits and refreshments that were loaded on the boat.

As Kaiden sat down, the watchman looked at his master, the Dowager Empress. It seemed unfair to both the Dowager Empress and the Princess, but they couldn’t resist the words of Emperor Kaiden. They were standing in the distance, talking to each other and insulting each other.

Evelina thought she’d rather be Kaiden, who pretended to be nice to her, and she smiled at him. Then Kaiden, who met her eyes, quickly but awkwardly turned his gaze to his water. Evelina also stroked her armrest by the side of her chair.

Then the boat began to move slowly. The other guests invited by the Dowager Empress were slowly chasing after them in two ships.

Evelina didn’t like the sun shining on the lake. It was almost two o’clock now, and the sky was clear without a single cloud.

A cloth that was a shade of pink hung like a roof over Evelina and Kaiden’s heads, swaying along the wind and fluttering below. Evelina felt as if she had stepped into a watercolor painting.

The sunlight shining on the water was like a shattered diamond. She saw the light embroidered over the azure lake. The smell of the nearby forest wafted in, and her heart was refreshed. There was even a faint scent of peonies.

“Lina. When you say ‘children’, how many did you mean?”

Evelina turned her head at the sudden question. He was asking her seriously with a look on his face that she didn’t recognize when he had been looking at her.

“I don’t know. Ten of them?”

Evelina wanted to see him look terrified, so she said so. He opened his eyes wide and covered his mouth with his large hand. Then he turned his head.

When she saw him bewildered, she felt good, as if she had taken some revenge on his deceitfulness in trying to seduce her.

“Eleven is good too.”

“If it’s eleven, you have to be pregnant for 11 years. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes. If it’s Kaiden’s, I think I could have twenty.”

Because Evelina tried to pretend she was a really thoughtless, innocent young girl, she looked like she really wanted it.

“It is not uncommon to have just one child. There are many mothers who are at risk during childbirth.”

“But I don’t like having only one child. If possible, I want to have as many children as possible. So that the children are not lonely.”

As she sees him getting more and more embarrassed, she says so cheerfully. Now, she looked like an immature young girl who opened her eyes to her first love.

“First… All right.”

She smiled gracefully and looked at Kaiden, even though she was in a cheerful mood as she saw him try to end the conversation. He was looking at Evelina silently, and Evelina was looking at him with a smile.

“Lina’s eyes are really… they’re like jewels.”

After he said that, he closed his mouth, wondering if he made a mistake.

Evelina said when he looked as if he was blaming himself for his mistake,

“Your Majesty is prettier. I’ve never seen such pretty red eyes. It’s even more beautiful in the sun. To the point where I want it.”

Evelina knew her beauty well. So whenever she said this, she was used to the expressions that men made about her. However, Kaiden’s expression did not change much, unlike her expected expression. The woman laughed again and said,

“Thank you very much for coming with me, Your Majesty.”

He was looking at Evelina. In his eyes, Evelina had platinum blonde hair that melted into the sun, and she was looking at him with a brighter smile than the sunlight falling behind her. Purple eyes were shining like mysterious and expensive jewels.

“There will be the Foundation festival soon.”

“Oh, yes, I heard.”

Evelina had heard about it because Princess Elsius was trapped in her room. Originally, she often went to the festival before living in the Marquis of Logias. Because she was the big shot in society.

“I think I heard that Princess Elsius is preparing for it. Is that right?”

“She used to. It’s usually prepared by the Empress, not by the Princess.”

“Yes, I heard so.”

The Foundation festival was under the leadership of the Empress, unlike New Year’s Day, which takes place under the leadership of the Emperor. It was because it was originally a woman who founded the country.

“The Empress’ work is now divided.”

Kaiden took his eyes off Evelina and shifted his gaze to a fluttering pink translucent cloth. She felt the edge of the ivory dress swaying in the wind. The wind that cooled her ankles soon cooled her thighs.

“What do you think about this?”

Evelina wondered why he was asking that. In general, if the Empress’s seat was vacant, it was right for the Princess to do it. However, she was the daughter of the enemy family, although she was the Empress. It was strange for her to take on the Empress’s job because he had the Princess who supported him when he became Emperor.

“I believe in Kaiden’s wisdom.”

“Are you not disappointed? Isn’t Lina my Empress?”

Evelina wondered what answer he wanted. From her point of view, she would die in three weeks anyway, so she didn’t even want to take on the job. Of course it was her lazy idea, and Evelina’s reason told her to take over the Empress’ job. Rather, she should receive it when he tries to distribute power. That way, even if she died, the Marquis of Logias and his wife will be safe.

“Can I wish for that? To be honest, I’m happy just to be next to Kaiden after getting married.”

“… Lina.”

“But… I’m a little curious if the birds in my mansion are doing well.”

“I’ll bring them all in tomorrow right away.”

He spoke quickly and took Evelina’s hand. She smiled when she realized that the shaking in the hand he was holding wasn’t hers, it was his.

“The child that Lina gives birth to will be the emperor.”

“What? But…”

“So please stay as the Empress. I’m not going to have any more women other than Lina. So wouldn’t it be right for the only person next to me to be the Empress?”

Evelina thought he was only a good swordsman, but that the performance was on the level of a genius. If she were a really immature young girl and this was her first time in her life, she would have fallen for this acting and given him her body and heart.

“From tomorrow, I’ll leave all the Empress’ work to Lina.”

“Then Princess Elsius and the Dowager Empress…”

“If there’s a backlash, I’ll take care of it.”

She smiled as he wished and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Really, I’m glad… Ugh…!”

The moment Evelina got up from her seat for a moment, a gust of wind blew. The pink cloth that covered them like a roof was loosened by gusts, and the hook at the end of the loose cloth was caught in Evelina’s belt. At that moment.

“Oh my god!”

“Lina!”

She was pulled with a jerk.

Evelina fell into the lake with a ‘flop!’ according to the plan of the Dowager Empress.