Chapter 134
***
"Princess. Is your ankle all right?"
"I'm so glad to hear you're okay! You look so beautiful today."
"Would you do me the honor of joining me for a dance?"
"Oh, I see there are no blanks on your card....... Will you be attending the banquet the day after tomorrow?"
"The lord of Hildes must be so happy, he can dance with the Princess anytime he wants, and if it were me, I'd be thanking the gods every day."
Since her ankle wasn't completely healed yet, Raha only danced light dances that didn't involve much movement. After being surrounded by people for a while, fatigue set in.
Raha drank the cold, sweet juice. Quenching her thirst, she looked down at the crowded hall. She realized that she was more suited to a party with a lot of foreigners than a party with only locals.
Now that Karzen was out of the way, the mood seemed to lighten up a bit. Tonight was the last banquet before the wedding. Tomorrow was finally the day when Jamela officially became Karzen’s empress.
There would be no banquet on the national wedding day. It would be a very sober and solemn day, as if all the revelry had been a lie.
Of course, there would be another two days of dazzling banquets the following day. Due to tomorrow's schedule, today's banquet would end early.
Raha had to leave the hall early, citing a bad ankle. Normally, this would have been a no-brainer for Karzen, but tonight he didn't show up at all. It was the same reason that Jamela didn't attend the banquet tonight.
She had to prepare for her wedding tomorrow.
Raha returned to her palace. She had fallen asleep while the maids were helping her bathe. Suddenly, Raha realized she was blind again. It was a moment. Completely out of it.
When she emerged, her vision was as clear as ever.
It was like she was under a spell. She didn’t like this kind of magic.
"Everyone go to bed early tonight. We have to get up early tomorrow."
"Yes, princess."
"Have a small, unmarked carriage prepared."
The maids never questioned Raha's sudden orders; whether they trusted her, feared her, or both, they obeyed her scrupulously. Whatever Raha did, whatever she planned, whatever she decorated, they never once opposed her.
Returning to the bedroom, Raha took off everything she was wearing.
She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Aside from the occasional red mark on her chest, her skin was as white as a snowflake. Raha was very well groomed, just the way Karzen wanted her to be.
Nails neatly manicured.
Full lips with thick lashes and a reddish tinge.
Her long, flowing blue hair was as smooth as oiled flower petals.
Finally, she checked her eyes.
How much time had passed?
Raha climbed into the carriage her maids had quickly prepared.
***
Karzen leaned his upper body against the head of the bed and let out a slow breath.
"Are you deaf?"
The chamberlain bowed his head deeply.
"Who's here?"
"Princess Raha is here, Your Majesty."
Karzen was speechless for a moment, then he spoke.
"Bring her here."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Would you like to refine the garment?"
"A word or two, and then she’ll be on her way. It's a hassle to change now."
Still, as if to show at least some goodwill, Karzen put on a thin robe.
It was tied at the waist, loosely. Through the easy opening of the robe, Karzen's tight muscles peeked through. There was something obscene about it, but he didn't mind in the least. Perhaps even that was a common pastime for him.
Some time passed.
Raha followed the chamberlain into the bedroom.
Karzen's eyes were fixed on her ankles. She had worn an indoor dress for the spring weather, leaving her white ankles exposed.
Otherwise.......
Karzen's eyes were drawn to Raha's face for a moment. He slowly opened his mouth.
"What do you want, Raha?"
"I have something to tell you."
"Is it important?"
"To me."
Karzen dismissed the chamberlain, then turned to Raha.
"Come closer."
"May I?"
"Why not?"
"I feel like I'm interrupting Karzen's fun."
"Speaking of which."
Karzen knew very well what Raha was talking about. The whole time Raha had been in this bedroom, it had been because of a woman who had been slavishly holding her breath beside him. She didn't know her name, just that she was one of Karzen's whores.
"I don't care, come."
Raha paced obediently, her eyes fixed on the woman on the bed.
The woman looked flustered and nervous that it was no one else but Karzen's twin in the bedroom at this late hour. Karzen had even called her to the bed..........
It was obvious that she wanted to hide her face and retreat at once, but Raha’s dear twin would not allow it.
Moving toward him, Raha was slightly distracted.
How carefree of him to drag another woman into bed on the eve of his wedding? Karzen was out of his mind, too. No noble could force the Emperor to be celibate, but shouldn't he at least have some decency?
Well, if he had any decency, he wouldn't have given him over a thousand slaves as a gift.
Raha stumbled for a moment as she thought this. Fortunately, it was in front of the bed, so she didn't fall to the floor.
No, not in front of the bed. Raha didn't fall because she stumbled in front of Karzen. Her wrists were firmly grasped by two hands.
Karzen looked down at Raha in his arms and asked,
"Why are you here, Raha, at this late hour?"
"Karzen."
Raha parted her lips slowly.
"I can't see very well."
"What do you mean you can't see?"
"I can see and then I can't."
"Did you drink a lot at the banquet?"
"I only drank juice."
"Then why can't you see all of a sudden?"
There was not the slightest agitation in Karzen's voice. That abominably sweet voice....... Raha made no reply, and at her meaningful silence, Karzen smiled faintly.
"Sit down."
With the courtesy of removing her shoes, Karzen helped Raha onto the bed.
Even now, he didn't know if Raha could see or not. But he did know that Raha's stumbling earlier had been real. Karzen could tell that there had been a small error in Lescis's research.
His magic was never perfect.
Raha must have fallen asleep, or woken up early for some other reason, and the magic hadn't worn off. The sharp-eyed twin intuitively knew something was wrong with them and came to his bedroom this late at night.
"Are you here because you're scared?"
"Yes."
"And what about your mate?"
"I don't want to show my fiancé any signs of domesticity."
Karzen smirked.
"Ha.”"
"Yeah."
"What do you want me to do?"
"That's what I'm asking, Karzen."
"Have you come to be angry with me because you can't see?"
"Karzen."
"I don't care if you're mad at me. Because I love you no matter what you look like."
"You love me?"
"Of course."
Raha blinked slowly. Those mesmerizing eyes, the ones Karzen didn't have. If he could, he wanted to look into them until he died.
She didn't look at him for long. Soon her gaze shifted to the side. Karzen's gaze followed hers. What she saw was the woman on the bed, who had been holding her breath the entire time.
The woman was shivering slightly, and then she stopped breathing. She couldn't help it.
Because the Princess had kissed her. (*Raha kissed the woman)
Time seemed to stop.
"...."
It didn't last long. Raha lifted her head with an expression that one couldn't quite fathom.
Whether Karzen knew her kiss was real or not, Raha didn’t know. It could have been a literal peck on the lips, but the way Karzen's eyes were locked on her lips, it wasn't a meaningless kiss.
Raha asked in a whisper.
"Does this make you want to kill her?"
"......Yes."
The woman's shoulders twitched at Karzen's words. The woman, who wore nothing but a blanket wrapped around her to cover her breasts, began to shiver.
But that was all.
All of Karzen's attention was focused on Raha.
Even if the woman were to suddenly cough up blood and die right then and there, Karzen's eyes would still be on Raha.
"Then, Karzen, why did you bring me so many slaves?"
"...."
"Didn't you want to kill them?"
Karzen didn't answer. Every single one of these questions was unthinkable, unimaginable. No one would ever think to ask him these things....... Not even Raha Delharsa.
"Huh? Karzen."
Except Raha's voice sounded breathtakingly sweet, like a mixture of honey and poison.
"You don't want to kill the royal lord?"
A joke taken too far becomes a mockery, and a mockery taken too far becomes an accusation. Karzen grabbed Raha's wrist and yanked her toward him.
She was too slender and fragile for him anyway. He didn’t have to exert much force to pull her down onto the sheets.......
Karzen's breathing slowed.
Raha's body didn't push him away like it had before. He could no longer feel the reluctant force, as if the eyes of the heir were nothing but a beautiful marking on Raha's eyes.
***
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